IOM Ghana will complete distribution today of Non-Food Items (NFIs)
to the three areas hardest hit by recent flooding; the Central
Region, Greater Accra and the Western Region. Identification of
beneficiaries and distribution of aid was undertaken in
collaboration with the National Disaster Management Organization
(NADMO) and local partners.

The distribution of 300 family packs and of 1,500 personal packs
was carried out during the last two weeks. The family packs consist
of a laundry bowl, bathing pail, kitchen set, laundry soap, aqua
tabs, sanitary wear and a durable sack for transporting the items.
The personal packs include mosquito nets, plastic plates, plastic
cups, plastic buckets, blankets, poly mats, bathing soap and a
durable sack. Both packs include information material on personal
hygiene, the H1N1 flu and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention as well
as NADMO safety information. The inclusion of these items is part
of a larger campaign to mainstream health information and materials
into NFI distributions.

The seasonal flooding that severely affected 40,000 people in
the coastal regions of Ghana has moved north and is currently
impacting the northern regions of Ghana. NADMO has teams on the
ground and is assessing the flood's impact.

IOM will hand over a final round of NFIs, including 186 personal
kits and 37 family kits, to NADMO on September 6 for distribution
in the Western Region. In response to a special request from the
NADMO Western Region Coordinator, IOM increased the number of NFIs
to include an additional 600 mosquito nets and 300 machetes, which
will provide vital assistance to farmers as they prepare their
fields for cultivation, according to the Coordinator.

IOM has monitored two of the distributions. "At one site, this
represented the first such assistance the community had received.
We are pleased to be able to assist NADMO in delivering this
crucial support to flood victims," said William Lorenz, IOM Senior
Operations Officer.

IOM relief activities are funded through an "Emergency Cash
Grant" from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA), to support the Government of Ghana in providing
assistance to flood victims in the country.

For more information, please contact:

William Lorenz

IOM Ghana

Tel: +233 302 82321

E-mail: "mailto:wlorenz@iom.int">wlorenz@iom.int