Financial assistance: Cash grants for the aged

MULTAN:

As many as 700 people from Muzaffargarh affected by floods  were extended financial help on Friday and Saturday.

The people were extended financial support by the German Embassy with the assistance of HelpAge International, a non-governmental organisation. The initiative to distribute cash grants among aged flood affectees from the district was taken to help them secure their livelihoods.

A ceremony was organised in this regard across the Muradabad, Khanpur and Taleeri union councils of the district. In the first phase of the project, 350 families flood affected families with physically challenged or aged members received financial assistance. Another 270 families would receive cash grants in the second phase of the initiative. Those provided financial assistance were identified using the vulnerability criteria.

The financial assistance provided would help the flood-affected families to secure their livelihoods. The initiative has been taken under a bigger relief project that also aims to revamp healthcare and mitigate disaster risk. The initiative has been conceived to rehabilitate those affected by floods in Muzaffargarh and build capacity of communities to enable them to adequately withstand future untoward incidents.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2016.