Hundreds of Tanzanians turned up for a charity walk to raise funds for the victims of earth quake that left at least 17 people have been confirmed dead and 253 others injured. Meanwhile, a total of 840 houses were totally demolished and a further 1,264 developed cracks. At least 44 government buildings in the region were also badly damaged reports Daily News.
The five kilometres Kagera earthquake charity walk attracted members of the society, private and government institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), diplomatic missions, religious bodies and business groups.
The charity walk organised by the Tanzanian government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation managed to raise 500 million Tanzanian shillings (229,635 US dollars). The government pledged to provide an extra 1bn/- to support the walk.
Tanzania’s retired President Ali Hassan Mwinyi led the throngs of participants who turned up for the Kagera earthquake charity walk to support earthquake victims in the Kagera region.
According to the government Kagera infrastructure repairs need at least 95bn/- Tanzanian shillings (43,630,650 US dollars). This amount will restore normality in Kagera Region after the strong earthquake struck the region last weekend.
The government is committed to ensuring that the people of Kagera receive all required support including social services such as medical facilities, food, water and other items.
“The head of state and the premier responded quickly to the problem by offering emergency aid, conducting fundraising functions and donations to support the victims,” said former Tanzanian President, Ali Hassan Mwinyi
According to the Daily news, so far some 3.6b/- (1,653,372 US Dollars) have been contributed by various people including Members of Parliament (MPs) who contributed 85.58m/- (39,304.3 US dollars); business people and diplomats who gave 1.4bn/- (642,978 US dollars); state owned institutions 800m/-( 367,416 dollars); insurance brokers (20m/-)(9186 dollars) and many others.
#WalkForKagera
