Food For All Africa (FFAA) in collaboration with Holystic Nutrition Organization, an NGO based in Obuasi, has supplied 500 boxes of food items to some aged, vulnerable and malnourished people in the Obuasi Municipality.

Each food relief box weighing about 14kg, contained rice (5kg), oil, beans, maize, gari, tin tomatoes, tin mackerel, corned beef, milk powder, chocolate powder, nose mask, hand sanitizer, and others.

They are expected to benefit about four vulnerable people per household of the 500 beneficiaries, who were selected from 30 communities in the Obuasi East and the Obuasi municipal areas.

Chef Elijah Amoo Addo, Founder and Executive Director for Food For All Africa, told the Ghana News Agency, after the presentation that the gesture formed part of the 100 million meals distribution programme, which aimed at providing food aid to the disadvantaged communities in 30 countries in Africa, including Ghana.

He said under the programme FFAA, which specialized in fighting hunger and food waste, has since May this year, been providing over two million meals translating into 30,000 food boxes to vulnerable communities in Ghana, especially those hit hard by the covid-19 pandemic.

This had been achieved through the support of the Dubai government together with the Food Banking Regional Network in Dubai, UAE and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI).

Chef Amoo Addo said aside from Obuasi, FFAA had donated over 22,000 boxes of food items to eight Regions in the country and was in the process of covering the remaining regions of the country to support the poor and vulnerable.

On the rationale behind the project, Chef Amoo Addo who had received the Queen's Young Leaders Award from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for his contribution towards the reformation of Ghana's food distribution system, said the program was part of efforts to support families during COVID-19 period.

Again, he said, it was to push the prospect of Food Banking to communities and provide an opportunity to solidify their efforts in working with community NGOs, to build data of vulnerable people across the country and strengthen support systems.

Mr David Ameyaw, Executive Director of Holystic Nutrition Organisation, praised Food For All Africa for partnering with his organization to support the vulnerable communities in Obuasi.

The gesture, he said, would go a long way to improve the livelihoods of the beneficiaries.

He said since 2017, Holystic Nutrition had rehabilitated 300 acutely malnourished children and had also supported the nutrition of over 3000 other children, adding that, presently in Obuasi, his organization was the only facility which provided treatment and rehabilitation of malnourished people, especially children.

Again, efforts to prevent malnutrition had led the organization to provide food reliefs to over 2000 people since the outbreak of COVID-19.

On the criteria for selection of beneficiaries of the food reliefs, Mr. Ameyaw said his organization worked closely with the Department of Social Welfare as well as assembly members in the various communities.

The aged poor, disabled persons, and poor people living with HIV/AIDS are the target groups who are screened and selected for the support.

Some of the beneficiaries who spoke to the Ghana News Agency thanked the two organizations for the support and said it would go a long way to reduce hunger among them.