$132M invested in 3 Phases of Help for Homes Initiative to date

$132 million has been invested in the 3 Phases of the Help for Homes Initiative to date.

This has been highlighted by the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa.

Vuniwaqa has revealed that $87m was invested in Phase 1, $20m was invested in Phase 2 while Phase 3 that is still ongoing has an allocation of $25 million and a total of 36,461 families in 12 priority affected areas have been assisted after Cyclone Winston.

She says that the connectivity for Vodafone to issue the mPAISA Help for Home cards was a challenge to have full coverage in each of the priority areas.

Vuniwaqa also highlighted that 9 hardware companies were given the tender to provide building materials for the Help for Home beneficiaries.

She says that the government carefully reflected on the delay in supply of building materials and the need to assist families still in tents, displaced or sheltered with families.

Vuniwaqa adds that the delay led to the exclusion of Vinod Patel, RC Manubhai and Carpenters in the approved list of hardware retailers in Phase 2, however they have now been included in Phase 3 as they have almost complied with the conditions placed upon them.

The Minister for Women says that to complement the Help for Homes initiative, other government ministries like the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Youth together with FNU have been running carpentry training in areas that were badly affected by TC Winston with the aim of empowering people to rebuild their homes and at the same time attain a lifelong skill which can be used as a means of livelihood for themselves.