The African Explosives and Chemical Industries (AECI) has offered R1.3-million as part of relief efforts for KwaZulu-Natal communities affected by severe flooding in April and May.
The AECI has been providing emergency aid including portable water, food, blankets and tents for affected families in communities neighbouring the Umbogintwini Industrial Complex (UIC), south of Durban.
This is especially to improve education in the neighbourhood for short to long term.
A task team including AECI’s corporate social investment (CSI) experts, the stakeholder relations manager, AECI property services and AECI Water has also been deployed to the region to address socio-economic development challenges.
AECI group CSI manager Nicole Solomon said 250 family-sized food parcels, blankets and tents have so far been distributed to vulnerable families.
The group has also supplied the Zuzuqhele High School, Novuywa Primary School and Kusakusa Primary School with sandwiches that were provided by a local bakery.
“Water tankers remain in place to fill the school community centres’ JoJo tanks with up to 10 000 litres of water twice a week. Bottled water is distributed to 250 employees at the UIC itself,” said Solomon.
“Squads of volunteers continue to participate in clean-up operations in surrounding areas, including the removal of litter dispersed by flood waters.”
The AECI is now planning a KwaZulu-Natal relief handover at Kusakusa Primary School in Ezombokodweni on July 21.
Solomon added that the group is working on assisting the communities in the long term, especially the vulnerable learners.
“The supply of clean drinking water and food was the immediate priority and for this we partnered with three local schools, leveraging their established feeding programmes. We are also committed to assisting them further going forward,” she said.
She said long-term assistance would include educational support by supplying school shoes, stationery and desks for the disadvantaged schools.
The AECI is also concerned about the psychosocial wellbeing, child protection, food and water security and hygiene-enhancement initiatives.
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