Sixth mercy flight to Somalia

 

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Aug 16 2011 7:20AM

Army personnel unpack food aid from Gift of the Givers truck, to be loaded on the C130 Air flight that left Air force base Waterkloof to Somalia at 4am this morning. Picture:Leon Sadiki

Ina Skosana

As the drought in Somalia persists, the aid organisation Gift of the Givers – with the help of the South African Defence Force – is continuing with its mercy missions to the Horn of Africa.

The humanitarian organisation yesterday sent out a sixth flight to the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

The SANDF has provided a C130 Hercules supply plane for the delivery of 18 tons of food, water and antimalaria medication.

This brings the aid delivered to Somalia by the Gift of The Givers to 112 tons in two weeks.

Another shipment of 500 tons will leave for the war-torn and drought-stricken country today.

“We have been very busy with collection over these past two weeks. We were up late last night loading the truck so that it would be ready to come to the air force base today,” a Gift of the Giver project manager, Ikram Omar, said yesterday.

“The Defence Force and the South African public have been of great help during this crisis. We already have a full warehouse. We need more aid and donations are welcome,” said Omar.

Col David Khumalo said the bad weather would not interfere with SANDF’s airlift plans.

Lt-Col Pricilla Maboa said the plight of Somalia fell within the military’s humanitarian programme.

Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, spoke about the harsh realities facing the people of Somalia.

“To call the situation in Somalia a disaster or a catastrophe is an understatement.

“There are 4 million people dying slowly and they are mostly children. Parents are watching their children die in front of them. There are three year olds that look like three month olds.”

The UN declared a famine in Somalia less than three weeks ago and more than 12 million people are in need of food aid and humanitarian assistance.

Dadaab in north-eastern Kenya is now the world’s largest refugee camp, housing more than 400000 registered refugees, most of the them Somalis.

Sooliman said more needed to be done by the international community at large and not only by South Africa.

The main needs the people of Somalia are nonperishable goods, water and educational toys.