The National Social Security Institute (INSS) recently made a donation to the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) for pensioners affected by the recent floods that have ravaged the provinces of Maputo and Gaza in the south of the country. Valued at around $77,100, the aid includes more than 40 tons of food and personal hygiene products, intended for citizens housed in accommodation centers.
The handover ceremony took place in Maputo and was led by the director-general of the INSS, Joaquim Siúta, and the deputy director of Prevention and Mitigation at the INGD, Nelma de Araújo. On the occasion, Joaquim Siúta said that the gesture aims to respond to the immediate challenges faced by social security beneficiaries affected by the floods.
“The INSS beneficiary population also faces the same challenges as the general population—challenges of what to eat, what to wear, and where to sleep, and they will see that our support consists of mats and foodstuffs,” said the director, emphasizing that the support extends to the families of pensioners.
In a context where the country continues to suffer from the effects of heavy rains, the INSS justifies the action as part of a solidarity and social responsibility intervention, in line with the national effort to mitigate the humanitarian consequences caused by the floods. With around 2.8 million registered workers, spread across approximately 200,000 companies, the institute emphasizes the importance of supporting its beneficiaries in times of crisis.
“It is with our fellow citizens in mind that we have decided to grant this support to our beneficiary population. We are certain that we are the right entity to deliver the support, which is the INGD,” said Siúta, assuring that it will be up to that entity to directly survey the beneficiaries and organize the delivery to the reception centers.
Nelma de Araújo confirmed that among the approximately 700,000 citizens affected by the floods are several pensioners. She also emphasized that the INGD has its own mechanisms to ensure the distribution of goods, using district and municipal warehouses as logistics channels.
“By delivering these goods to the accommodation centers, we can be sure that some of the people affected and temporarily accommodated in the accommodation centers are also a target group of the INSS,” she stressed.
The gesture is part of a series of initiatives promoted by different public and private entities with a view to supporting communities most vulnerable to bad weather, at a time when national solidarity is a fundamental tool for responding to natural disasters.
