ABOP chairman Ronnie Brunswijk believes that the government should provide structural food aid to remote villages in southern Suriname. According to him, several communities face serious problems with food supplies. A one-off distribution of food parcels is, in his view, insufficient to improve the situation. Brunswijk visited Kwamalasamutu on Friday, October 23, where he says he was confronted with difficult living conditions.
According to him, the water level in the river was so low that boats could barely navigate. As a result, residents would encounter problems reaching their subsistence plots and going hunting. According to Brunswijk, some residents have to walk for hours to carry out their daily activities.
Residents ask for help
During the visit, residents appealed to Brunswijk to support them with food. The ABOP chairman stated that he then decided to deploy his own aircraft to bring rice to the area.
According to him, the Cabinet of the President was also informed of the situation. Brunswijk says that President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons subsequently sent a first aircraft with food parcels to the area on Saturday. More parcels reportedly arrived on Sunday.
He had also heard that another aircraft carrying relief supplies would be deployed on Monday. The politician expressed his appreciation for the head of state’s swift response.
Aid must continue
Brunswijk stressed that the problems in southern Suriname cannot be solved with a single food shipment. He believes that the government should investigate how residents can be supported monthly as long as their situation has not improved.
According to him, this does not concern Kwamalasamutu alone. He also mentioned communities in Coeroeni, Alalapadu, Palumeu and Tepu, which he says also deserve attention.
The ABOP chairman called on the government to address food supplies in the remote areas structurally, so that residents are not repeatedly dependent on occasional aid initiatives.
