The National Disaster Council (NDC) through the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) has over the Easter weekend delivered a total of 44206 bags of 10kg rice equivalent to 42.06 tons of rice as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) in respond to the food shortage on the remote islands of Pelau and Luaniua atolls on Malaita Outer Islands.
According to the NDMO, the food relief supplies were well received by the communities through their respective house of chiefs during a handing over ceremony after the items were being unloaded on the island
Chief Tom Makaike of the Luaniua House of Chiefs stated the handing over of supplies is timely as food stocks on the island continue to deplete. He added irregular shipping services to the island also impacted on replenishing the food stocks which the community relies on, as the only source of staple food on the island is the giant swamp taro (kakake) and sprouted coconut (vara).
