Delivery of food relief to vulnerable households, which started in Kigali, continued on Monday, July 19 in eight districts under lockdown in four provinces.

According to officials, throughout the lockdown, 210,000 households, who depend on a daily wage for survival, will benefit from the relief program. Households with Covid-19 patients will also get food support.

The beneficiaries receive staple foods, such as beans, rice and maize flour. Families with children under five years of age get milk, in addition to their rations.

The government rolled out the assistance program as thousands of households could face hardships due to the 9-day lockdown, which was imposed to contain a surge in new cases of Covid-19. 

Some 300 tons of rice, beans and maize flour were delivered to 20,000 households in Kigali on Sunday.

In Musanze District, one of the three districts under lockdown, local leaders on Monday began delivering food assistance to 4,862 families.

"I am very delighted; I have been given 15kg. I wondered what I could feed to my family during this lockdown, and I am very grateful that the government supported us,” Felicien Kalisa, resident of Musanze, told The New Times after getting the ration for his family of five.

The quantity of food given to a family depends on the number of its members.

For Judith Kabihogo, a resident of Busogo Sector, the food assistance came at the right time.

"Due to the ban on movements, we had nothing left to eat. We received 3okg of rice, beans and maize flour. Tonight we will have something to eat," said the 54-year-old Kabihogo, who has a family of ten people.

According to an official in Rubavu District, where 16,000 families will benefit from 106 tons of beans, rice and maize flour, deliveries started on Monday.

In Nyagatre, 7,190 families started getting food rations on Monday.

"We started giving support to people in need. There already are people on the list, but village leaders should check for any other per people in need of support so that no one goes hungry during the lockdown,” Claudian Mushabe, the Mayor of Nyagatare, said.

In Rwamagana, Burera and Rutsiro districts, local leaders will begin distributing food assistance on Tuesday.

In order to minimize movements which could further spread the coronavirus, food rations are being delivered house-to-house by local leaders and youth volunteers, the Ministry of Local Government, said on Monday.