Monday, October 24, 2011
The European Commission is mobilising an additional €24 million to assist vulnerable people threatened by famine and the effects of drought in the Horn of Africa.
The extra funding is on top of the €160 million provided by the Commission so far. It is announced three months since famine was declared by the United Nations in parts of Somalia and will provide food, water and treatment for malnourished children, as well as increasing protection and security for refugees and humanitarian aid workers at Dadaab camp in north-east Kenya.
Dadaab, which lies close to the Somali border, is the world's largest refugee camp with a population expected to reach half a million within the next months.
More than 13 million people are currently threatened by the effects of drought in the Horn of Africa and the Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva today renews her appeal for the world to continue to show solidarity and generosity towards this vulnerable population.
"Millions of people in the Horn of Africa need our daily help to stay alive," said Commissioner Georgieva. "Children are at highest risk, and are particularly vulnerable to the horrible by-product of much expected rains - a spread of diseases like diarrhea, cholera, malaria. The most dramatic needs remain inside Somalia, where we provide life-saving support to over 1.7 million people, often under extremely difficult conditions."
Source: European Commission