The European Commission is mobilizing a further 50 million euros in emergency humanitarian funding to help the people hit by the drought in the Horn of Africa.
With many in the region relying on livestock herding and subsistence farming, the prolonged drought has devastating consequences on food availability and livelihoods.
The additional funding brings total EU humanitarian aid to the region to 366.5 million euros since 2018, said a statement issued by the Commission on Thursday, 8 August 2019.
“The EU is stepping up its support for the people affected by a prolonged drought in the Horn of Africa. During my several visits to countries in the region, I have seen first-hand how much climate extremes are affecting this part of Africa,” read the statement.
According to the statement, the funding from this aid package will support drought-affected communities in Ethiopia (20 million euros), Somalia (25 million euros), Kenya (three million dollars) and Uganda (two million dollars).
A spell of drought, following two poor rain seasons in a row, has put almost 13 million people in need of emergency food assistance across the region.
More than four million children are estimated to be acutely malnourished, in addition to around three million malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women.
– APA
