Maputo, 10 Mar (AIM) – The European Union announced on Thursday new funding of 50 million euros (about 53 million US dollars) in humanitarian aid for the southern African region.
Of this sum Mozambique will receive 25 million euros, while Madagascar will get 13.3 million. There is 7.4 million euros for Zimbabwe, and 4.3 million euros for Lesotho, Malawi and regional projects.
“This sum will be used to combat food insecurity and malnutrition, improve access to basic services, strengthen disaster response and management preparedness and promote education in emergency situations” indicated a European Union statement issued on Thursday.
The EU announced, at the beginning of this months, the provision of EUR 200,000 to help those most affected by tropical cyclone Freddy, which hit the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane on 24 February.
Contrary to initial expectations, Freddy has not dissipated, but returned to the Mozambique Channel. It is expected to make landfall for a second time on Friday, this time in the central province of Zambezia.
According to the EU statement, the sum “ will help alleviate difficult humanitarian situations in Mozambique.
“In Zimbabwe, food insecurity is expected to worsen due a decrease in agricultural production as well as the effects of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine which has had an impact on economies across the region” said the statement.
It also underscored that European Union humanitarian assistance will reinforce several sector responses to climate and man-made disasters, support emergency education and reinforce levels of disaster preparedness and response.
(AIM)
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