Brussels, 11/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - Going from word to deed, the European Union has decided to allocate an additional €30.5 million for humanitarian aid to the vulnerable population of Haiti. This was announced by the European Commission on Friday 11 January on the third anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck the island bringing with it 200,000 fatalities and 1.5 million homeless. Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, will be in Haiti at the weekend.
The additional funding is intended principally to help those who are still homeless, those suffering from cholera and the victims of Hurricane Sandy, which hit the island in 2011. It will finance access to clean water, primary health care, improving sanitation and promoting hygiene. “The number of displaced people living in camps has decreased from 1.5 million at the peak of the crisis to less than 350.000 at the end of 2012. The cholera outbreak has been largely contained. However, we need to continue with our efforts to give Haiti a chance to rebuild itself as a country much stronger than before the earthquake”, Georgieva said.
The new decision brings to €213 million EU humanitarian aid allocated to Haiti since the earthquake struck in January 2010. (AN/transl.jl)