Brussels, 04/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - A further €50 million will be mobilised by the European Union to help improve food and nutrition security in Ethiopia, and to build the resilience of individuals and communities to the drought in the south and east of the country, the European Commission announced on Friday 4 October.
This additional aid will fund the ARCE (Accelerating Resilience Capacity in Southern and Eastern Ethiopia) project, which focuses on the two parts of the country that are most affected by recurrent drought. The funds will especially support a mechanism that provides cash and food to vulnerable people in case of a shock; will promote dietary diversification and the local production of vegetables, milk and forage; will strengthen animal health services and support livestock vaccination; and will improve management of local resources such as water and grazing lands.
The ARCE project is part of the SHARE (Supporting Horn of Africa Resilience) regional programme - an initiative which combines humanitarian aid and development aid.
“With this new programme, we will be helping Ethiopian people in the longer term; providing support to help them rebuild their lives, make a living, and make sure they are well equipped to deal with droughts that will inevitably come again in the future”, said European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs.
European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva stressed the interest of combining emergency aid and longer term aid “to better protect vulnerable populations in the Horn of Africa from recurrent drought and hunger”.
The EU aid will be channelled through UNICEF, the FAO, the World Bank and NGO partners of the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO). (AN/transl.fl)