The European Commission announced on Tuesday 7 February that the EU will mobilise €35 million in 2017 as additional aid for the victims of Hurricane Matthew that devastated Haiti in October 2016.
This additional aid will include €16 million in emergency humanitarian assistance to cover the immediate needs in food and to strengthen the initiatives for education, shelter, protection of the people, clean water, sanitation and hygiene for the worst hit households and their children. Preventing the spread of diseases in the worst affected communities is a priority.
The remaining €19 million is for development aid financed by the European Development Fund (EDF) out of the aid reserved for Haiti: €15 million in direct budgetary support for the reconstruction of basic services and €4 million in budgetary support for improving food safety and nutrition for the poorest households.
This additional aid will bring the EU's post-hurricane aid to Haiti to €39 million (see EUROPE 11642, 11639). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)