Brussels, 18/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has adopted the financing of a programme to support rebuilding in El Salvador, after the earthquakes that severely hit the country in January and February. The European Community's contribution to this programme totalling EUR 32 million will be 25 million, and that from El Salvador 7 million. The programme will be put into operation from November this year. It will benefit some 200,000 people, most of whom are in a situation of dire poverty, states a Commission release, which specifies that the programme mainly aims to reduce environmental vulnerability against natural disasters in the areas of Cuscatlan, La Paz and San Vicente and to strengthen the capacity of the civil society to take part in the planning and reconstruction process as well as the technical ability of municipalities and public institutions concerned by this process.
The programme comes in the wake of humanitarian aid granted by the Commission in January and March this year (EUR 2 and 8 million respectively), and mainly provides for: - the building of housing for those with incomes less than double the minimum wage; - the reconstruction of basic infrastructures (drinking water, sanitation …), social infrastructures (schools, health centres) and communal infrastructures (mainly markets).