Brussels, 02/06/2003 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has approved the decision to grant several humanitarian aid allocations to countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America for a total of some EUR 3 million. These funds, which come from the budget of ECHO (the European Community's Humanitarian Aid Office), are distributed as follows:
Eritrea: EUR 1.3 million for urgent needs in drinking water, food aid and primary healthcare for populations suffering from malnutrition and drought.
Central African Republic: EUR 1 million to provide primary and secondary health facilities (drugs, food, medical equipment, logistics, technical assistance and small-scale rehabilitation of water, sanitation and health infrastructure).
Philippines: EUR 500,000 for people internally displaced by civil conflict (water, jerrycans, mattresses, latrines and water pumps).
Argentina: EUR 495,000 to combat malnutrition among vulnerable groups, to provide food aid and medicines over the next nine months.