Brussels, 13/05/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has decided to grant 5.4 million EUR in emergency humanitarian aid to the victims of the socio-economic crisis in Haiti. Following the departure of President Aristide, this crisis is due to an interruption in economic activity and the paralysis of public services in a country which is already classed as one of the poorest in the world.
The funds, from the Echo (Community humanitarian aid office) budget, will pay for the supply of drinking water to 300,000 residents in urban areas, access by 100,000 vulnerable people to basic health services and the provision of food aid to 45,000 people (under-nourished children and their families, pregnant women, orphans), and the installation of a telecommunications network to facilitate communication and the co-ordination between humanitarian organisations on the ground in Haiti.
This money is in addition to the humanitarian aid of 1.8 million EUR already made available by Echo in mid-March.