The United Kingdom, Germany and other donors have pledged humanitarian aid for drought victims in East Africa.
The drought in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia is the worst in the region in 60 years and has put more than 10 million people in the region at risk of starvation. UNICEF said July 17 that the number of affected people could rise if donors do not scale up their response.
U.K. Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell announced July 16 a 52.25 million pounds ($84.16 million) emergency assistance package for the region, including 25 million pounds for drought victims in Somalia, 6 million pounds for refugees in the Dadaab camp in Kenya, 10 million pounds for refugee camps in Ethiopia, and 11.25 million pounds for children and women in Kenya. This aid package is on top of the 38 million pounds the U.K. government pledged earlier this month for Ethiopia.
>> UK Pledges Emergency Aid for Ethiopia, Yemen
Other donor pledges for East African drought victims include:
$5 million from the United States for Somali refugees.
€5 million ($7 million) from Germany.
€1 million ($1.4 million) from Ireland, to be coursed through the World Food Program.
$2 million from New Zealand, to be channeled through WFP and select New Zealand non-governmental organizations.
Meantime, the Disasters Emergency Committee, an umbrella group of U.K. aid organizations, said donations to its East African aid appeal have reached 15 million pounds. Various other international organizations, including Plan International and World Concern, have launched their own appeals to support their response to the drought.
>> International NGOs Appeal for Emergency Aid for Drought-hit East Africa
>> East African Drought Attracts Donors’ Attention, Prompts Somali Insurgents to Lift Aid Groups Ban
>> UN Agencies Issue East Africa Aid Appeal
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