By: Mercy Peter
The European Union on Friday provides €1 million to support humanitarian funding for flood and cholera response in Nigeria.
These additional funds bring the total EU humanitarian funding for Nigeria in 2024 to € 48,7 million focusing mainly on the Northeast and Northwest, affected by conflict and insecurity and with alarming rates of people in food crisis and children suffering from life-threatening malnutrition.
“European Union has allocated €1 million in emergency humanitarian funding to Nigeria to support the country’s response to the ongoing floods and cholera epidemic,” the statement by the EU delegation in Abuja stated.
The EU is providing €500,000 to support essential humanitarian activities while the remaining €500,000 is for addressing Cholera, especially in Borno and Yobe
This devastating floods have impacted Kogi, Delta, and Anambra States.
The floods have affected over 78,000 people and severely damaged thousands of houses and destroyed crops nearing harvest, particularly in areas affected by the convergence of the Niger and Benue Rivers.
EU said, the fund will help humanitarian partners on the ground to deliver essential aid, which are shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene services, and also healthcare to those affected by the crises.
The regional body also added that the fund will allow anticipatory action with the replenishment of emergency stocks to be used in case of new floods occurring in the future.
EU said, the funding will be used to strengthen Nigeria’s health system through humanitarian partners by supporting medical care, water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions, covering case detection activities, establishing cholera treatment centers, and launching vaccination campaigns to curb the outbreak.
“Earlier in September this year, the EU had already allocated €1.1 million to humanitarian partners working in the Northeast and Northwest Nigeria as part of its response across West and Central Africa to address the impacts of flooding in the region.
The EU is working alongside Nigerian authorities and humanitarian organizations to provide urgent relief and to ensure early recovery for affected communities.
The European Union and its Member States are the world’s leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world.
