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Add to Preferred SourcesThe Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank today approved a US$50 million emergency project – Somalia Emergency Drought Response and Recovery Project (SEDRP, the Project) – to scale up the drought response and recovery effort in Somalia.
Somalia is facing its worst drought in decades, with over half the population – an estimated 6.7 million people – in need of humanitarian assistance and recovery support.
To deliver the Project, the Bank is supporting the activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a United Nations agency.
While Somalia is at risk of famine, the drought has already had significant impacts. More than 680,000 people have been displaced from rural areas in the past six months. Approximately 1.4 million children will need treatment for acute malnutrition. The scarcity of safe drinking water has led to an outbreak of acute watery diarrhea (AWD) and cholera in 13 out of 18 regions, resulting in 618 fatalities since January 2017, according to UNOCHA.
Somalia already has over 1 million internally displaced people, roughly ten percent of the population and continues to experience instability in parts of the country.
“In the face of famine, we must react quickly. Together with its partners, the World Bank is committed to address immediate needs by providing emergency support to save lives while helping the country recover. To prevent recurrent famines, we must also focus on long-term measures and help Somalia build stronger and more resilient food systems,” Makhtar Diop, the World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region.
The Project will address the immediate needs of communities affected by the drought as well as supporting early recovery and improved resilience to future shocks. This will be achieved through a surge of high-impact, rapid interventions, including the provision of food, water, cash and essential household items, as well as through the reconstitution of productive assets, production capacity and livelihoods including livestock and farming assets.
“The drought is undermining a fragile period of political, security and development gains in Somalia. This is part of a recurrent cycle of climate related shocks keeping millions vulnerable in the Horn of Africa. We want to recognize the FAO and ICRC for their swift response which has enabled the preparation of this Project in just a few weeks. As a result, activities in the field are already underway to meet the needs on the ground, and to start the recovery,” Bella Bird, World Bank Country Director for Tanzania, Malawi, Burundi and Somalia.
Source: allAfrica. Read full article here.
31 May, 2017