UK donates £90 million for humanitarian support to save lives in Ethiopia and Somalia

Record ID: 896087

  • Title: UK donates £90 million for humanitarian support to save lives in Ethiopia and Somalia
  • Date: 19th June 2017
  • Summary: SOMALIA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA (JUNE 17, 2017) (REUTERS) INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY PRITI PATEL ARRIVING AT JIJIGA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND SHAKING HANDS WITH REGIONAL AUTHORITIES PATEL VISITING FOOD DISTRIBUTION CENTRE IN KUDARMALE VARIOUS OF FOOD DISTRIBUTION CENTRE VARIOUS OF PATEL BEING BRIEFED BY A WFP PERSONNEL PATEL MEETING SOMALI WOMEN VARIOUS OF PATEL HAVING CONVERSATION WITH THE WOMEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY, PRITI PATEL, SAYING: "The situation is terrible. We are in dire straights here in this location here in Ethiopia. Which is why I have come here to really see the extent of the drought and the famine that Ethiopia have faced and of course Britain and the United Kingdom we stand tall with the support we've been giving to Ethiopia and the work we've been doing with the Ethiopian government as well in terms of famine relief. Which is why I've been speaking to women and people here today on a day when food is being distributed through the World Food Programme and of course it's UK AID that has helped to provide the support and I can also say that today we are going to give additional support because the international community needs to step up and do even more in light of the challenging situation here and Britain's additional support would help an additional 1.5 million people." MORE OF FOOD DISTRIBUTION PATEL SHAKING HANDS WITH KIDS SOMALI WOMEN WITH THEIR KIDS VARIOUS OF CLOSE UP OF FACES OF CHILDREN VARIOUS OF PATEL CARRYING CHILDREN (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY, PRITI PATEL, SAYING: "This health centre shows exactly why UK Aid is making a difference here in Ethiopia. It is both saving lives and changing lives. We are seeing the continuity of care here from babies that are being immunised to pregnant mothers in particular who are having a top up in terms of malnutrition but also kids that come here who are so undernourished, who are simply malnourished because of the drought and the famine that is taking place. And this is a system that shows the World Food Programme, UNICEF, Save the Children and all our aid partners though UK Aid coming together to provide that live saving intervention on health and food that is making an enormous difference to hundreds of thousands of children and mothers in Ethiopia here." PATEL HANDING OUT FOOD TO WOMEN PATEL BEING BRIEFED BY REGIONAL AUTHORITIES REGISTRATION VARIOUS OF AID FOOD
  • Embargoed: 3rd July 2017 05:13
  • Keywords: drought Ethiopia UK Aid Somalia
  • Location: SOMALIA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA
  • City: SOMALIA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA
  • Country: Ethiopia
  • Topics: Droughts,Disaster/Accidents
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016LXZZNR
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:United Kingdom International Development Secretary Priti Patel has called for a new concerted global push to prevent millions of people losing their lives across East Africa to the threat of starvation and disease.
    Patel warned that the crisis had reached a critical point and that a loss of momentum in the international response could rapidly reverse the progress made, cost lives and further destabilise the already fragile region.
    Patel announced a 90 million pounds package of urgently needed support which will help more than 2 million people in desperate need of clean water, food, and basic medical supplies in Somalia and Ethiopia. This includes 60 million pounds in new funding for Somalia, and a 30 million pounds allocation for Ethiopia.
    In 2016, the Ethiopian Government put forward more than $700 million to meet the needs of their own people to mitigate drought and its effects. Patel said the UK was working with the government to ensure they respond effectively this year, to prioritise, plan effectively and step up their own finance for the response.
    In Somalia - a country plagued by militant Islamist attacks where millions have fled their homes, Britain's help is not only to help people survive but give them a choice about their lives and their futures, so they aren't forced to turn to extremism or make the dangerous journey to Europe.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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