By the European Union Commission in the Gambia
Banjul, 12th August 2022. The European Commission has provided EUR 200,000 in emergency humanitarian funding to assist those affected by the recent flash floods. Following heavy rains on 30-31 July and 5-6 August 2022 in several regions of The Gambia, widespread flooding occurred, with houses so severely that the residents had to be evacuated to public buildings for safety.
The EU funds will support The Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS) in helping the affected households to relocate and drain the water out of their homes. The GRCS will target the affected regions of Banjul, Kanifing Municipality, West Coast Region, and North Bank Region, In North Bank Region, five children have been reported dead and one is in critical conditioning under treatment as a result of the thunderstorm that accompanied the rains on 30 July 2022. Another victim is also reported in the West Coast Region.
There are more than 600 households affected in those regions, and the GCRS support will provide them with cash and emergency aid items, including health and hygiene items. The GCRS has identified a number of vulnerable people in these areas, including the elderly, disabled, pregnant and lactating women, and children.
The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Background
About EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid
The European Union and its Member States are the world’s leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relieve assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and human-induced crises. The European Commission ensures rapid and effective delivery of EU relief assistance through its two main instruments; civil protection and humanitarian aid.
Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian aid Operations department (ECHO), the European Commission helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the department provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs. For more information, please visit the European Commission’s website.
About the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund
The European Commission has signed a €3 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.
The Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) was established in 1985 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The delegation agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit in with its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €3 million.
For more information, please visit the European Commission’s website.
