2012/01/09 16:07:32 | Taipei, Jan. 9 (CNA) Taiwan's Red Cross Society has raised a total of US$1.71 million for famine relief in East Africa, including US$1 million provided by the Foreign Ministry, the charity group said Monday.
The fundraising drive, launched last year, attracted donations from more than 5,300 people. The money will be used to help medical stations, improve water resources, aid refugees and provide rice and other staples, the society said.
The relief programs sponsored by the ministry's donation include aid for refugee camps in Somalia as well as water and hygiene facilities in Ethiopia. Of the donated money, US$1.15 million has gone to Kenya, where a large number of refugees are gathered along the border.
The society is also planning to set up medical stations in refugee camps to take care of children under 5, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and disadvantaged groups. An estimated 60,000 people are expected to benefit from the health program.
A total of US$650,000 will be used in a food aid program co-organized by the ministry and Feed the Children, an international organization dedicated to providing hope and resources for those without life's essentials.
In Ethiopia, the society will help build and renovate water facilities in the Oromiya and Afar regions. It also plans to train 100 volunteers to help with public health and distribute water purifiers for 27,000 households.
East Africa has been seriously affected by a drought since last July. Children are dying from famine every day and over 13 million lives are threatened. (By Lung Jui-yun and Kendra Lin) ENDITE |
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