April 19, 2021
By Mohamed M. Sesay
In response to the devastating fire incident in the capital city of Sierra Leone (Freetown) on 24 March 2021, which left 1,600 families homeless and more than 400 people injured, the European Union has provided €100, 000 (1,218,912,700 Sierra Leonean Leones) as emergency funding for the affected victims.
The above mentioned funds will now help the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society in assistin g the victims with emergency support for shelter and basic non-food items through cash, but also food, psychosocial support and safe water and sanitation to prevent waterborne and hygiene-related diseases outbreaks.
Disclosing this in a press statement, the European Union acknowledged that Families also need support to restart their daily activities to avoid slipping into extreme poverty and hunger and therefore disclosed that, the aid will benefit the 1,000 most vulnerable among them who have lost their homes, food stocks, money and other valuables. The European Union equally affirmed that priority will be given to families who have members with disabilities, to the elderly, lactating mothers, pregnant women, children under 5 and households headed by women.
“ This funding to the Sierra Leone Red Cross 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)”, the release states.
The press statement furthered that, the European Union and its Member States are the world’s leading donor of humanitarian aid adding that, relief 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-made crises.
It added that, through the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year with headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the European Union provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.
It continued that, The European Union is signatory to 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.
It concluded that, the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund 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.