Govt donates US$ 100,000 to Somali famine relief

TIMES INT'L

President Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday expressed his alarm at the unfolding famine in the Horn of Africa, and emphasised his distress at the images of children caught in the ravages of the devastating drought in Eastern Africa. The president announced that government will be donating US$ 100,000 (G$ 20 million) in famine relief, which will be immediately available to the people of the affected areas, as a measure intended to help bring some comfort to them.

According to the United Nations, some 12 million persons are affected by the drought. The resultant famine conditions are exacerbated by limited healthcare facilities, and poor water and sanitation infrastructure, with attendant threats of diseases such as cholera. The president said that “it is impossible not to be moved by the distressing images of innocent children suffering helplessly at the hands of a natural disaster on this scale.” “The hearts, minds, and thoughts of all Guyanese people are with our brothers and sisters in East Africa. We pray that relief comes to them in shortest possible time,” President Jagdeo added.

The president called on the global community to galvanise itself into a full response with the greatest urgency, so that the unfolding human disaster can be averted.

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