In a press release issued on 7/21/2004, USAID announced that it had conducted 30 airlifts of supplies to aid the humanitarian crises in Darfur Sudan. The supplies included plastic sheeting, blankets and water containers and were valued at $6.8 million dollars including the cost of transportation. As of July 21st, USAID has delivered a total of 10,830 rolls of plastic sheeting, 218,335 blankets, 38 water bladders, and 52,100 water containers via 30 airlifts to Darfur. USAID's contribution of plastic sheeting will provide shelter for approximately 682,290 beneficiaries. The total value of the commodities to date, including transportation costs, is approximately $6.8 million.
(later in release) The situation in Darfur is dire, especially because the rainy season is impeding the distribution of food and supplies. It is also spreading diseases such as measles, cholera and polio. Approximately 2.2 million people are affected by the crisis, including more than 1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and an estimated 158,000 refugees that have fled to neighboring Chad. USAID Administrator Andrew S. Natsios has called the situation in Darfur the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. By the end of the year, up to 1 million people may die because of hunger, disease, and violence.
To date, the U.S. Government has provided a total of $109.9 million of humanitarian assistance to Darfur, including 86,700 metric tons of emergency food assistance worth $82.9 million.
Date: Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 03:23 AM Printer Friendly  Email to a Friend 
|
