The European Union (EU) said it has approved 20.4 million dollars to support COVID-19 preparedness in Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
The EU said the funds provided under the EU emergency trust fund for Africa will help the three East African countries support in particular, internally displaced persons, refugees, and their host communities in Somalia.
“They (funds) will help provide protective equipment for frontline health workers in South Sudan and strengthen the Sudanese health system,” Jutta Urpilainen, Commissioner for International Partnerships, said in a statement.
Urpilainen said the EU will work hand in hand with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the World Health Organization to deliver this new assistance.
The EU said Somalia will receive 5.9 million dollars to support a new strand of work under the RE-INTEG programme to help face the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The EU said the program aims to protect the most vulnerable people, including refugees and displaced persons, and to create favorable conditions for economic and social development.
“The new component will increase cross-border health surveillance, enhance epidemiological observation at health facilities, and improve case management.
It will also include community-based prevention activities and capacity building for national public health personnel,” it said.