ECHO to increase aid to €40 million due to improved conditions

The EC's Humanitarian Office (ECHO) will increase its aid to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2004 by €5 million (US $6.3 million) over 2003 to €40 million "as recent improvements in the security situation allow aid agencies to gain access to more people in need", ECHO announced on Monday. ECHO said recent progress on both the political and military fronts presented "a unique window of opportunity for the pacification of the Great Lakes Region", and that its adoption of the €40 million plan for 2004 demonstrated its "sustained commitment to the vulnerable people of DRC during this delicate transition process". According to ECHO, DRC has among the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in Africa, while one child in five fails to reach the age of five. HIV/AIDS is a rapidly growing problem, while reduced access to food has led to widespread food insecurity and pockets of acute malnutrition. "Approximately 16 percent (about 2 million) of children suffer from some form of acute malnutrition," ECHO reported. "In spite of recent political progress in the country, there remains a very strong need for protection and sustained assistance to the Congolese population." ECHO said an approach linking relief rehabilitation and development was "of utmost importance", with funds to be used not only to alleviate the immediate suffering of vulnerable populations but also to stimulate a resumption of economic and social life. Key domains of ECHO's intervention will include the health sector, food aid, nutrition and support for rehabilitation and resettlement activities to assist returning populations and pave the way for sustainable recovery. ECHO recalled that the DRC crisis had been its largest programme in Africa for the last four years. Over the past five years, ECHO has allocated over €150 million to the DRC, making it the country's largest donor of humanitarian aid. ECHO estimated that its 2004 plan for DRC would directly assist over 5 million vulnerable people.