IP/95/157

Brussels, 21 February 1995

SPOKESMAN'S SERVICE

A feeding programme for children in Somalia will get continuing support from the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) this year. Funding has also been earmarked for the running of Merka regional hospital, the only one currently meeting the needs of 50,000 people in southern Somalia.

A total of 615,000 European Currency Units (Ecu) will enable two non-governamental organisations (NGOs) to run these programmes in Somalia over the next six months.

Action Internationale Contre la Faim (AICF), a Paris-based organisation, will implement the feeding programme it started last year. It aims to rach some 50,000 beneficiaries, children under the age of five, as well as pregnant women and those breast-feeding their infants. AICF is also implementing health education programmes for displaced people in Mogadishu.

The coordinating Committee of the Organisation for Voluntary Service (COSV), an Italian NGO, will look after the hospital project it started, along with primary health care for the region. It aims to train local staff to take off over as soon as it is practical.