IP/95/181

Brussels, 2 March 1995

Help for the homeless in Moscow and St Petersburg is the aim of new projects the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) is backing in Russia.

The breakdown of the old social order in the former Soviet Union has swept away safety nets for those most vulnerable in society. Old people and children are exposed to particularly grave risks. ECHO has earmarked a total of 1.3 million European Currency Units (Ecu) for two programmes that it hopes will meet at least some of the needs of the homeless in Russia's biggest cities. Both projects are expected to last six months.

In Moscow, ECHO is working in partnership with Medecins Sans Frontieres-Belgium (MSF) to offer a basic, free, mobile healthcare service for people living on the streets. MSF believes there are currently over 110,000 of them, and it hopes to reach those who congregate at the city's railway stations. This project is worth 500,000 Ecu.

In St Petersburg, ECHO's partners are Arbeiter Samariter Bund (Germany) and Red Kids (UK). They will be working to help homeless children. Many turn to crime, and the city's prisons are crowded with juveniles. There are currently some 1,200 children in prison, and up to 20,000 living rough on the streets. The non-governmental organisations working in the field will aim to get food, clothing, basic health care and social assistance to them. This project is worth 800,000 Ecu.