IP/95/222

Brussels, 9 March 1995

SPOKESMAN'S SERVICE

A feeding programme for children, a vaccination project and healthcare assistance: those are the aims of a project the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) is funding to help Liberian refugees who fled fighting in their own country, as well as the Ivoreans hosting them now.

Since 1990, 140,000 Liberian refugees have been integrated into a population of 60,000 in the Tabou Grabo region of Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa. Since September 1994, a further 90,000 Liberians have arrived in this region.

Medecins Sans Frontieres-France (MSF) has carried out an exploratory mission to the area, and identified at least 450 "high risk" malnourished children, mainly Liberian. It plans to run an intensive feeding programme for them. MSF is also planning to offer a free basic healthcare programme for both the refugee population, and Ivoreans who need it. This will concentrate on vaccinating people. MSF will work with the Cote d'Ivoire Health Ministry to set up three dispensaries that will operate for as long as the situation warrants it.

ECHO is contributing a total of 550,000 European Currency Units (ECU) to the overall project, which is scheduled to last six months. MSF is negotiating with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with a view to ensuring the running of the project in the longer term.