European Commission announces €50mn to help Ebola-affected people in DR Congo

An amount of 50 million euro has been announced by the European Commission to assist the most vulnerable people affected by the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The funding will address urgent needs and provide continued support to the Congolese population, notably to improve food security and access to quality health services.

“The Ebola epidemic in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, along with the food security crisis, is worsening the humanitarian situation. We are stepping up our support to respond to the basic needs of the population. Our new €50 million support will increase access to health care, improve the nutrition status of families, especially children, and access to clean water,” Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen opined.

“The EU is supporting international efforts to tackle Ebola at all levels, from humanitarian assistance to strengthening the resilience of the national health system in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We need to remain vigilant and do all we can to bring this outbreak to an end,” Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management cited.

The majority of the funding, around 40 million euro is said to provide access to free and quality health care, including for malnutrition, for those living in Ebola-affected areas. The remaining 10 million euro will help tackle the food security crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the second most serious such crisis in the world, as stated in the press release issued by the European Commission.