Ghana

Accra, Aug. 12, GNA - The European Commission (EC), has made available 41,000 Euros to the Government of Ghana to bring relief to victims of the recent floods in the country.

A statement from the Commission on Thursday said the aid, which is expected to cover a period of three months, would be channelled through the Red Cross.

It said the Red Cross operates with funding out of the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The funds would be used for emergency shelter, water purification and household items.

The statement explained that the EC had signed a 1.5 million euro humanitarian contribution agreement with the IFRC to support the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund, which was mainly allocated to small scale disasters.

It said the DREF, which was established in 1985, was supported mainly by contributions from donors.

Heavy rains in Ghana, which started from June 20 this year in the Greater Accra, Central and Volta Regions, had a devastating effect, taking 35 lives and affecting some 12,000 persons in diverse ways.