Ghana floods: UK Government commits £250,000 to Red Cross appeal to help flood victims in North of Ghana

The Department for International Development has today committed £250,000 to immediately support the recently launched International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) appeal. These funds will provide emergency water and sanitation and shelter facilities to those most affected in the Upper East region of Ghana.

DFID's funding will help to support the distribution of shelter kits, blankets, kitchen sets, jerry cans, basic relief items and water purification products to those most in need.

The Federation Appeal will target the 60,000 vulnerable people in the North of Ghana who are most affected by the flooding. The Ghana Red Cross will be mainly involved in the emergency response and will address the immediate shelter and health needs of the most vulnerable people.

DFID has been working closely with international NGOs and the UN and is currently part of a joint assessment mission in the North of Ghana. The team report regularly with updated information on the extent and nature of the disaster. DFID stands ready to continue to play its full part in the international community's response, on the basis of this joint needs assessment.

In Ethiopia and Sudan, DFID has already committed funding to UN emergency response funds, which will be used for humanitarian response. The worst affected countries are also likely to draw upon the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), to which DFID is the largest donor.