WORLD VISION RUSHING SUPPLIES TO FLOOD-DISPLACED IN SOMALIA, CONTINUING FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS
Source: World Vision - USA
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Nairobi, November 30, 2006World Vision will fly in emergency supplies to Somalia this Saturday to assist thousands devastated by recent flooding. The international aid agency hopes to reach a total of 120,000 people in Bualle in Somalia's Middle Juba region. Items like medicines, plastic sheeting, blankets, bed sheets, soap and chlorine tablets will be sent via chartered flights. In addition, boats will take supplies to families who cannot be reached by road.
Heavy flooding in the drought-prone East African nation during the past three weeks has displaced some 350,000 people and caused deaths, extensive property damage and outbreaks of infectious diseases in some areas.
World Vision has already provided food rations, mosquito nets and water purification tablets to affected families. For the long term, World Vision plans to help mitigate future flooding and support community recovery by repairing wells and levees and providing affected families with seeds and tools.
World Vision has operated in Somalia since 1992. It has interventions in health, education, advocacy, food security, water and sanitation and emergency response.
World Vision is also responding to needs in neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, which have been hit hard by flooding as well. The UN estimates that up to 500,000 people are affected in Kenya, and the government of Ethiopia puts the number of people affected in that country at 360,000.
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For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact Christine Head, World Vision Relief Communications Manager, at +254-0735-209-181.
Note to Editors: In drought-prone areas, too much water can be just as much of a danger as not enoughas dry, uncovered ground has trouble absorbing rainwater quickly. Experts believe that in the past decade, environmental degradation has led to increased desertification and erosion. As a result, flash floods are a common threat across arid and semi-arid areas of the Horn of Africa.
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, please visit www.worldvision.org/press.
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