JERSEY Overseas Aid has pledged £175,000 to charities providing ‘critical humanitarian support’ in Libya and Morocco, where recent natural disasters have claimed thousands of lives.
Of this total, £100,000 will go to the British Red Cross and its Libya Funds Appeal which is providing first aid and emergency medical assistance to flood-hit areas.
The other £75,000 will support British-based charity RedR in its work with local engineers and technical responders to assess structural damage to buildings in Morocco following a 6.8 magnitude earthquake earlier this month.
International Development Minister Carolyn Labey, who is also chair of the JOA Commission, said she was ‘deeply saddened to see the devastation left in the wake of both the earthquake in Morocco and the floods in Libya.’
She continued: ‘Both disasters have claimed many lives and left thousands homeless and without basic necessities such as food, clean water, shelter and access to medical services.
‘Following close engagement with our humanitarian partners, two allocations have been made to charities RedR and the British Red Cross, both of which are providing critical humanitarian support in Morocco and Libya.’
Noor Kuchai, the senior technical programmes co-ordinator with RedR, said the funding from JOA would enable them ‘to support local technical and non-technical responders to assess damage to buildings and homes, determining safe entry.
‘JOA support also enables us to empower engineers and other responders to provide safe, effective, and needs-based humanitarian response in Morocco,’ he added.
JOA is the Island’s official, publicly funded relief and development agency.
