Manila, November 23rd, 2015 - The European Commission is providing an additional €300,000 to fund humanitarian assistance to those most affected by Typhoon Lando, known internationally as Typhoon Koppu, which hit the Philippines on 18th October. This funding will directly benefit thousands of small land-holders, farm tenants and daily agricultural labourers in Nueva Ecija, by providing them with cash transfers to support their immediate needs and provide them with income generating activities until agricultural farms in the area are rehabilitated.
“With the destruction of many farms and agricultural land, these most vulnerable people have lost their only sources of livelihoods”, said Dr. Franz Jessen, the Ambassador of the European Union in the Philippines. “This emergency assistance will not only enable them to meet their most urgent needs, but also help them in creating alternative sources of income through activities that can be set up quickly, so they can get back on their feet at the earliest”.
The action, which will be implemented by a consortium of NGOs including CARE Netherlands, Action Against Hunger (ACF) and Save the Children, aims to ensure that activities such as vegetable gardening and poultry or swine farming are established in an emergency mode, providing families with both a source of food and extra income. Overall, the project will benefit some 11500 individuals in the most affected towns of Nueva Ecija.
This additional funding is being made available via the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), through its Small Scale Response mechanism.
Last month, the European Commission had already provided € 200,000 to the International Federation of the Red Cross, in order to bring much needed emergency relief to 2 500 families in the immediate aftermath of Typhoon Lando/Koppu.
Background:
Typhoon Lando, (known internationally as Koppu) made landfall in the Aurora province of Luzon island on Sunday 18th October, with sustained winds of 185 km/h. Its slow movement while crossing Luzon translated into massive quantities of rainfall, triggering floods and mud flows in many areas. In Nueva Ecija, the flood waters reached as high as 1.8 meters. Overall, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported more than 3 million affected individuals.
ECHO’s Small Scale Response fund is a global mechanism which allows for rapid funding of up to €300 000 for humanitarian aid in countries affected by natural and man-made disasters.
More information on ECHO's work in the Philippines:
ECHO's website: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en.htm
Factsheet on the Philippines: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/philippines_en.pdf