Pope sends donation, stressing urgency of relief effort in Horn of Africa
July 19, 2011
Pope Benedict XVI has sent a contribution of €50,000 ($70,000) to support drought-relief in the Horn of Africa, underlining the urgency of the humanitarian crisis there.
An estimated 10 million people face famine in the region, and experts warn that 500,000 children are in imminent danger of starvation, because of the worst drought in decades. Refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia are swelling beyond capacity with families seeking help, as hundreds of thousands of people seek help. The drought has stricken Somalia, Ethiopia, northern Kenya, and South Sudan.
The Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the charitable arm of the papacy, announced that after urging support for African relief efforts during his Angelus audience on Sunday, July 17, Pope Benedict sent the €50,000 donation to Bishop Giorgio Bertin, the apostolic administrator of Mogadishu, Somalia, to be used in helping refugees.
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Further information:
- Aid for the People of the Horn of Africa (VIS)
- Africa- Half a million children are at risk of starvation (Fides)
- Appeal from the Catholic humanitarian agencies in aid of the 10 million people who die of hunger in East Africa (Fides)
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