Nation
EU Earmarks $11bn For Flood-Hit Nations
The European Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen yesterday announced 10 billion euros ($11 billion) in funds for member nations reeling from “heartbreaking” devastation after the floods caused by Storm Boris.
The death toll from the storm which struck central and eastern Europe last week rose to 24 on Wednesday and some areas are still under threat from rising waters.
Von der Leyen spoke in the Polish city of Wroclaw alongside the leaders of four countries from the flood-hit region.
“It was for me on the one hand heartbreaking to see the destruction and the devastation through the floods,” she told reporters.
“But I must also say it was on the other hand heartwarming to see the enormous solidarity between the people in your countries,” she added.
Von der Leyen said the European Union had two sources cohesion funds and the solidarity fund that it could use to “help with funding to repair and reconstruct” the damage.
“At first sight 10 billion euros are possible to mobilise from the cohesion funds for the countries that are affected. This is an emergency reaction now,” she added.
Cohesion funds usually require co-financing from the member states but in this case von der Leyen said it would be “100 percent European money, no co-financing”.
“These are extraordinary times and extraordinary times need extraordinary measures.”
Destroyed everything’ Strong wind and heavy rains struck the region last week, killing five people in Austria, seven in Poland, seven in Romania and five in the Czech Republic.
In some places, the water “literally destroyed everything. The landscape is like that after a war, rather than a flood,” Polish Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak told reporters on Thursday.
The EU chief met with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, his Czech counterpart Petr Fiala, Slovakia’s Robert Fico, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and von der Leyen in Wroclaw, a historic city of 670,000 people in southwest Poland.
Struck by devastating floods in 1997, residents of Wroclaw had become increasingly concerned as the waters rose.
Nation
Rivers Deputy Governor Hails PH City One Love For Humanitarian Gesture
Rivers state Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Nma Odu has commended “The Port Harcourt City One Love,”a Port Harcourt based humanitarian orgnisation For it’s commitment towards alleviating the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Professor Ngozi Nma Odu said this while speaking at this year’s edition of “operation feed the needy” a yearly outreach program of “The Port Harcourt City One Love ” in Port Harcourt.
The Deputy Governor said by feeding more than sixty thousands hungry people within the past six years, the Port Harcourt City One Love Movement has distinguished itself as a club that cares for the less privilege in the society.
She commended the , organization for listing eleven thousand persons to be fed in the current exercise.
Meanwhile The Port Harcourt City One Love has planned a permanent solution to the problem of feeding the poor in the state.
The leader of the group Mr Idaere Gogo Ogan who said this in an interview with newsmen during the distribution of food items to the poor and vulnerables in Port Harcourt said the organization is planning a permanent food kitchen where poor and vulnerable persons can work in anytime and get fed.
Idaere Gogo Ogan said more than sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons across Port Harcourt City and environs have been fed since the inception of “The operation feed the needy” program six years ago,adding that so far sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons have beneffited.
He described the group as a platform to promote friendship, brotherhood, community development empathy and feeding the less privilege and hungry people
“That’s what we are doing today here,so we started the exercise six years ago”.he said.
Ogan said the effort was a private sector driven initiative but added “it also involves people in Government because the platform does not recognize any division,we bring everybody together in unity , friendship and brotherhood”he said.
He said the effort will go along way in alleviating hunger especially following the prevailing hunger in the country.
According to him “you know the country is very tough, people are hungry people are starving, there is a whole lot of economic hardship,so for us, this is just our own way of reaching out, our own social contribution to what is very difficult”he said.
Over eleven thousand persons were fed in the just concluded exercise.
Areas of coverage include, Isaac Boro park, Port Harcourt prison/Macoba, Borokiri/Enugu waterside Bundu areas Waterlines and others.
Some of the beneficiaries including an 80 years old widow commended the movement for the annual programm and urged other organizations to emulate them
John Bibor,/Esuuk Oyet/Suotor Memoye /Jeremiah Hannah
Nation
We’ll Partner Private Sector to Industrialize Rivers State – Fubara …Hints Revitalization of Ahoada, Trans Amadi Industrial layout
Nation
SheVentures Open Zero-interest Loan Applications for Women Entrepreneurs
“Inclusive growth requires access to capital and the right conditions for businesses to deploy that capital effectively. Women-led enterprises are critical to economic activity, yet they face structural barriers.
“This intervention aims to help close that gap by providing financing that supports job creation, business expansion, and long-term sustainability for women entrepreneurs”, Edun said.
Group Head, SheVentures and Impact Segments at First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Nnenna Jacob-Ogogo said access to affordable finance remains a major constraint for women entrepreneurs.
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