PHNOM PENH, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission (EC) is funding five new projects in Cambodia to assist 70,000 victims of last year's floods, according to its press release on Tuesday.
The projects, costing 4.3 million U.S. dollars, will be implemented by the EC's partner organizations with experience in the region including Oxfam GB, French Red Cross, Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development, World Vision UK and a consortium of NGOs led by Danish Church Aid, said the press release.
The assistance will range from everything from basic health care to repairing wells damaged during the last floods, it said. Some people will receive seeds to replant their fields, others will get small grants to buy farm animals or restock small businesses so that they can quickly become independent again.
This assistance is in addition to the 3.15 million U.S. dollars which were made available by the EC immediately after the disaster in 2011.
The projects will be managed by the Commissions' Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) and are part of a regional funding decision totaling 13.8 million U.S. dollars for the countries affected by last year's floods: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines.
Head of the EU Delegation to Cambodia, Ambassador Jean-Francois Cautain, explained "While the waters may have now receded the humanitarian needs have not. People are still in need and it is essential that we help re-establish livelihoods so that people can get back on their feet again."
The country suffered from floodwaters from August to October last year. The floods killed at least 250 people and affected other 1.4 million people.
