Geneva.- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) launched an emergency appeal this Wednesday for 25 million Swiss francs (30 million dollars) to expand support for the Colombian Red Cross following the earthquake that struck the west of the country on Monday.
The funds seek to strengthen local response capacity and support approximately 24,000 people over the next 24 months, the IFRC indicated in a statement.
Read more: President of Colombia decrees three days of national mourning for those who died in the earthquake
Shortly after the earthquake occurred, the IFRC already approved an allocation of one million Swiss francs (1.2 million dollars) from its Disaster Response Emergency Fund.
“We are reaching a very critical moment in the operation. The Colombian Red Cross teams have been working tirelessly,” stated the IFRC Regional Director for the Americas, Loyce Pace, in the statement.
“The IFRC network will continue to support the Colombian Red Cross to scale up its response through this emergency appeal mechanism over the coming days and weeks,” he added.
Initially, the operation will prioritize the departments of Chocó, Risaralda, Caldas, and Valle del Cauca, where the greatest humanitarian needs are concentrated.
