Switzerland sends urgent food aid to Kosovo, Serbia
Switzerland is sending hundreds of tonnes of flour and oil to Kosovo and Serbia in order to help ease the fate of well over one million people who are threatened with hunger over the winter months, the authorities announced on Monday.
Switzerland is sending hundreds of tonnes of flour and oil to Kosovo and Serbia in order to help ease the fate of well over one million people who are threatened with hunger over the winter months, the authorities announced on Monday.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation told a news conference that 730 tonnes of flour and 500 tonnes of cooking oil are being sent to the region, where an estimated 1.4 million people do not have enough to eat.
As a parallel measure, the Swiss government is contributing SFr3.5 million ($2.2 million) to the World Food Programme, which is also providing urgent food relief in the conflict-ridden region.
The flour delivery will guarantee enough bread to feed 60,000 people for a month, the agency said. And the oil should help about 500,000 people over the same period.
The deliveries are part of an overall aid strategy which has also included the dispatch of 500 cows for dairy production and replenishing of cattle stocks, as well as seeds and tractors for farming.
Kosovar refugees returning voluntarily from Switzerland receive financial aid to help them re-build their lives, as well as repair and shelter kits that are handed out on location.
Switzerland has further contributed civilian policemen and an army contingent and also actively supports the development of democratic political institutions.
Swiss Defense Minister Adolf Ogi paid a one-day visit to Kosovo on Monday to assess the situation. He congratulated the SWISSCOY military unit, which, among other reconstruction work, is helping rebuild a school.
“Education and training are key bricks when it comes to rebuilding peace,” Ogi commented.
The Swiss government – which is working in close cooperation with international aid agencies — has approved a total of SFr110 million ($70 million) for humanitarian aid in Kosovo this year.
From staff and wire reports.
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