(May 13, 2016) With the aim of improving the living conditions of the population and refugees in eastern Sudan, the Italian government through the Italian Agency for Cooperation for Development will contribute to the realisation of a new UNOPS project (United Nations Office for Project Services) in the State of Kassala. The funds, amounting to €500,000 wil go to an initiative with the duration of 15 months which will look, on the one hand, to improve maternal and child primary health care, and on the other hand to ensure a constant water supply in the village of Girba. “The cooperation is an investment for the future-says the Italian Ambassador to Sudan, Fabrizio Lobasso- and it is clear that we are working to improve living conditions for refugees, but we want to be witnesses in the near future, of their professional integration and personnel in Sudan, an important health resosurce for the whole country. Much has been done in this direction, but we are committed to do more”. The rural hospital in Girba assists both residents and refugees and is the only maternity ward in the area: with Italian funding, UNOPS will build a new maternity ward that will provide primary services to 50 thousand mothers and children under five. In the refugee camp in Girba, on the border with Eritrea, hoe to about 10,000 people, UNOPS will rehabilitate and expand the treatment plant for waste water to ensure consistent access to water for the residents of the camp and for the local community. The new project, which will begin June 1, will be executed in close coordination with the Committee for Refugees of the Government of Sudan (Cor) and the departments of the Ministry of Health in the State of Kassala. (Red)
Sudan, Italy’s contribution to the United Nations Office for Project Services
