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The Czech Republic helps in Africa with health care and the fight against hunger.

Over the past year, the Czech Republic has helped cope with the pandemic to African countries, especially in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. These countries are strategic partners for security in Europe and the Czech Republic. One of the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic is, in addition to economic and social complications, also security issues. The 100 million Czech crowns set aside for help by the Czech government went mainly to help with health care.

The Czech Embassies, in cooperation with selected African countries, prepared proposals for ten projects to supply medical facilities to Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia and Zambia. "This investment in aid to Africa is also an opportunity to strengthen the good name of the Czech companies in markets outside Europe and to establish, for example, longer-term business partnerships," commented Minister of Foreign Affairs Tomáš Petříček on the details of the Africa Program.

The pandemic is exacerbating the situation in a number of African countries, which have been destabilized by ongoing conflicts for a long time and are among the originators or transit countries of migration to the EU. Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also paid attention to the countries of the Central Sahel, where the humanitarian situation deteriorated very rapidly during 2020.

The Czech Republic therefore supported humanitarian projects by 30 million Czech crowns in Mali and Niger, where the non-profit organizations ADRA and People in Need help the rural population to make a living. UNICEF and ICRC are also trying to fight hunger and child malnutrition in this area, to which the Czech Republic has provided another 30 million Czech crowns for specific assistance in the field.

However, the spread of the new coronavirus has also brought an increase in disinformation and conspiracy theories. "Promoting dissemination and access to objective and independent information is important all over the world. It serves not only to combat the consequences of a pandemic, but in general to the development and stability of society in a given state. That is why we also supported radio broadcasting in the Sahel countries, "added the head of Czech diplomacy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the renowned Swiss Hirondelle Foundation, contributed 2.7 million Czech crowns to independent radio broadcasting in the most destabilized areas of the Sahel, such as Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.

As a result of political events in Ethiopia and their immediate effects on neighboring countries, including the rise of refugees, assistance has also focused on the Horn of Africa. Through UNHCR, the Czech Republic also contributed 10 million Czech crowns to women in Ethiopian refugee camps, among other things, the money was used for protection against sexual violence.

The Czech Republic also sent five million Czech crowns to help people affected by the floods in Sudan and to restore these localities.