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The Czech Republic helps Australia after destructive fires

At the start of February 2020 the Czech Republic sent 2 million CZK to help alleviate the effects of destructive fires in Australia, specifically in the state of Victoria.  
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tomáš Petříček, already approved the sending of financial aid at the beginning of January 2020 and by doing so, the Czech Republic became one of the first countries to react to the crisis caused by the widespread fires.

Over the last few days, the specific areas where the aid would be directed, as part of the „Victoria Bushfire Appeal“ that the Czech Republic contributed to, were identified and are as follows:  

· immediate financial aid to families of the victims of the fires (50 000 AUD in total for each family) 

· helping farmers with repairing their property (1 million AUD in total) 

· immediate financial aid to inhabitants of areas directly affected by the fires (4 million AUD in total)  

In addition to aid provided by the government of the Czech Republic, there are many ad hoc funds appearing across the Czech community in Australia. The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Canberra received inquiries on a daily basis regarding how to people can help. Volunteers, willing to travel to Australia and help out of their own pocket, also contacted the Embassy.  

After consultation with and recommendations from the Australian government and emergency services, the best way of aiding is currently through fundraising campaigns. Those inspired by the aid provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are still able to make a contribution.