The organisation has provided relief efforts to families affected by the devastating Storm Daniel, which killed over 4,400 people and displaced 8,540 people. The activities aimed at promoting early recovery and supporting the transition towards more sustainable solutions for families.

“More than six months on from the storm, the families that were impacted continue the long road to recovery,” said Dax Bennet Roque, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s country director for Libya. “NRC’s support complements assistance provided by local actors to help families rebuild and strengthen their resilience. This support from the German Development Bank shows steadfast commitment to affected families and enables us to provide relief to families in the immediate and long-term.”

To support immediate needs and contribute to the resilience of affected families, NRC provided hygiene kits, personal protective equipment, and essential household item kits in the areas of Benghazi, Derna, Shahat and Jabal al Akhdar. Cleaning campaigns, joined by community volunteers, were also organised to remove rubble and improve urban health conditions. Overall, 17,762 families will benefit from this assistance.

As part of this project, NRC has completed the rapid rehabilitation of two schools in Derna. This initiative, developed in collaboration with Libyan local partners, focused on infrastructure rehabilitation and allows these schools to mitigate the impact of overcrowding and provide safe and uninterrupted access to education to children affected by the storm.

“The rehabilitation these two schools ensures that more than 1,578 children in Derna can continue learning in a safe and protected environment as Derna recovers from the storm. During and after an emergency, it is crucial that children and youth maintain access to safe learning opportunities,” added Roque

“We extend our appreciation for the cooperation with NRC, through KfW, to the Municipalities of Derna and Shahat in delivering crucial aid to thousands affected by recent floods in eastern Libya,” said the Embassy of Germany. “Rebuilding infrastructure, particularly educational facilities, is pivotal for community resilience and welfare. Acknowledging the significance of such endeavours during crises, we remain steadfast in our commitment to bolstering community resilience.”

Notes to editors

NRC has completed one cleaning campaign in Derna City and three campaigns in Shahat City. The cleaning campaigns and distribution were done in collaboration with local volunteers, supported by the Libyan Red Crescent and community organisations.
NRC remains committed to working closely with its donors, including KfW, and all key national and international actors to support communities affected by Storm Daniel. To date, NRC has provided direct assistance to more than 91,988 individuals impacted by the storm.
Since 2017, NRC has promoted the protection and well-being of communities in Libya affected by conflict and displacement. We work throughout the country to reach vulnerable communities through our education, shelter, livelihoods, MPCA, protection, and emergency response interventions. We strengthen the linkages between humanitarian action and development programming, focusing our efforts on communities impacted by displacement, conflict, and disaster.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Norwegian Refugee Council.

On May 24, U.S. Embassy Freetown, in partnership with U.S. contractor Triple Canopy, completed a six-month long training of 40 Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) soldiers on how to operate and maintain multiple types of heavy-duty equipment. U.S. Ambassador Bryan Hunt celebrated the soldiers’ accomplishments with a graduation ceremony at the Triple Canopy location in Freetown.

The six-month long training was an in-depth course that started with classroom learning focused on maintaining and repairing heavy-duty equipment followed by practical training for operations in the field. This heavy-duty equipment training strengthened RSLAF’s engineering asset capacity.

During the graduation, Ambassador Hunt said, “Our countries share a common goal of fostering peace, security, and prosperity in the region…Through joint training exercises, knowledge sharing, and capacity building initiatives like this one, we continue to deepen our defense partnership and enhance our collective security.” The Ambassador also commended RSLAF’s commitment to gender equality and the selection of female candidates for this training. He reiterated the U.S. Government’s commitment to partnering with RSLAF to strengthen institutional capacity and congratulated the graduates on their achievement.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Sierra Leone.

“I’m delighted because my children are protected against polio” — Lucie Lusungu.

During chaos, sometimes you can only find relief away from home. Memories are left behind because being safe is now worth more than anything. The experience of migration is a determining factor in health and well-being. Lucie Lusungu and her family are part of the 82.4 million people around the world who, according to the UN Refugee Agency, are displaced from their country, which makes them vulnerable to health, social and mental problems.

Located in the province of Lunda Norte in Angola, about 100 kilometres from the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Lóvua Refugee Settlement represents a haven for Lucie Lusungu and thousands of families, offering shelter and basic essential services such as access to primary health care through the Settlement Clinic, which serves the community in the areas of nutrition, paediatrics, reproductive health, prevention of HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis.

After Angola reported poliovirus imported from neighbouring countries, the fight against polio gained momentum in the Lóvua refugee settlement. With more than 1,700 vulnerable children living in the settlement, the polio vaccination campaign, implemented by the Angolan Ministry of Health with technical and financial support from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and other partners, brings peace of mind to Lucie and the other families. They can now have confidence in a healthy future for their children, knowing they will not be crippled by poliovirus.

“This vaccination campaign is welcome here in the camp, as the settlement’s clinic is close to the borders, where there is entry and exit.” — Maria da Graça, Director of the Lóvua Settlement Clinic, IEIA/ACNUR.

Families had the opportunity to receive their vaccinations at the settlement’s clinic, and vaccination teams went door-to-door to ensure that no child was left behind. The health technicians, mobilisers, registrars, vaccinators, and all the living forces involved contributed to the success of this initiative, demonstrating the Angolan Ministry of Health’s commitment to promoting child health and strengthening the resilience of vulnerable communities.

“I feel grateful to be able to contribute to protecting children. Since we started the awareness-raising and mobilisation campaign, the residents have had open arms, and some have even followed us to ensure that all children are vaccinated.” — Francisco Cavula, campaign mobiliser at the refugee settlement.

As a result of the commendable work of the Ministry of Health and partners in strengthening immunisation, Angola has remained free of wild poliovirus since July 2011 and officially declared the interruption of polio transmission in November 2015. Unfortunately, this year, Angola reported other variants of poliovirus from environmental samples and susceptible children. As a response, a national polio vaccination campaign was carried out from May 17 to 19, 2024, to reach more than 5.5 million children under five. This initiative seeks to protect children against the threat of polio, a debilitating disease that can cause permanent paralysis.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Angola.

President William Ruto has launched a plan that will tackle the economic growth challenges related to urban land use and transport planning in the Nairobi metropolitan.

Referred to as the Kenya Urban Mobility and Growth Threshold Programme, the initiative aims to benefit more than 4.3 million people.

“This programme is about delivering results and unlocking greater opportunities for Kenyans,” said President Ruto.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation CEO Alice Albright was present in the event that took place on Thursday in Washington, D.C.

“This is an exciting milestone in the growing partnership between Kenya and the United States,” explained President Ruto.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of President of the Republic of Kenya.