Island donates £100k to African aid projects

The Isle of Man has sent £100,000 to two African countries to help a charity deal with humanitarian crises.

The International Development Committee has announced funding for emergency aid projects in Zimbabwe and the Central African Republic.

Oxfam GB will get £50,000 for each country to support its work.

The first tranche of money will help Oxfam’s efforts in the Central African Republic, where 1.3 million need food and shelter following a recent upsurge in violence there.

The war-torn country’s problems have prompted the UN to categorise its crisis as a Level 3 – the most serious level.

In Zimbabwe, heavy seasonal rains have inundated a dam in Masvingo Province, flooding a huge area and placing tens of thousands of people at risk from disease.

A state of national disaster was declared in February, with the Zimbabwean Government appealing for international help.