<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, confirmed this Monday the departure of a Navy ship loaded with 720 hygiene kits from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), which will provide a one-month supply to 3,600 people affected by the torrential rains in Cape Verde.</strong></h4> "This operation, coordinated with the Ministry of Defense, responds to the humanitarian emergency caused by the heavy rains and winds on the night of August 10, which left thousands of people without access to drinking water, food, and healthcare," the minister stated. The shipment of supplies is in addition to a contribution made by AECID in response to the appeal from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), aimed at alleviating the extremely vulnerable situation on the islands of São Vicente and Santo Antão. The Spanish Navy ship set sail this Monday, September 1, from Las Palmas bound for Cape Verde, loaded with seven tons (30 cubic meters) of AECID material consisting of 720 family hygiene kits. Each kit is designed to cover the needs of five people for one month. The AECID has also responded with a contribution to the IFRC's appeal for Cape Verde. "The IFRC is an essential ally for Spanish humanitarian action in initiatives to defend the fundamental rights of the most vulnerable people around the world," according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Cape Verde Red Cross, with the support of the IFRC, is providing the affected population with emergency aid, drinking water, shelter, and healthcare. The AECID will also increase its development funding to Cape Verde to contribute to the reconstruction of the affected areas and the recovery of the population's livelihoods. Torrential rains on the night of August 10 caused devastating floods on the Cape Verde islands of São Vicente and Santo Antão, causing at least nine deaths and affecting more than 119,000 people, with homes destroyed, health centers flooded, and communities isolated. Thousands of people have lost access to drinking water, food, and healthcare. The weather events have caused flash floods, landslides, and mudslides, destroying buildings and infrastructure and forcing the evacuation of large numbers of people, creating a situation of extreme vulnerability. "This situation deepens an already critical context, with a contingency situation throughout the country due to the risk of the spread of dengue fever and the reintroduction of malaria," Albares warned. "The scarcity or lack of access to water and hygiene difficulties increase the risk of outbreaks of other infections, thus aggravating a worrying situation," he concluded.
