By supporting the Belize Red Cross Society, the EU aims to support 200 families (800 people), primarily farmers, who have lost their crops due to the fires.

As a result of the wildfires, more than 13,000 thousand hectares of agricultural land have been destroyed. This has damaged approximately 200 homes and caused over eight million US dollars in damages. Twenty four villages and communities, primarily in the western portion of the Toledo district, were affected. These numbers might increase as the fires and further assessments are still ongoing.

The effects of climate change, a prolonged excessive heat wave and prevailing dry weather conditions helped spread the fires in the Toledo District and Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve in the Cayo District.

The Belize Red Cross

The assistance will support the provision of health, water, and sanitation services, as well as cash assistance by the Belize Red Cross Society.

As of June 13^th, fires in the Toledo District continued to flare up and progress due to strong winds within the area.

The Belize Red Cross

Background

The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the European Union provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.

The European Union is signatory to a €8 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Response Emergency Fund was established in 1979 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF.  For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The delegation agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit within its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €8 million.