A third of promised International Aid for Ebola not delivered

Only two-thirds of the $2.89 billion in aid promised to Ebola-stricken countries by the international community had been delivered as of the first of the year, a study published in the British Medical Journal found. Furthermore, that funding may have come too late to bring the most help to the affected region — revealing a potential gap in the international aid effort.

Karen Grepin, a professor of global health policy at New York University, said funding, while generous, may have arrived too late to help with the bulk of the crisis — the outbreak started in March and worsened substantially in August and September, but resources didn’t start pouring into the region until October.

Generally, governments far outpaced international aid groups and private foundations in giving money to fend off Ebola. The top donors include the U.S. ($900 million), the U.K. ($307 million), the World Bank ($230 million) and Germany ($161 million).

In addition to governments and aid agencies, a few wealthy benefactors have also sent aid — Paul Allen of Microsoft gave $100 million to the effort and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook contributed $25 million.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has stated $2.27 billion was needed to halt the Ebola outbreak. Based on that estimate, international donors have pledged more than enough for the fight — so long as they deliver.

[International Business Times]

This entry was posted in Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation, Philanthropy by Grant Montgomery.