The Cabo Verde Red Cross (CVCV) is set to receive €236,000 from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to train communities to anticipate and respond to the effects of drought, the Portuguese news agency Lusa reported on Wednesday, 21 October.

The CVCV and the IFRC will sign an early action protocol aimed at strengthening the preparedness of Cape Verdean communities and reducing the impact of drought across the archipelago, the organisation announced in a statement.

Under the terms of the protocol, the CVCV will receive funding of approximately €236,000 to be deployed over two years to develop preparedness, prevention, and early intervention measures, the statement said.

Communities will be provided with lists of measures to be taken in response to activation criteria, alongside risk indicators to monitor and defined critical thresholds.

Depending on the risks identified and the needs of affected populations, the measures may include support for farmers and livestock herders, protection of productive resources, and early cash transfers.

Beyond protecting household assets and incomes, the approach also seeks to alleviate the human and psychological suffering associated with the loss of harvests, animals, and other sources of livelihoods.

Cabo Verde is an arid archipelago with a low annual rainfall regime, concentrated between August and October.

The Cape Verdean government acknowledged in early September the possibility of activating support programmes for rural families affected by the lack of rainfall, which had already caused the loss of some planted areas.