The United States government, via the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), donated $2,676,900 to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to help Haiti respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this project, UNICEF will support COVID-19 response activities in line with the Haitian government’s nationwide plan. The main goal of this project is to contribute to the survival of children and their families in Haiti through the prevention and reduction of COVID-19 transmission.
U.S. Ambassador to Haiti, Michele Sison, declared: “We want to ensure that Haitian families, especially vulnerable children and mothers, have the information, support, and resources they need to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Our partnership with UNICEF and the Haitian government will raise awareness about how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, train healthcare providers, support treatment, and provide the critical supplies needed to fight COVID-19.”
With USAID support, a UNICEF community mobilizer is raising awareness on the risks of COVID-19 and best practices to prevent the spread of the virus in a vulnerable Jeremie community. Photo Credit: UNICEF
This funding will support the development of communication materials and a nationwide mass media awareness campaign to encourage frequent handwashing. The campaign will include digital engagement, community mobilization, and rumor monitoring.
To support treatment, UNICEF will also train at least 2,600 community health workers on COVID-19, provide them with personal protective equipment and materials, reinforce community surveillance, and strengthen disease control and case investigation. They will help enhance care for COVID-19 patients at 15 referral health care facilities through infection prevention and control training and improved water and sanitation services, including hand washing stations, soap, disinfectants, sanitizers, and waste management.
To support children affected by, or at risk for COVID-19, UNICEF will ensure that 1,000 children and women vulnerable to violence as a result of increased stress and home confinement are protected and have access to psychosocial support. This donation will also help UNICEF, the Government of Haiti, and partners distribute essential handwashing items, provide protection services to women and children, curb the risks of COVID-19, and limit its negative effects among the most vulnerable.
The USAID Mission Director remarked, “I am extremely pleased with the collaboration between USAID and UNICEF to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Haiti. USAID is proud to provide active support to countries such as Haiti that are affected by COVID-19.
USAID is working directly with the Haitian government, multilateral organizations, NGOs, and other local Haitian organizations who are responding on the ground to combat the outbreak. Because an infectious disease threat anywhere can become a threat everywhere, the United States calls on other donors to contribute to the global effort to combat COVID-19.
For more information about USAID’s response to COVID-19, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/coronavirus-covid-19.
For more information about UNICEF’s COVID-19 response in Haiti, please visit: https://www.unicef.org/haiti/.
