Brasilia, February 5, 2021: The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has delivered an additional R$ 1.5 million (US$ 300,000) for emergency COVID-19 response in Brazil. The funds will be used to respond to local health authorities’ priorities to address the needs of the most vulnerable in the Amazon region. The funds will be implemented through the NPI Expand project and its established local partners in the country.
“Since the emergence of COVID-19, the American and Brazilian governments have been working together closely to identify needs and help meet the changing priorities of the pandemic. I am very pleased to be able to announce this additional funding for this acute time of crisis”, said Ambassador Todd Chapman.
USAID has been providing support to local partners through the “PPA Solidarity: COVID-19 Response in the Amazon” initiative, a cross sector partnership led by USAID, NPI Expand, the Partnership Platform for the Amazon (PPA) and SITAWI. With an initial contribution of US$ 2,1 million (around R$10,3 million) from USAID through NPI Expand, the initiative leveraged an additional US$ 3,5 million (R$18.2 million) with private sector partners that include Alcoa, Bank of America, Beraca, Cargill, Caterpillar, Fundo Sustentabilidade Hydro, Mineração do Rio do Norte, Suzano and Vale.
To date, the partnership has distributed food baskets and hygiene kits to over 14,500 families in the Amazon, trained over 360 health workers, donated over 308,000 non-medical masks produced by local seamstresses, and delivered life-saving prevention messages for over 500,000 people in the region. The partnership has also supported more than 720 entrepreneurs and 24 businesses with financial and business advisory services to mitigate the economic impacts of COVID-19 in the Amazon Region.
More information about US. Government and partner COVID-related assistance and activities can be found here:
- https://br.usembassy.gov/u-s-companies-that-are-contributing-to-response-against-covid-19-in-brazil/
- https://br.usembassy.gov/u-s-delivers-to-brazil-600-state-of-the-art-ventilators/
- https://br.usembassy.gov/the-united-states-provides-200-more-ventilators-to-brazil-to-respond-to-covid-19/
- https://br.usembassy.gov/united-states-donates-more-than-us50-million-to-fight-covid-19-in-brazil/
- https://br.usembassy.gov/u-s-consulate-general-in-recife-donates-ppe-to-fight-covid-19/
- https://br.usembassy.gov/cdc-opens-new-south-america-regional-office-in-brazil/
- https://br.usembassy.gov/u-s-support-for-efforts-to-combat-covid-19-in-amazonas/
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For further information on this Media Note, please contact the U.S. Embassy Press Office in Brasília at BrasiliaEMBEUA@state.gov or on (+55 61) 3312 – 7367 / 7364.
