U.S. Government Provides Additional $5 million for Tropical Storm Amanda and COVID-19 Relief on the third annual U.S. El Salvador Friendship day celebration
June 15, 2020
As another example of the friendship between the United States and El Salvador, the U.S. government, through its embassy in El Salvador, announced $5 million in additional assistance to El Salvador to face the challenges created by Tropical Storm Amanda and COVID-19.
Ambassador Ronald Johnson said the fact that this additional aid is announced on June 15, the day we celebrate the Friendship Between the US. and El Salvador, demonstrates the commitment of the United States as a partner and friend of El Salvador.
The United States, through its U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing $3 million to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to support immediate food needs of crisis-affected Salvadorans in response to acute food insecurity due to irregular rainfall, including recent droughts and flooding, and worsened by the impacts of COVID-19 and Tropical Storm Amanda,
This funding will support vulnerable families in multiple departments of El Salvador, assisting approximately 21,000 people through cash transfers for food. The support will reach communities who have suffered from loss of crops and livelihoods due to successive cycles of drought, as well as those who have been impacted by recent flooding provoked by Tropical Storm Amanda. USAID and WFP will be working closely with the Government of El Salvador to complement government assistance and target the most food-insecure communities.
In addition, the U.S. government, through USAID’s Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance, donated an additional $2.0 million for Tropical Storm Amanda response, bringing the total of this emergency assistance to $2.1 million for emergency relief for Salvadorans affected by the storm. With the additional funding, USAID’s partner Save the Children and other partners, in coordination with the General Direction of Civil Protection, Prevention and Mitigation of Disasters will continue distributing hygiene kits, water, mats and blankets to meet the immediate needs of more than 1,500 people in shelters for families affected by the storm. In other municipalities, the supplies will be distributed in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior and the municipalities to reach the places with the greatest need.
With the new funding, USAID is providing $15.6 million in assistance for the COVID-19 and Tropical Storm Amanda response and recovery.
Every June 15, Friendship Day between the U.S. and El Salvador is celebrated to commemorate the establishment of bilateral relations 157 years ago in 1863. This date exemplifies the close bilateral relationship that has only strengthened over the years, and highlights our commitment to continue working together to improve security and promote prosperity in El Salvador. In 2017, the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador declared that June 15 of each year will be designated as the Day of Friendship between El Salvador and the United States.
