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The U.S. Government is providing an additional $15 million in foreign assistance for Guatemala to slow the spread of COVID-19 and address rising food insecurity.
The Department of State announced that Guatemala will receive $6 million in International Disaster Assistance funds to rapidly address critical gaps in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services; humanitarian and food assistance logistics; and healthcare infrastructure needed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This assistance provided by USAID will help ensure that Guatemalan citizens and municipalities have access to clean drinking water and water storage units, reducing the spread of illnesses and improving hygiene. This assistance will also support in the installation of hand washing stations and behavior change campaigns, in an effort to lower the rates of community-level COVID-19 transmission.
In addition, USAID will provide $9 million to address emergency food assistance needs for over 25,000 severely food-insecure Guatemalan families.
The U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala Luis E. Arreaga said: “These additional resources are a demonstration of the United States’ continued solidarity and global leadership. We remain committed to assisting Guatemala, even in times of crisis. This assistance will help us to continue supporting the Guatemalan people as we all seek to bring about an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and food insecurity.”
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