U.S. Department of State COVID-19 Fact Sheet
The United States Is Leading the Humanitarian and Health Assistance Response to COVID-19
FACT SHEET
The United States Is Leading the Humanitarian and Health Assistance Response to COVID-19
FACT SHEET
USAID is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with decisive action at home and abroad. Our priorities in the response are to protect the safety and health security of our global workforce, ensure that we can continue our life-saving mission across the world, and support partner countries in their response to COVID-19.
When the 2010 earthquake hit Haiti, the country had just undertaken a massive reform of its water sector. The recovery from the initial disaster and subsequent cholera outbreak shifted the focus from structural reform to disaster response. An outpouring of international assistance helped Haiti dig itself out of these disasters and rebuild its infrastructure.
Climate risk management (CRM) improves the effectiveness and sustainability of USAID’s water efforts. USAID implements CRM by systematically assessing, addressing, and adaptively managing climate risk in new strategies, projects, and activities.
USAID helps build the resilience of vulnerable communities by increasing their ability to navigate droughts and floods and better preparing them to handle other water-related natural disasters. USAID investments in building resilience help share and shift the responsibility for managing risk, with the overriding aim of reducing costs of recurrent crises.
Disaster risk reduction encompasses efforts to prevent or mitigate damage inflicted by earthquakes, floods, droughts, and storms.
Through a USAID award, Catholic Relief Services will provide emergency shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and non-food items to communities with the greatest need in Bundibugyo. To ensure the U.S. assistance targets the most vulnerable households, CRS will coordinate with local government officials and affected communities and consult with marginalized groups such as women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly to adapt programming to their specific needs and challenges.
World Water Day is observed annually on March 22 to raise awareness about the vital importance of water to safeguarding human security and maintaining the health of the planet's ecosystems. This year's theme, "Water and Climate Change," highlights the urgent importance of strengthening water security and establishing access to a sustainable water supply in the face of changing climate conditions worldwide. The observance will also raise public awareness about the many ways shifting atmospheric and oceanic conditions are reshaping t
Specific objectives of this WASH Debate are to learn about the following:
- Understand how WASH systems can be developed and strengthened in fragile contexts
- Explore the extent to which external programmes should focus on strengthening the state rather than civil society organisations in WASH
- Exchange lessons learned on the provision of WASH services between NGO staff, government policy officers and experts working in fragile contexts
Integrated Emergency Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Response and Prevention of Gender Based Violence (GBV) with United Nations Children's Fund, International Organization for Migration. In South Sudan, USAID supports a flagship integrated WASH/GBV project. Its three strategies are: