US announces P730M aid for Marawi relief

[ventuno id=’OTk1NTY4fHwyMzY4fHwxMDg2fHwxLDIsMQ==’][/ventuno]

The US government has announced about P730 million ($14.3 million) in emergency relief and recovery assistance for victims of the ongoing conflict in Marawi City.

“The United States is deeply committed to this relationship and remains ready to support our friend and ally as we face the challenges and opportunities,” US Ambassador Sung Kim said on Tuesday at a media engagement.

“We all look forward to the end of the crisis, and the end of the fighting and suffering. We have been and will continue to support the Philippine government’s efforts to deal with the crisis,” Kim was quoted as saying by a US Embassy statement.

The US government will coordinate with the Philippine government and humanitarian organizations on the ground to deliver the relief supplies including safe drinking water, hygiene kits, kitchen sets, and shelter materials aimed to improve the conditions of evacuees sheltered in evacuation centers, the embassy said.

The US Agency for International Aid (USAID) will also provide 18 facilities in Marawi with critical supplies and services to address tuberculosis and maternal, newborn and child health needs.

The USAID will also help out in restoring basic public services such as healthcare, water, and electricity.

It will also support Marawi’s longer-term rehabilitation plans by jumpstarting livelihoods, promoting community dialogue, rebuilding resilient health systems, and offering skills training and psychosocial counseling for youth, the embassy said.

They have also committed to provide 6,500 tablet arm chairs, which will be distributed to schools in Mindanao where displaced Marawi students are enrolled, the embassy added. Frances Mangosing/ IDL

RELATED STORIES

US offers to help in rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi

Victims of Marawi conflict receive US relief assistance