USAID Airlifts Relief Commodities to Monrovia
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov/
Press: (202) 712-4320
Public Information: (202) 712-4810
2003-074
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 15, 2003
Contact: USAID Press Office
Washington, D.C. - On August 15th, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) airlifted 26,470 kilograms of relief commodities to Monrovia in support of the U.S. government's humanitarian relief assistance to the Liberian people. The commodities support emergency water, shelter and health needs and include 300 rolls of plastic sheeting, 5,000 wool blankets, 5,000 10-liter jerry cans, and five 3,000-gallon water bladders. The relief items will benefit approximately 15,000 people. In addition, the airlift included a World Health Organization (WHO) emergency health kit that includes basic medical essentials for 30,000 people for one month. The total value of the commodities including transport is $221,880.
The commodities will be given to humanitarian organizations including the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Action Against Hunger, Save the Children Fund, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and Medical Emergency Relief International (Merlin), and will be distributed to clinics and therapeutic feeding centers in Monrovia and the Harbel and Firestone rubber plantation area.
On August 6th, a three-person USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) arrived in Monrovia, Liberia. On August 12th, five additional DART members, including a Water and Sanitation Officer, Logistics Officer, Communications Officer, USAID Office of Food for Peace Officer, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Epidemiologist, deployed to Monrovia.
Since October 1, 2002, the U.S. government has provided more than $20 million to support humanitarian needs in Liberia. The USAID mission in Monrovia, which remained open throughout the crisis, administers a $6 million development program to improve the quality of health, agriculture and civil society in Liberia.
More information on the humanitarian crisis in Liberia and the Mano River basin.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
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