May 11, 2020, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan – The United States Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has committed an additional 214 million tenge ($500,000), bringing the total U.S. Government contribution to over 1.6 billion tenge ($3.79 million) to support Kazakhstan’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The additional funding will be provided to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Kazakhstan to improve risk communication and bolster infection prevention and control efforts. 

Global evidence on COVID-19 indicates that elderly people and people with underlying medical conditions are at the highest risk from infection. USAID, through UNICEF, will support the most vulnerable groups and communities, including children with disabilities, elderly in residential care, pregnant women, and people with poor access to water and sanitation facilities. Furthermore, in partnership with the U.S. Government-funded Kazakh Red Crescent, UNICEF will strengthen communication to prevent the spread of misinformation by engaging with at-risk communities and equipping them with best practices and skills on how to prevent COVID-19. 

In addition to this UNICEF funding, the U.S. Government, through USAID and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is providing technical assistance and guidance to the Government of Kazakhstan to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Over the last 20 years, the United States has provided more than $2 billion to Kazakhstan, including more than $86 million in health assistance to increase access to services that prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) and HIV. USAID supports activities to improve care, diagnosis, and prevention of multi-drug resistant TB and works to expand HIV/AIDS prevention and care services for the most at-risk populations. These resources have saved lives, protected people who are most vulnerable to disease, built health institutions, and promoted the stability of communities.

For more information about USAID’s response to COVID-19, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/coronavirus-covid-19