Bamako, Mali - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has issued a $4 million grant to the World Food Program (WFP) in Mali to help mitigate the negative effects of COVID-19. The award will provide food assistance to more than 196 thousand food insecure Malians in Kayes, Bamako, Ségou, Mopti, Timbuktu, Taoudeni, Kidal, Ménaka and Gao regions.

In coordination with the Malian Government, USAID and WFP will also support hospitalized patients and persons in quarantine across the country with 14 days of emergency food assistance, and will distribute soap to vulnerable households so that they are better equipped to wash hands and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

 “The United States is the leading contributor to the World Food Program (reference  https://www.wfp.org/funding/2020) and we are very pleased to announce this new contribution of $4 million of food assistance for Mali.  The food provided by USAID will benefit Malians throughout the country and many who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ambassador Dennis Hankins.

The combined effects of insecurity and extreme weather in Mali have affected 8.2 million people. The United States had already provided Mali’s most vulnerable citizens with more than $102 million of humanitarian assistance in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 before the pandemic hit. COVID-19 has made Mali’s humanitarian crisis worse. To mitigate the effects of COVID-19, the American people have provided an additional $13.8 million in humanitarian and development assistance since Mali’s first cases were reported in March.

The American people are supporting Mali’s COVID-19 response in numerous ways including prevention messaging, strengthening early-warning systems, and enhancing Mali’s ability to prevent and control infections in health facilities. United States COVID-19 assistance helps train and mobilize community-surveillance and emergency response teams throughout the country to report infections, trace contacts, and assist infected persons in getting prompt and appropriate care.

Through the generosity of the American people, the United States is providing equipment and training for Mali’s Ligne Verte (#36061), and helping to keep Malians safe from COVID-19 by improving sanitation and hygiene, funding mobile clinics, building the capacity of laboratories to conduct testing, and helping to prevent and control infections along cargo routes, and at points of entry such as airports and border crossings. This assistance builds upon decades of U.S. Government investments in Mali, which total more than $3.2 billion over the last 20 years, including more than $807 million for health.

For more information, contact:
Embassy Press Office / ACI 2000 Rue 243 Porte 297 / Bamako, Mali
Tel : 20 70 24 24 /20 70 24 26 / Fax : 20 70 24 79 / Email : PASBamako@state.gov
Embassy: https://ml.usembassy.gov/