The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is continuing its support for vulnerable children in Dakar during the COVID-19 pandemic. USAID is donating much-needed food, sanitation, and hygiene supplies to children sheltering in daaras and the Government of Senegal-sponsored "Welcome Centers" and is helping to reunite young people ages 4 to 16 years old with their families. The support is part of the Ministry of Women, Family, Gender and Child Protection’s plan to reduce the risks facing unaccompanied children in the capital.

Yesterday (July 21), USAID, and its partner, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, delivered another 10 metric tons of rice, along with 5 metric tons of sugar, cooking oil, powdered milk, and 1,000 bars of soap to the Ministry. A similar supply was handed over in April to the ministry for the daaras and government-sponsored welcome centres.

Protecting vulnerable children is part of a broader package of U.S. Government assistance to help fight the spread of the coronavirus in Senegal. USAID has also provided an additional $3.9 million in new financial support and redirected more than $2 million from current development and health activities to respond to the outbreak. 

The $3.9 million in new funding will continue to bolster the Ministry of Health and Social Action’s coronavirus response work, including strengthening communication about the pandemic and its risks, improving disease prevention and infection control measures, supporting the protection of vulnerable groups, improving water and sanitation, and building the capacity of the Ministry and national laboratories.

For decades, the United States has been the world's largest contributor to global health security and humanitarian assistance, putting countries like Senegal in a better position to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past 20 years in Senegal alone, the United States has invested more than $2.8 billion, including nearly $880 million in health assistance.