The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) terminates contract to provide COVID-19 relief to the people of Uganda who are most affected by the coronavirus.
The full report of the US Embassy and USAID termination of COVID-19 relief to Uganda is here.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has suspended any plans to provide financial assistance to the people of Uganda most affected by the coronavirus outbreak, according to a report released Friday.
KEY POINTS
- Uganda had raised 209 new cases to 12,410 from the COVID-19 tests conducted on October 29.
- 7,503 people have been discharged from referral hospitals after recovering from the virus.
- As of September, 47,128 Ugandan people were enrolled in the USAID, GIVE Directly program.
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Since the outbreak of the global COVID-19 epidemic, the United States has provided more than $47 million in technical assistance to meet emergency needs in response to Uganda’s COVID-19.
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The US COVID-related assistance includes about $10 million for a direct cash transfer program launched by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in August, which is a non-profit international government working with the Ministry of Local Government and the Give Directly.
According to the report, USAID and Give Directly have been working closely with government colleagues to successfully explore the project through the cabinet and to launch the project publicly as part of the Lira City celebration in August.
Despite the full evaluation and approval of the Cabinet, in September the NGO announced a further review of Give Directly’s activities in Uganda, resulting in the program being discontinued.
“The goal of this program was to set an international precedent for economic stimulation by providing directly to individuals and families in direct need.
“Exchanges are designed to support local markets by delivering 100,000 UGX in six months to 120,000 Ugandans in six cities over three months. As of September, 47,128 Ugandans have been added to the program,” the report read.
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Meanwhile, it comes at a time when a large number of Ugandan people are still trying hard to recover from the effects of the epidemic.
Despite these efforts, the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in the country. The Ministry of Health on Friday confirmed that Uganda had raised 209 new cases to 12,410 from the COVID-19 tests conducted on October 29, 2020.
As of today, 7,503 people have been discharged from various referral hospitals after recovering from the virus, and 110 have fallen victim to it.
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The full report of the US Embassy is here
Since the outbreak of the global COVID-19 epidemic, the United States has provided more than $47 million in technical assistance to meet emergency needs in response to Uganda’s COVID-19.
The United States’ COVID-related assistance includes approximately $ 10 million for a direct money transfer program launched by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in August with the Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of Kampala through the International Nonprofit Give Directly.
The goal of this program is to follow the international model of economic stimulation, by providing the most needed money directly to individuals and families.
In particular, the program supports the Ugandan population who lost their livelihoods as a result of COVID-19 who were at risk of food insecurity and faced severe cuts in-home nutrition.
The money transfers are designed to support local markets by delivering 100,000 UGXs every month for three months to 120,000 Ugandan people in six months. As of September, 47,128 Ugandan people were enrolled in the program.
USAID and Give Directly worked closely with government comrades to see the project success through the cabinet and finally launch the project publicly as part of the Lira City celebration in August. Despite the full evaluation and approval of the Cabinet, in September the NGO announced a further review of Give Directly’s activities in Uganda, resulting in the program being discontinued.
Give Directly addressed questions from the NGO Bureau, and no irregularities were identified in the money transfer program or Give Directly’s operations. The project has not yet been approved for restart, and no guarantee has been given that government approval is forthcoming.
In light of this indefinite suspension, it is now unlikely that the project will fulfil its original purpose of preventing the COVID-related economic downturn of the most vulnerable Ugandan population. Therefore, we are obligated on a contractual basis to stop the program permanently.
We note that ordinary Ugandan people continue to suffer from the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic and that they may greatly benefit from this emergency cash assistance, which has proven to be a powerful development tool to transform what is being confirmed internationally and in Uganda. Economic relief to recipient communities.
We deeply regret that the 120,000 Ugandan people identified to participate in this project, along with their surrounding communities, are not likely to benefit from it now.
The United States is Uganda’s strong and long-standing partner and the country’s single largest development and humanitarian aid.
The United States is committed to supporting the people of Uganda at this challenging time, despite the reluctance of some elements within the government to support this highly effective money transfer program.
