The U.S. is contributing an additional $25 million through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to help vulnerable people in Ukraine during the hard winter, ReliefWeb cites a press release from USAID.
The ability of the civilian population in Ukraine to withstand the harsh winter weather has been weakened by ongoing attacks by Russian forces on vital infrastructure and housing. As a result, there will likely be an increase in the need for humanitarian aid, particularly among those who live in damaged homes or have fled because of the conflict.
In Irpin, where internally displaced people from the violence, including senior citizens and other vulnerable groups, are finding shelter, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield made the news today.
The United States will increase assistance to nearly 75,000 of the most affected households, mainly in eastern Ukraine where Putin’s unprovoked invasion has destroyed infrastructure and vital services, with the help of these new funds, building on its current winterization planning and response efforts. The International Organization for Migration, a partner of USAID, will increase humanitarian aid to help needy Ukrainians survive the winter. This aid will include multipurpose financial assistance, shelter support, and aid for water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Following the announcement of a $55 million investment in Ukraine’s heating infrastructure and $216 million in winterization-specific humanitarian aid by USAID Administrator Samantha Power during her visit to Kyiv in early October, this additional support brings USAID’s total contribution to winterization assistance to date to roughly $271 million. In order to meet the immediate and long-term needs of vulnerable households, USAID and our humanitarian partners continue to rapidly scale up their winterization assistance to at-risk populations in Ukraine. This assistance includes providing winter-specific household items, thermal blankets, and warm clothing, as well as essential heating appliances and fuel supplies.
Since 2014, the United States has assisted humanitarian partners in Ukraine as one of the largest humanitarian donors to that nation. The United States gave more than $1.5 billion in humanitarian aid to help those affected by the crisis inside Ukraine and those who were fleeing to nearby nations during Fiscal Year 2022, including more than $1 billion from USAID. We’ll keep extending life-saving aid to those who require it most as we stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
