USAID announces $75m aid for Rohingya refugees

USAID has announced $75 million in humanitarian assistance to help the Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar and host community meet ongoing needs that have been exacerbated by the increasing costs of food and fuel.

With this, the US funding for the Rohingyas reached $1,975 million since August 2017 when over 750,000 Rohingyas escaped a brutal military campaign in Myanmar's Rakhine State.

With the new funding, USAID will work with the World Food Programme to provide critically needed food and nutrition assistance, infrastructure maintenance, disaster risk reduction, and logistics support. The new funding will provide critical and life-saving assistance to nearly 600,000 people.

The food and nutrition assistance includes electronic vouchers for staple and fresh foods at designated distribution sites as well as support to feeding programs for malnourished children six months to five years of age, and pregnant and lactating women, USAID said in a statement on Wednesday.

"These programs will target populations residing in 33 refugee camps and 130 sites in the local Bangladeshi community. In addition, through disaster risk reduction programming, WFP will work with the community to maintain and improve public infrastructure within the camps," it said.

It said the US is committed to helping Rohingya, and USAID will continue to support them in their time of need, as well as the generous communities in Bangladesh who host them.

Source: The Daily Star