Belmopan, Cayo – In a ceremony today at the San Ignacio Town Council Hall, U.S. Embassy
Belmopan and its implementing partner UNICEF handed over emergency response kits to Belize’s
National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) and the Belize Red Cross. These kits were
purchased through an ongoing $300,000 United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) grant to UNICEF launched in August to assist UNICEF in its work to reduce the risk and
impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable children and adolescents in Belize. These kits – which include
food and hygiene items – will be distributed to 354 families from regions in the Cayo District that
were most severely impacted by flooding from Hurricanes Eta and Iota.
During today’s handover ceremony, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Keith Gilges emphasized, “The U.S.
Embassy is deeply committed to making Belize safer, healthier, more secure and prosperous for all its
citizens. In times of crisis such as these, our focus turns to helping those most afflicted. This is what
good friends and neighbors do – we are here for one another when it counts.”
The kits, which will be delivered over a three-day period, contain critical hygiene supplies sufficient for a family of five, as well as a nutrition hamper with supplemented food. Educational materials on hygiene
and nutrition are included in the kits as well. The project is also in the process of procuring Early Childhood Development kits which will be distributed for families with children under 8 years old.
