COTONOU, September 22, 2020 – The United States Ambassador to Benin, Patricia Mahoney, officially distributed a shipment of personal protective equipment (PPE) worth 41.8 million CFA ($75,000) to the Army Training Hospital on September 22, 2020. This donation was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic Aid (OHDACA) program as part of the global fight against COVID-19.
The donated equipment is intended to support the Army Training Hospital in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by providing front-line personnel with sufficient PPE to care for civilians who test positive for the disease. It includes hand washing devices, hand sanitizer, latex gloves, single-use sterile gowns, and disposable hooded jumpsuits.
The aid comes in addition to the 2.5 billion CFA ($4.5 million) that the U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), provided in May to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Benin, and an additional 33.4 million CFA ($60,000) Department of Defense donation to support the Ministry of Health’s testing laboratories in Kandi and Lokossa.
“20.5 billion dollars (11.4 billion CFA) has now been allocated by the United States as part of our global response to the pandemic. This incredible effort, made possible by the generosity of U.S. taxpayers, includes funding for vaccines, treatments and diagnostics, initiatives to increase preparedness, and funding for foreign assistance activities by the U.S. State Department and USAID,” Ambassador Mahoney said.
Commending the Beninese Government for its considerable efforts to combat the virus and ensure the safety and health of all Beninese, the Ambassador reaffirmed that the United States will continue to support its partners, including Benin, in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health issues.
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