The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has allocated $13 billion in direct budgetary assistance to support the social sphere of Ukraine, in particular medicine, education and rescue services, the press service of USAID Ukraine reports.
“USAID has provided $13 billion in direct budget support to ensure that Ukrainian medical professionals, educators, and rescue workers provide services to the residents of communities and support Ukraine in resisting the Russian invasion. Isobel Coleman (the USAID Deputy Administrator) and the Finance Ministry of Ukraine expressed the U.S.’ and Ukraine’s commitment to transparent and accountable use of funds,” USAID Ukraine said on Twitter.
On December 5, USAID launched the USAID/ENGAGE Note project, under which educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and self-employed individuals in Ukraine will receive 5000 modern laptops with licensed software.
ABOUT THE PROJECT.
The national project “SOPHIA Note” is the result of joint efforts of international donors, business, Ukrainian volunteers and government. The project is being implemented within the framework of the USAID Youth Program “Dreaming and Acting”, implemented by IREX in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the Ukrainian volunteer platform “SpilDiya”, as well as HP Inc. and Microsoft, which provided laptops and licensed software.
Applications for the first wave of the project started on December 5 and will last until December 15. The initiative is being implemented throughout Ukraine, except for the temporarily occupied territories.
The project aims to support Ukrainian youth in access to education, response services and self-realization during the war. The distribution of laptops will take place in close cooperation with educational institutions, organizations and foundations working with and for young people and engaged in important educational and social tasks for communities, helping vulnerable groups. The devices will also be provided to self-employed Ukrainians who really need them.
The main goal is to give Ukrainian youth the tools to solve problems at the local, regional and national levels, to promote youth initiatives.
WHO CAN APPLY AND HOW TO GET THE LAPTOP(S)?
The application can be submitted by:
– schools seeking to provide children who do not have equipment for learning;
– public organizations / charitable foundations / other educational and creative non-profit organizations and initiatives
– self-employed persons.
To participate in the first wave of the competition, you must submit an application by December 15 (inclusive). All details on the necessary steps and criteria can be found on the website of the volunteer association “SpivDia” spivdiia.org.ua/notebook
Applications will be processed from the first day of the project and will be checked by case managers of “SpivDia Note” as they are received. Priority will be given to applicants (including self-employed persons) who really need the laptop(s) to provide access to training, improve or create opportunities to provide response services for children and youth, as well as for the professional realization of young Ukrainians.
QUOTE.
Iryna Tuliakova, Founder and Executive Director of the “SpilDiya” Foundation.
“Since the first days of the full-scale war, SodDiya has been uniting volunteer, public, state initiatives and business to support Ukrainians. Today we are launching the “SpilDiya Note” project to support those who help others and want to increase their usefulness. I am grateful to our partners – USAID/ENGAGE, IREX, HP Inc. and Microsoft for their systematic support of young people and trust in the implementation of the program. Let’s work together for victory!” said Iryna Tuliakova, founder and CEO of the “SOPHIA” Foundation.
Mehri Drakman, Director of the program “Dreaming and Acting” / IREX.
“Young people are able to develop and implement effective solutions in response to the urgent needs of Ukrainian society. From the first days of the volunteer platform “SpilDiya” USAID “Dreaming and Acting” program has been actively supporting its development, and now we are implementing such a large-scale project as “SpilDiya Note”, using the mechanism developed by young people to provide humanitarian assistance, educational and social services to the civilian population”
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
USAID/ENGAGE is a 5-year program aimed at developing and supporting youth in Ukraine, creating an enabling environment in which young people will have the opportunity to realize their dreams, ideas and visions for the country’s development. Using a youth-centered approach – not for young people, but with young people – the program promotes youth innovation, entrepreneurship, increased participation in community decision-making and problem-solving at the national level, and strengthens the potential of Ukrainian youth to be a driving force for pluralism and respect for diversity. “Dreaming and Acting” engages young people in the development and implementation of projects and initiatives, and conducts research to inform youth policy and move towards effective and sustainable change.
The United States, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing up to $20 million to the Grain from Ukraine initiative announced by President Vladimir Zelensky at the G20 Summit earlier this week to help feed people around the world, USAID said in a release Friday.
“USAID will provide support through the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to facilitate the delivery of additional shipments of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” the release said.
The U.S. agency recalls that before Putin’s invasion, Ukraine was one of WFP’s largest grain suppliers and the fourth largest commercial exporter of wheat in the world.
Today’s announcement builds on WFP’s existing $173 million support to date to buy Ukrainian grain to feed people in countries facing the most severe food crises, including Ethiopia, Yemen, and Afghanistan. Thanks to U.S. funding, 210,000 tons of food was purchased, enough to feed an estimated 12.6 million people for one month.
All told, since the start of Putin’s war against Ukraine in February, the U.S. has provided more than $11 billion to combat the global food crisis, including nearly $8.6 billion in humanitarian aid, the release indicated.
According to it, USAID also continues to help Ukrainian farmers who risk their lives to feed the world through the Agricultural Sustainability Initiative-Ukraine (AGRI-Ukraine). The initiative focuses on four areas that are critical to supporting Ukraine’s agricultural exports and its contribution to global food security: providing critical resources for farmers; improving export logistics and infrastructure; improving farmers’ access to finance; and addressing the needs of drying, storing, and processing crops. USAID has invested $100 million in the initiative, and the agency seeks to raise at least $150 million in additional funding from other donors, foundations and the private sector.
Prime Minister Denis Shmygal says USAID will support the creation of processing plants in Ukraine starting next year.
“The government is interested in increasing added value, that’s why it already supports the creation of processing enterprises in mid-sized businesses through eRabotka grant programs. According to him, an agreement has been reached with USAID to support this direction from next year,” the government press service said referring to Shmygal.
The prime minister also noted that after the war Ukraine expects a significant inflow of capital.
“Much attention will be paid to projects of public-private partnership, concession and for Ukrainian business will have a key role in this strategy,” the statement said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power discussed the implementation of the Ukraine Fast Recovery Plan and the details of programs designed to develop a safe space in Ukraine, the website of the Ukrainian head of state reported.
“Today, our main goal is to prepare for winter, create decent living conditions for the population in the liberated territories, and restore critical infrastructure as soon as possible. There is a big and ambitious thing that will happen after the victory of Ukraine, but there is something that is needed now and where you can help us,” Zelensky emphasized during a conversation with the USAID administrator.
The president of Ukraine presented Samantha Power with the Order of Princess Olga of the first grade, which she was awarded for her significant contribution to the development of interstate cooperation and consistent and important support of our state.
Zelensky also thanked her for the agency’s allocation of $55 million to prepare Ukraine’s heating infrastructure for winter amid Russian aggression, and also praised the level of economic and defense support provided by the United States to Ukraine.
“It is extremely important for us to have such an ally as the United States, which is a real leader in consolidating international support for Ukraine,” the president of Ukraine said.
The US Agency for International Assistance (USAID) is launching a 5-year, $45 million project to strengthen Ukraine’s healthcare system, US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said.
“This assistance will include crisis response, mental health services and more in line with First Lady (Elena) Zelenska’s Mental Health Initiative,” Brink tweeted following a meeting with Health Minister Viktor Lyashko.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ukraine also received a $1.7 billion grant from the United States through USAID to support the Medical Guarantee Program (SGP), in particular, to pay salaries to doctors.
According to the USAID website, the agency has provided $4 million in direct budget support to the government of Ukraine. These resources have helped the Ukrainian government continue to perform essential functions, such as providing gas and electricity to hospitals, schools and other critical infrastructure, supporting the delivery of humanitarian supplies citizens and continue to pay the salaries of civil servants and teachers. weiterhin wichtige Funktionen zu erfüllen, wie die Versorgung von Krankenhäusern, Schulen und anderen kritischen Infrastrukturen mit Gas und Strom. die Lieferung von humanitären Hilfsgütern an die Bürger zu unterstützen und weiterhin die Gehälter von Beamten und Lehrern zu zahlen.
