SUVA – The United States, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing US $ 500,000 in humanitarian assistance to respond to the drought across Kiribati due to lower than normal rainfall, exacerbated by ongoing impacts climate change. So far this year, some areas have recorded less than 2.3 inches of total rainfall. The resulting drought has affected the entire 123,000 people living in Kiribati, including 94,000 in the heavily affected Gilbert Islands, which are heavily dependent on rainwater harvesting.
Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Rebecca Owen said, “The United States stands with our friends and partners in Kiribati in tackling this challenge, and we have allocated US $ 500,000 to support drought response efforts in Kiribati.”
This funding includes an initial US $ 100,000 to allow the United Nations Child Emergency Fund (UNICEF) USAID Partner to immediately strengthen the government’s ability to monitor groundwater, including salinity levels, and deliver critical water conservation and treatment messages. provision for affected populations. U.S. officials in the Pacific and Washington, DC are closely monitoring the humanitarian impacts of this drought in conjunction with partners across the region. The United States stands with communities in Kiribati as they continue to address the effects of this drought.
USAID has long supported early recovery, risk reduction and resilience initiatives across the Pacific, including in Kiribati, to support disaster preparedness and response capabilities. In Kiribati, this includes efforts to mobilize young people and volunteers in disaster preparedness through the Kiribati Red Cross Society (KRCS) and capacity building for the KRCS through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. USAID will continue to work with partners throughout the year to empower communities to withstand disasters.
