Press Release

Public Affairs Office
Embassy of the United States of America
Rue Bartholonie, P.O. Box. 114
Vientiane, Laos.

Tel:  (856-21) 267229
Fax: (856-21) 267160
Website: http://laos.usembassy.gov
November 10, 2008

U.S. Government Provides Funds to UNICEF for Emergency Flood Relief in Laos

US Ambassador to Laos, Ravic Huso handover of the funds $250,000 to the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF to help Laos of Flooded Victims

Communities hit by the floods that swept through large parts of Lao PDR recently will be the beneficiaries of $250,000 in emergency aid provided by the United States government to the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

The funds are being granted in response to a United Nations appeal in September, and will be used to provide clean water and improved sanitation to up to 100,000 people living in provinces impacted by the flooding of the Mekong river in August.

At a ceremony in Vientiane marking the handover of the funds, US Ambassador to Laos, Ravic Huso, said, “We are delighted that this assistance from the people of the United States will help the people of Laos rebuild their communities and recover from this natural disaster.”

Expressing gratitude for the US contribution, UNICEF Lao PDR Representative Laila Ismail-Khan, said the money would help pay for water treatment and hygiene kits including water purification tablets, storage containers for drinking water, as well as a coagulant to help rehabilitate the damaged wells. Pumps will also be purchased to help empty flood water from damaged wells and return them to service as rapidly as possible. “Clean water is of such fundamental importance for the health of children,” said Ms Ismail-Khan. “That’s what makes these interventions so vital.”

The new grant follows $50,000 of U.S. government funds given to the Lao Red Cross in the days after the flooding. The Red Cross used that money to provide emergency food, medicine, and other necessary assistance to the affected villages. Funding for both grants is provided through the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).