The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a non-repayable aid (donation) of US $ 60 million to support the most vulnerable sectors of Haiti facing the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The aid will be managed by the Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES), an autonomous body reporting to the Ministry of Finance, which is responsible for the implementation of social assistance programs in Haiti.

"The main objective is to provide rapid and large-scale protection to the most neglected social sectors, including cash transfers," said Nicola Magri, IDB Project Team Leader.

IDB assistance has three components :

The first focuses on support for protection through the current school canteen program, which enables 100,000 students to receive meals. The intervention will plan with attention to nutrition, so that meals are as nutritious as possible. To do this, they serve daily servings of fresh fruits and vegetables in addition to protein.

The second component focuses on supporting the protection of the vulnerable population who do not have access to transfer programs and who work in the informal sector. The initiative will finance cash and in-kind transfers to 124,000 vulnerable households.

The third component will provide support for the protection of the vulnerable population who are not eligible for transfer programs and who work in the formal sector. These funds will help finance temporary wage subsidies for textile workers to support minimum income and consumption levels during the plant closings necessary to cope with the pandemic.

In addition to this donation of 60 million, the IDB reallocated 10 million funds intended for the water and sanitation, education, tourism and education sectors to concentrate them in the fight against Covid-19 effects.

These reallocated funds will be used to provide solutions for hand washing and access to water in critical areas, to support the radio and tele-schools, distribute food to families of students, support payment to teachers, rescue small players in the tourism sector and acquire adequate equipment to deal with the pandemic.

HL/ HaitiLibre