The United States Government has approved over $240m in humanitarian assistance to support vulnerable populations in Nigeria and several other crisis-affected countries, in a move aimed at strengthening emergency response and life-saving interventions.
The funding, awarded to Catholic Relief Services, will be deployed across Nigeria, Burma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti and Sudan, targeting critical sectors including food security, healthcare, nutrition, water, sanitation and shelter.
A senior official of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response, Ryan Shrum, announced the intervention on Friday in Rome, Italy. He spoke alongside the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, during a high-level meeting involving key humanitarian actors.
Other participants at the event included the U.S. Representative to UN Agencies in Rome, Lynda Blanchard; Vice President for Humanitarian Response at CRS, Jennifer Poidatz; and Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis, Alistair Dutton.
According to the U.S. government, the grant represents the first in a series of funding disbursements to “trusted and vetted” implementing partners, signalling a strategic shift towards leveraging established humanitarian organisations for rapid and transparent delivery of aid.
The intervention is also designed to complement the $3.8bn already channelled through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, with officials noting that the approach would reduce administrative bottlenecks and improve accountability in fund utilisation.
Washington said the funding underscores its commitment to partnering with faith-based organisations with proven capacity to deliver assistance in some of the world’s most challenging environments.
CRS, one of the largest humanitarian agencies globally, is already actively engaged in emergency response operations, including Ebola intervention efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, alongside broader life-saving support across vulnerable regions.
Analysts say Nigeria’s inclusion in the latest funding cycle comes amid worsening humanitarian conditions driven by insecurity, displacement and economic hardship, particularly in the North-East, where millions remain dependent on aid.
The development is expected to bolster ongoing relief efforts by local and international partners working to address the country’s growing humanitarian needs.
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