US Support for Morocco in Face of Covid-19 Reflects Depth of Relations Between Two Countries (US Official)

19 July 2021 Printable Version

Béni Mellal - The Moroccan and American governments are linked by strong partnership relations dating back to more than 200 years and the support provided today by the United States to help Morocco counter the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic is just a "new page in a long history of centuries-old cooperation," said, on Monday in Béni Mellal, Director of USAID North Africa and Arab affairs office Alex Klaits.

Speaking on the occasion of the launch of the Cooperative Support Program in the Beni Mellal-Khénifra region worth $ 3 million as part of a partnership between USAID, GiveDirectly, INDH and the Wilaya of the region, Klaits indicated that this project aims to support small cooperatives, especially women-led ones, and should benefit 11,000 people, the vast majority of them are women.

The objective of the Cooperative Support Program is to mitigate the negative consequences of the novel Coronavirus pandemic on the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region, Klaits said, expressing his happiness that this program will benefit a total of 250 cooperatives in the mountainous provinces of Azilal, Béni Mellal and Khenifra.

The USAID has a major partner in this project, namely GiveDirectly, he explained, noting that the organization collects financial resources from donors to distribute them directly to beneficiaries.

In the Beni Mellal-Khénifra region, the USAID will contribute with $ 1.5 million to this program while GiveDirectly will match it, said Klaits, recalling that the United States recently granted Morocco, in the context of of Covid-19, some $ 11 million to support the health sector, in particular laboratories.