More than 20,000 people in healthcare and social welfare institutions will receive food supplies

Today, 15 August, the United States delivered 75 tonnes of American-produced food to Kyrgyzstan, worth nearly 22.4 million som. The delivery, made possible by the U.S.-funded International Food Assistance Partnership (IFRP), includes nutritious vegetable and legume blends for distribution to health and social welfare institutions, as well as households in need.

At a ceremony at the National Tuberculosis Centre, US Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Leslie Viger noted the delivery of the food and presented a certificate to the Ministry of Health. Those present watched a demonstration of how kitchen workers use the legume mix to prepare soup, pilaf and samsa.

The food will reach more than 20,000 of the country's most vulnerable citizens in more than 80 health and social welfare facilities, long-term care facilities for patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), orphanages and psychiatric institutions.

«The International Food Assistance Partnership demonstrates how governments, non-profit organisations and American industry can work together to help those in need», — said Ambassador Vigerie.

IFRP is a U.S. government programme that supports the production, transport, delivery and distribution of fortified, pre-packaged, long-life food products by U.S. non-profit and international organisations. Each package includes dried carrots, onions, rice and lentils.

The governments of the two countries, the Kyrgyz organisation Ergen and the American non-profit organisation Resource and Policy Exchange worked together to deliver the food. Since 2006, the IFRP has delivered 1,000 tonnes of food worth more than $3.6 million to Kyrgyzstan as part of foreign aid.