The United States’ “All-of-America” Effort to Support Chile’s Response to Coronavirus
Updated September 3, 2021
For decades, the United States has been a historic and trusted partner to Chile on disaster relief, including during the current pandemic. All sectors of the United States are joining to assist the people of Chile through government support, private sector donations, and innovations from scientists and universities.
U.S. GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
The United States is working with our partners in Chile to respond to the most urgent needs in local communities. To date, the U.S. government has donated approximately $1.8 million in support that has been delivered to the following humanitarian initiatives:
Donation of field hospitals, personal protection equipment, food supplies and hygiene
- The United States government delivered two field hospitals, with forty beds each, totaling USD$1,085,000. Each hospital is equipped with an electric generator, air conditioning and a network of drinking water supplies. In addition, each hospital will be equipped with eight state-of-the-art mechanical ventilators.
- Through the U.S. Southern Command’s Humanitarian Assistance Program, the U.S. government has donated eight state-of-the-art ventilators for USD$133 thousand, one of which was destined to Rapa Nui and the other seven to the Metropolitan region. It also provided $67,000 in masks, supplies, cleaning and hygiene products, and other supplies to vulnerable populations.
- The USAID Office of Humanitarian Affairs has provided approximately USD$98,000 to local organizations:
- $10,000 to Bomberos de Chile for the purchase of eleven ozone cannons to sanitize equipment.
- $10,000 to Desafío Levantemos Chile, for the delivery of approximately one- thousand boxes of cleaning and hygiene products for vulnerable populations.
- $10,000 to the Adventist Aid Agency (ADRA) for the delivery of 365 hygiene and cleaning kits to outlying populations in Santiago.
- $10,000 to Caritas for the purchase of disposable plastic gowns for the Padre Hurtado Hospital.
- $10,000 to Caritas for the purchase of hygiene and cleaning items destined to peripheral communities in the Maule, Biobío and Araucanía regions.
- $10,000 to Caritas in hygiene and cleaning products and personal protection gear for the elaboration of food products for community pots for the Municipality of Cerro Navia.
- $8,515 to the Municipality of Curepto in the Maule Region for the purchase and distribution of personal protection gear.
- $10,000 to World Vision Chile for the purchase of 400 personal protection and hygiene kits for children from vulnerable communities in Cerro Navia, Temuco, Lota, Coronel, and Arica.
- $10,000 to ADRA for the purchase of 296 hygiene kits for families living in vulnerable conditions in the Ñuble Region.
- $10,000 to the Salvation Army for the purchase of hygiene kits for Haitian families in Santiago and to the Men’s Home that the organization maintains in Valparaíso.
Science and Research Funding – The U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research provided USD$500,000 to a team of Chilean researchers to develop models to study the evolution and spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Support for refugees – The U.S. government has allocated USD$20,000 in humanitarian assistance to support the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) response efforts to Covid-19 to aid refugees and host communities in Chile. It is also strengthening its support of the regional response plan for migrants and refugees with a contribution of USD$40,000 for water, sanitation and hygiene programs, coordinated in Chile by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Citizen Repatriation – Our governments worked closely with Delta Airlines and U.S. non-governmental organizations to facilitate charter flights to repatriate Chilean citizens in the United States and our nationals in Chile, and to facilitate medical care for Chileans on cruise ships that disembarked in U.S. ports. We are grateful for the support of the Foreign Ministry in the repatriation of over one thousand U.S. citizens.
Contributions to initiatives related to Covid-19: The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy has allocated $100,000 of its competitive funds for programs developed by alumni of State Department programs that are related to the impact of Covid-19.
PRIVATE SECTOR SUPPORT
U.S. companies and those that are on the Chilean American Chamber of Commerce have developed numerous initiatives to help Chileans, including the following:
Medical supplies and personal protection items
- The UnitedHealth Group, through Empresas Banmédica, donated $1 million dollars to Fundación Chile and Desafío Levantemos Chile for the purchase of medical supplies for the care of people in public hospitals, homes for the elderly and other vulnerable groups.
- Freeport McMoran donated to the Calama Hospital the equivalent of USD$285,000, corresponding to the delivery of three mechanical ventilators, an ambulance and personal protection gear for the entire community. Part of this amount was allotted to the distribution of food boxes for indigenous communities of Alto del Loa.
- The Pfizer Foundation, which belongs to Pfizer Laboratories in Chile, donated USD$100,000 to the Chilean Red Cross to help patients.
Complementary Contributions for Humanitarian Assistance – Prime Energía, Albemarle and Cerro Dominador have made contributions of over USD$10,000 to complement U.S. government humanitarian assistance through the Southern Command Humanitarian Assistance Program.
PCR Laboratory equipment – Cargill Chile donated to the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Concepción equipment for the detection of SARS-CoV 2 coronavirus and PCR equipment with the capacity to process up to 400 samples per day and to deliver results within three to four hours.
Cleaning Kits – Procter and Gamble and Clorox are distributing cleaning and sanitation kits through local NGOs, free of charge.
Food
- Walmart Chile has donated food to vulnerable families. Starbucks, Burger King, Domino’s Pizza and McDonald´s have delivered food for medical personnel in several health facilities.
- Families from the Nido de Aguilas School have collected $14.7 million pesos for the purchase and distribution of food boxes for vulnerable families in the community of Lo Barnechea.
Vehicles – Chevrolet donated to the Municipality of Puente Alto a fleet of eight vehicles to transport physicians and psychologists to homes for the elderly. Ford has provided five vehicles to the Red Cross for logistical support and the transfer of volunteers to areas of greatest need.
Software – Cisco is offering small and medium size entrepreneurs free access to its telework software products.
Clothing – Nike, a company of sporting goods and apparel, donated clothing to the Red Cross for distribution to people in their shelters.
Scientific Research – Lockheed Martin donated 15 thousand dollars to the Chilean company DTS (Desarrollo de Tecnologías y Sistemas), a subsidiary of ENAER, to develop mechanical ventilators. The donation is a contribution to the Neyün Project, which is part of the public-private initiative “A Breath for Chile”, supported by the government of Chile.
Support from the academic and scientific sector – The U.S. academic community has contributed with its resources to provide solutions that help Chile face Covid-19:
- Emergency Mechanical Ventilators – The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) worked with the U.S. Embassy and the government of Chile to send two prototype mechanical ventilators from the United States for local testing
Support from civil society
- The U.S. Air Force coordinated the transport of a donation from U.S. non-profit organization Project Hope, which delivered 87,140 personal protection items for the value of USD$143,238 dollars. The contribution was transported by a C-130 Hercules aircraft and included KN95 masks, Uniflex face shields, hand sanitizers, and non-surgical gowns, among other elements. Part of the donation was delivered to the National Council for the Protection of the Elderly (CONAPRAN) and another to the Metropolitan Regional Ministerial Secretariat (SEREMI) of the Undersecretary of Health.
- The U.S. non-profit organization World Hope International sent a donation of close to US$100,000, including 100 pulse oximeters, 170 digital thermometers, 60 blood pressure monitors, 43,200 three-fold masks, 15,000 face shields, 100 boxes of disposable gloves with 10,000 units each, 4,470 disposable pecheras, 28,800 personal protection kits, which were delivered to the Ministry of Health for distribution to first responders and health residences. Another 14,400 KN95 masks, the same number of three-fold masks, 500 boxes of disposable gloves, and 14,400 protection kits were delivered to the Ministry of Defense for distribution to first responders. This contribution was made possible through the good offices of U.S. Department of Defense personnel in the Office of Security Cooperation at the U.S. Embassy in Chile and the Texas Air National Guard, as well as the Chilean Air Force, which facilitated the transfer in a Hercules C-130 aircraft.
- In a second donation, also aboard another Hercules C-130, World Hope sent a shipment of personal protection items worth close to US$32,000, which this time went to CONAPRAN.
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