The U.S. government announced a third tranche of new funding today to address the immediate needs of people hardest hit by the economic crisis in Sri Lanka. 

The humanitarian assistance is of US $5.75 million. It will provide cash assistance, short-term jobs, and agriculture supplies such as seeds directly to crisis-affected people to meet their basic needs, the US Embassy in Colombo said.

The new grant funding is through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and builds on last week’s announcement of US US $6 million in grants through USAID and US $120M in new loans through the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to meet the needs of Sri Lankans during the economic crisis.

“The new assistance that we’re announcing today will address some of those complex issues.  We are working hard to ensure that these funds directly reach the Sri Lankans who have been most severely affected by this crisis,” said U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung in a statement released today.