PHNOM PENH – The United States has promised $12 million in new funding to support Cambodian demining efforts and an additional $5 million to boost health security.

The aid was announced on October 22 by Samantha Power, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), at the start of a two-day visit.

The money will support a range of demining activities, including landmine clearance and risk education for local communities, USAID said. The latest contribution would help save lives and create a safer, healthier Cambodia.

Power also pledged financial support for a new five-year program to bolster Cambodia’s fight against tuberculosis (TB) through USAID’s Community Mobilization Initiatives to End Tuberculosis 2 (COMMIT 2) program, with $4 million in the first year.

KHANA, the Khmer HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance, will be tasked with implementing the program, becoming the first Cambodian organization to receive one of USAID’s largest direct local awards.

“This partnership will accelerate active case finding by working in and with local communities to improve TB screening and diagnosis, digitally report TB cases and increase access to TB preventive therapy,” USAID said.

Another $1 million will be provided to support the partnership between UNICEF and the government through the launch of a first-of-its-kind national survey to evaluate the levels of heavy metals like lead and arsenic in children, pregnant women, the environment and in products.

This would help Cambodia make evidence-based decisions to develop policies, standards and regulations around heavy metals so that people can live healthier, more productive lives.

As the first USAID chief to visit Cambodia, Power said helping the country improve health security is integral to the US Indo-Pacific strategy.

“We know that we are all safer when infectious diseases, like TB, are less prevalent, and we are all stronger when there is equitable access to healthcare,” she said.