On September 15 low-income families across Kazakhstan received 45 thousand medical kits, including personal protective equipment, thermometers, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The initiative is aimed at reducing the economic burden associated with the need for prevention, diagnosis and symptomatic treatment of infections caused by COVID-19.

This activity is a part of the implementation of a joint project on emergency response to COVID-19 of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Government of Kazakhstan. The initiative was made possible thanks to a US $3 million grant from the Asia-Pacific Disaster Response Fund (APDRF) at ADB, funded by the Government of Japan.

Earlier this year, 145 thousand first-aid kits have already been purchased and successfully delivered to local authorities for further delivery to low-income families throughout Kazakhstan.

The purchase of these 45 thousand first aid kits was made possible thanks to financial support of ADB and UNDP’s support in procurement, which helped save funds of the project.

The implementation of this project is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goal 3 to ensure healthy lifestyles and promote well-being at all ages, and their key principle of “leaving no one behind”.