Field hospitals, ambulances, ventilators, masks and even personnel are among the hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of assistance the U.S. has recently diverted to African nations in their fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

VOA’s Anita Powell spoke exclusively with Assistant Secretary of State Clarke Cooper of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs about how U.S. peacekeeping operations are finding creative ways to empower African nations to fight the virus.

As the African continent girds itself for what experts say is an inevitable tide of coronavirus cases, the U.S. government is trying to find creative ways to quickly render assistance.

“There's medical equipment that has been applied, as well as training, delivered to partners like Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda for participation in international peacekeeping," said Assistant Secretary of State Clarke Cooper, of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

And in South Africa, the continent’s viral hot spot, the U.S. government recently donated nearly 730,000 protective masks for health workers, as well as about 1,000 ventilators.