EXCLUSIVE — US agrees one — year deal to fund maternal and newborn health donations in poorest countries

Deal covers procurement and delivery of maternal, newborn and nutrition supplies to at least 15 countries for one year UNICEF will take on the US-funded programme, State department says But shortages already an issue in countries like Congo after more than a year of disruption By Ammu Kannampilly, Jennifer Rigby and Victoire Mukenge NAIROBI/LONDON/NYANGEZI, Democratic Republic of Congo, Oct 16 (Reuters) — T he US government has struck a deal to continue supplying some of the world's poorest nations with free life-saving medication and equipment for mothers, infants and young children, after months of uncertainty and challenges with supply. The UN children's agency UNICEF will now procure these items, a State department spokesperson told Reuters by email, without giving details of the arrangement. UNICEF said the agreement is worth $25 million and will last for one year. That sum represents only a small part of the aid affected by the Trump administration's cuts and dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). But it means that some of the world's most vulnerable nations will not face another abrupt disruption to supplies they relied on while they work on new