WASHINGTON, D.C. - I am thrilled that USAID's Ebola Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) has been selected as a Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal recipient in the National Security and International Affairs category.  

One of eight award recipients selected from a pool of nearly 500 nominees, the Ebola DART-represented by the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA)-was honored for its efforts in West Africa leading the U.S. Government response to the worst Ebola outbreak in history.

Working closely with USAID's Global Health, Africa, and Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) bureaus, the USAID Global Development Lab, plus the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. military, the U.S. Public Health Service, and U.S. embassies and USAID offices in the affected countries, not to mention all of the people of those countries, the DART helped turn the tide on Ebola, working quickly to save lives and prevent the spread of this devastating disease.

Together, we have trained health care workers, airlifted medical supplies, supported safe burials, built Ebola treatment centers, strengthened emergency operations centers, and launched education campaigns to teach communities about the disease. While the DART continues its fight against Ebola, we are also working to build capacity in the region to prevent, detect, and respond to future Ebola outbreaks before they become epidemics.  

This award rightly recognizes the selfless service, courage, and dedication of hundreds of committed men and women who dropped everything to go to West Africa and save lives. It also highlights how we can tackle seemingly insurmountable challenges with bold leadership and genuine collaboration. The response to Ebola was - and continues to be - a massive team effort involving civil society, the private sector, NGOs, and governments in West Africa and across the globe. The American people can be justifiably proud of their support to this crisis, and the work of thousands of United States government employees, including the DART team.

I am also pleased that two other USAID nominees were named finalists. Rob Thayer and the Syria emergency food assistance team from the Office of Food for Peace were recognized for their game-changing efforts to provide emergency food assistance to the millions of people affected by the ongoing crisis in Syria. Additionally, Natasha de Marcken from the Office of Education was named a finalist for spearheading a new education strategy to prioritize early grade learning and help reach the 250 million children around the world who are unable to read.

USAID is honored its employees are receiving recognition for this important work. As we continue to partner to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies, we remain focused on delivering real, transformational results on behalf of the American people.