Every day, all over the world, USAID brings peace to those who endure violence, health to those who struggle with sickness, and prosperity to those who live in poverty. It is these individuals — these uncounted thousands of lives — that are the true measure of USAID’s successes and the true face of USAID's programs.
Birdwatchers from around the world have their eyes on Afghanistan. In early 2010, researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) working on USAID’s Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resource Management project discovered the breeding area of the rare large-billed reed warbler. Dubbed the world’s least known bird species, the warbler was found in the remote and rugged Wakhan Corridor of the Pamir Mountains in northeastern Afghanistan. Within days of the announcement, organizations interested in bringing birdwatchers to the area were contacting WCS.
Afghanistan’s long-term economic development relies on well-educated young people with the skills to open new businesses and manage existing firms. Building a qualified Afghan workforce, particularly at the managerial level, is crucial to the country’s economic growth. The U.S. Government is helping to develop a strong Afghan workforce through internships and professional training for the next generation of business leaders.
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the country’s private sector have been struggling for decades to improve the livelihoods of the Afghan people. The lack of quality information on soils and other agriculture indicators has been a major constraint on development.
With a student body of more than 250 children drawn from four villages, Aloku School is the largest and most important primary school in Kandahar’s Dand district. However, parents had become increasingly reluctant to send their children to school because of poor security and deteriorating facilities. With a grant from USAID’s Local Governance and Community Development (LGCD) project, these children are now returning to school.
Consumers in Europe will soon be savoring the sweet taste of Afghanistan. The United Kingdom’s leading pomegranate juice company recently agreed to a pioneering deal worth nearly $4.5 million with Afghanistan’s first juice concentrate facility. Pomegreat became the first international company to purchase juice concentrate from Afghanistan, committing to import a minimum of 500 tons of pomegranate concentrate and 500 tons of fresh fruit from Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Facility, a state-of-the-art facility established with the support of USAID.
Shortly after an indiscriminate rocket attack killed 53 civilians in the Tagab district of Kapisa province, the U.S. Government stepped in to help survivors. USAID partnered with the district government and the Kapisa Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) to offer condolences to the victims' families and provide them with much-needed humanitarian assistance to sustain them through the winter season.
Women are a growing force in the Afghan workplace. To advance the role of women in society, the U.S. Government supports women entering into the science and engineering fields. Female engineers in Afghanistan are strong pioneers who have broken through gender stereotypes to contribute to their country’s development.
Only a month after the end of Operation Moshtarak, newly appointed Marja District Governor Hajji Zaher has already held the first in a series of meetings with local elders on USAID’s Afghanistan Vouchers for Increased Production in Agriculture (AVIPA) Plus program, explaining the benefits and responsibilities that come with it.
Afghanistan suffers from one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world – currently, one in six women dies during childbirth. To protect mothers and improve the health of their children, USAID is working with Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health to rebuild the country’s midwifery workforce. The national midwifery program prepares competent and qualified midwives to work in underserved areas across the country.
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