Transforming Lives

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.

Potatoes are Afghanistan’s third most consumed crop, and about 50 percent of the potatoes are imported from Pakistan. The potatoes are grown primarily in the highlands, which excludes the province of Jawzjan. Farmers in Jawzjan are interested in growing potatoes, but they’re unwilling to experiment, in part because of their belief that potatoes need a lot of water, something in short supply in Jawzjan, where average annual rainfall is only 230 mm.

Kada je porodica Tauljanta Redžepija na Kosovu kupila novoprivatizovanu fabriku radijatora 2012. godine, njihov prvenstveni cilj je bio smanjenje potrebe za uvozom u novonastaloj zemlji i eventualno zadovoljavanje rastuće domaće potražnje za pećima na biomasu.

Kur familja e Taulant Rexhepit në Kosovë bleu ndërmarrjen a sapoprivatizuar të radiatorëve, qëllimi parësor i tyre ishte zvogëlimi i nevojës për import në vendin e ri dhe, mundësisht, përmbushja e kërkesës në rritje për stufa me biomasë. Tre vjet më vonë, kompania e tyre Enrad, tejkaloi të gjitha pritshmëritë në tregun vendor, prandaj ata drejtuan shikimin përtej kufirit.

But Mugabekazi’s life took a turn when she was identified by a USAID program that reached out to over 3,700 female sex workers in Rwanda. The program provided the training Mugabekazi needed to become a community health and financial leader. She learned how to teach her peers about family and financial planning, reproductive health, nutrition and more.

Every morning, Andrei Copaci, a 13-year old boy from Chisinau, Moldova, starts his day by programming a robot. At breakfast, he trains it to pass the vegetables or to solve a Rubik’s Cube. For his school and community, he has built and programmed robots to perform energy-efficient tasks such as turning lights on and off.

Villagers in this multiethnic and mountainous corner of southern Kosovo still gift garden-grown blossoms to friends and neighbors. Increasingly, however, women farmers are growing, processing and selling the flowers to aggregators for export to Europe. As a result of the sales, women farmers in this heavily rural region receive much welcomed additional income.

Ervehe Tushe është e verbër, si pasojë e një aksidenti në moshën e fëmijërisë.  Pas studimeve të larta, teksa nuk dinte se ç’do të bëhej me jetën e saj dhe me çfarë do të merrej, në vitin 2012, Tushe ndjek disa seanca këshillimi (coaching), të specializuara për punëkërkues me aftësi të kufizuara. Ajo është një nga 482 personat përfitues nga programi i mbështetur nga USAID dhe i zbatuar nga Fondacioni Shqiptar për të Drejtat e Personave me Aftësi të Kufizuara (FShDPAK). 

In Samburu County in northern Kenya, Josephine Lempirikany, a 50-year-old mother of six, remembers when food distributions were unreliable. Her family went hungry and she was unable to pay her children’s secondary school fees because she spent all her income on what food she could afford. But now, they have a consistent supply of food and her children are healthier and able to stay in school.

Ageleh Al Jmeidi is in many ways the matriarch of the site that has become home to a USAID project that helps train local community members in archaeological conservation and preservation, with the ultimate aim of providing sustainable economic opportunities.

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