Speeches Shim
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.
Civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is demanding integrity and responsibility from the government. That says a lot for a country where citizens in yearly surveys rank corruption as one of the biggest problems in the country while expressing the belief that they cannot do anything to stop it.
Health care professionals and the general public perceive the need for human capital investment and skills development in the Afghan medical sector; investment into the sector is needed as is the availability of qualified staff proficient in the use of medical technology. Internships provided through USAID Promote: Women in the Economy (WIE) are giving Afghan women the work experience they need to find jobs in the healthcare sector.
Managing a national electric utility in a poor, unstable country such as Afghanistan is challenging on many fronts, not the least of which is maintaining financial records. The utility Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), established in 2008, had been processing all financial records by-hand. Consequently, annual financial audits contained serious disclaimers, DABS was late paying employees and filing taxes, and donors were hesitant to disburse money through DABS’ financial systems.
“The dream I have for my future, is to run my own fashion production company, where we create our own clothing designs,” twenty-two-year-old Mahsuma Sultani Jawana graduate said.
Under the USAID Strengthening Education in Afghanistan Phase II project, 220 girls schools across Afghanistan have been equipped with solar panel technology to help provide electricity to enable better teaching and learning – including the Abubakar Sidiq Girls High School.
Abdul Khaliq, 27, lives in a small house with his family in Laghman province. Khaliq is a double amputee; however, unlike most of the estimated 43,528 amputees in Afghanistan, he is able to grasp objects and perform routine daily tasks through the use of an electric hand provided to him through USAID’s Afghan Civilian Assistance Program (ACAP III).
As Mutua Kaite walks along the terraces of his 4-acre farm in southeastern Kenya, he points to the bounty of growing crops. Five years ago, the land was dry and Kaite’s crops suffered.
Even in a computer’s voice, the story being recited loudly over the speakers is so engrossing that 13-year-old Khushiya hasn’t bothered to blink in the last 20 seconds. In a classroom at Vejalpur Primary School in the western Indian state of Gujarat, sit about 30 students with their eyes locked on the monitor displaying the text of a story about a tree and its leaves. English is not their first language but as the computer narrates, the children repeat each word with near perfect pronunciation.
In Rwanda’s southern province, Beatrice Mukayuhi’s family was living in despair. Both Mukayuhi and her husband, Anicet Kamana, who have six children, were HIV-positive, and caught in a downward spiral of poverty, declining health, and self-loathing.
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