Transforming Lives

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.

In Bangalore, India’s information technology hub, 72 percent of the drinking water is contaminated and a majority of the population does not have access to clean drinking water facilities.

In the highlands of Ethiopia, malnutrition affects 44 percent of children under 5, and as many as 81 percent of all cases of child undernutrition go untreated.

In the highlands of Amhara, Ethiopia, nearly 700 kilometers from the country’s capital, families often do not know where their next meal is coming from. In the drought-prone region of northeastern Amhara, households have difficulty accessing basic necessities of food and water due to extreme topography and scarce water resources.

The training had a dramatic impact on Abbasi and her work. With three years of experience working at the hospital, she not only had her salary raised, but the program improved her work environment.

Sanam Rahmani, a young Afghan mother with a 1-year-old son, was studying in a two-year teacher training program to teach Uzbek literature at local schools in rural northern Faryab province.

Dr. Nangialay Ghows Alami used to spend too much time explaining administrative workings to his staff—employees of the Afghan Swiss Medical Institute of Higher Education.

January 2016—Albertina Luís is a community radio journalist in northern Mozambique where, recently, the number of cases of sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls has risen. Despite this trend, survivor reporting rates remain very low due to fear of retaliation and ignorance of survivor rights.

Nurses in Angola recently discovered a novel way to remember the right combination of drugs to treat HIV. They substituted the lyrics to Frere Jacques, the well-known children’s nursery rhyme, with lyrics pertaining to administration of the medication. Newly trained health workers are now helping more pregnant women living with HIV in rural areas to get the treatment they need.

Sheer Mohammad had been looking for a job for a long time. But he didn’t have any skills, so he felt forced to cultivate illegal crops and work in poppy fields in Kandahar, Afghanistan, to support his family.

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