The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced three new partnerships to mobilize skilled volunteers in support of growing women-owned businesses, supporting youth entrepreneurship, and promoting conservation around the world. The partnerships will deploy skilled volunteers on long-term and short-term assignments to provide business services and training.

USAID has awarded cooperative agreements to Ethical Apparel Africa in the Republic of Ghana and Junior Achievement Worldwide for activities in the Republic of Ecuador and the Dominican Republic to help grow enterprises managed and led by women with tailored business services and leadership training, and to connect women leaders to professional networks. These activities will help remove barriers that prevent female entrepreneurs from growing businesses, such as lack of technical expertise to achieve international standards and insufficient market linkages. USAID also made an award to the Conservation Council of Nations, whose International Conservation Corps will deploy retired employees of the U.S. Forest Service and similar U.S. Government Departments and Agencies to help their counterparts strengthen the management of protected areas in Mongolia, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of Colombia, Peru, and Kenya.

USAID made these awards under the Volunteers for International Security and Prosperity Annual Program Statement (VISP APS) and the Women's Economic Empowerment (WE3) addendum. In late 2017, USAID launched VISP, a next-generation partnership opportunity focused on deploying skilled volunteers across development sectors.

For more information:

• Volunteers for International Security and Prosperity (VISP)
• Ethical Apparel Africa
• Junior Achievement Worldwide
• International Conservation Corps