http://www.usaid.gov/stories/ Recent Success Stories from USAID. http://www.usaid.gov/images/main/usaid_logo_new.jpg http://www.usaid.gov en-us http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification webmaster@info.usaid.gov webmaster@info.usaid.gov http://www.usaid.gov/stories/djibouti/s_dj_trainingprogram.html http://www.usaid.gov/stories/djibouti/s_dj_trainingprogram.html Djibouti Oumalkaire Omar Djama is a dynamic and passionate 22-year-old woman from the district of Arta in the Republic of Djibouti who has made the journey from a hopeless, out-of-school youth to a successful truck driver and supervisor at one of the coun-try's largest private construction companies.Tue, 07 Feb 2011 09:00:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/philippines/s_ph_students.html http://www.usaid.gov/stories/philippines/s_ph_students.html Philippines Manana mang jigsaw kami," (Tomorrow we will do jigsaw puzzles), a grade school student from Santa Maria Central School in Zamboanga City, southern Philippines, brags to a fellow student. In this school, students are excited to attend classes and digest new lessons. The excitement stems from a successful teacher training project between USAID and the Philippine Department of Education that has made this school the top central school in this city for the past three years.Wed, 25 Jan 2011 14:30:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/haiti/s_ht_champprogram.html http://www.usaid.gov/stories/haiti/s_ht_champprogram.html Haiti Ketia Jean Juste is 16. She lives with her father in the South Department of Haiti. A maternal orphan and the youngest member of her family, she has been struggling to attend school. The cost of education in Haiti is low compared to some countries; but still, 70 percent of Haitians live on less than $2 a day. Ketia's father is at the mercy of these harsh economic conditions. Even temporary work is scarce and economic security is rare. Food is vital. Education is important, but often secondary. Ketia does not have the income to support her school fees.Fri, 13 Jan 2011 14:30:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/madagascar/ba_mz_water.html http://www.usaid.gov/stories/madagascar/ba_mz_water.html MozambiqueRural areas of Mozambique suffer from poor access to life's most fundamental resource: clean water. USAID has developed a comprehensive approach to increasing rural access to clean water while building capacity of locals to maintain wells into the future. Tue, 10 Jan 2011 09:00:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/jordan/fp_jo_young_designer.html http://www.usaid.gov/stories/jordan/fp_jo_young_designer.html JordanLike so many young people in Jordan and around the world, Murad Al Zaghal was in need of opportunities to express his creative voice in a way that contributed to his personal growth. By participating in USAID's International Youth Day 2011, 19-year-old Al Zaghal got a boost to his confidence and abilities while pursuing his passion for design.Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:00:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/easttimor/cs_tl_student.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/stories/easttimor/cs_tl_student.html Timor-LesteAlmost all of Timor-Leste's rural population depends on agriculture. For the country's large youth population, the sector represents great opportunity. Although agricultural technical schools are not a new industry in Timor-Leste, developing the specific business training within these schools for budding entrepreneurs is a new and exciting facet.Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:00:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/s_af_women_initiatives.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/s_af_women_initiatives.html AfghanistanFor a small Balkan country that just 20 years ago was completely closed to foreigners, Albania has come a long way to overcome its isolation, building both infrastructure and a reputation for hospitality that has grown a burgeoning travel industry. In fact, Lonely Planet travel guides currently list Albania as one of this year's top 10 travel and tourism destinations in the worldMon, 11 Nov 2011 14:30:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/kosovo/s_ko_daycare.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/kosovo/s_ko_daycare.html Kosovo As women join the workforce in Kosovo, there is an increasing need for quality daycare. BAMBI, which opened in April 2010, is the first privately-owned daycare center in Kosovo's Gllogovc/Gllogovac municipality, which has a population of 74,000. Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:30:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/egypt/s_eg_dirt_road.html http://www.usaid.gov/stories/egypt/s_eg_dirt_road.html Egypt Often impassable during winter months, Nasrallah Road in Abu Hommos District of Beheira Governorate was the only option for many citizens of Berket Ghittas Village to reach neighboring communities, schools, markets, the workplace, and health services. Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:30:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/cs_zm_female_condom.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/cs_zm_female_condom.html Zimbabwe Until recently, female condom distributors in Zimbabwe received female condoms in cartons of 1,000. Delivering the goods to individual clinics was a painstaking exercise because teams had to count out product in quantities ranging from 20 to 12,000 per delivery. Moreover, a single delivery round could last up to 20 working days and cover two or three districts, making it difficult to deliver the right quantity to the right place. Not surprisingly, teams sometimes skipped the counting process to save time, choosing to rely on estimated counts. In addition, all the handling meant that some condom packets became soiled and went to waste. Zimbabwe needed to figure out a way to make its deliveries more accurate, avoid wasting product through over handling, and improve record keeping for its female condom program, which is a vital part of USAID's reproductive health and HIV/AIDs program. Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:30:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/kosovo/s_ko_career_center.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/kosovo/s_ko_career_center.html Kosovo Kosovo is the youngest European nation; it also has Europe's highest percentage of young. Approximately 60 percent of the population is under 27. These facts pose a stability challenge, and are worsened by an unemployment rate of approximately 75 percent.Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:30:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/s_af_womens_associations.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/s_af_womens_associations.html Afghanistan In January 2005, a majority of Afghan civil society organizations lacked the capacity to design quality projects and proposals or professionally liaise with donors. The Afghan Women's Educa-tional Center is an example: although it had been in operation for 15 years, it was still managed like a new organization. There were no clear reporting lines and no long-term strategic planning to guide its activities. As a result, the center was implementing approximately five projects annually with an operating budget of $500,000.Tue, 31 May 2011 10:15:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/s_zw_homestead_gardening.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/s_zw_homestead_gardening.html Zimbabwe Every morning, 56-year-old Abby Ncube of the Matobo district in Zimbabwe spends at least an hour in her garden before doing household chores. Her homestead garden has become a source of livelihood for her family of 11; they get nutritious veg-etables for every meal and are able to sell a surplus, meeting some basic household needs.Tue, 31 May 2011 10:15:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/somalia/s_so_financial_literacy.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/somalia/s_so_financial_literacy.html SomaliaAs many Somali youth are learning, being good at arithmetic is not the same as knowing how to manage a household or run a business. That is one of the messages of a new Somalia soap opera, dubbed Fire and Gold, launched in February, 2011.THur, 19 May 2011 4:15:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/azerbaijan/s_az_feed_mill.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/azerbaijan/s_az_feed_mill.html AzerbaijanHamid Mikayilov owns Girkhbulag Trout Farm, located just outside the city of Sheki, in rural Azerbaijan. Over 40 percent of the country's population makes its livelihood from agribusiness, yet agriculture comprises only 6 percent of its GDP.Mon, 02 May 2011 3:30:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/macedonia/s_mkd_grandma.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/macedonia/s_mkd_grandma.html MacedoniaA group of USAID-trained teachers from Macedonia won the European Grand Prix, part of Microsoft Corp.'s Innovative Education Forum held March 21-25, 2011, in Moscow. For the winning project, Grandma's Games, teachers from five schools collaborated to introduce today's youth to forgotten games their grandparents played.Thu, 28 Apr 2011 2:30:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/s_af_rural_road_project.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/s_af_rural_road_project.html AfghanistanLocated on the border of one of Afghanistan's most insecure areas, Bakwa District in Farah Province has seen little development aid. Coalition forces and USAID have identified Bakwa as an area in need of stability initiatives because insurgents are using it as a safe area. In response to this need, USAID has worked with the local community to implement a small-scale community roads project. This has connected Bakwa residents with government-delivered services, demonstrating the Afghan Government's ability to respond to their needs. Wed, 20 Apr 2011 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/tajikistan/s_tj_potato_seeds.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/tajikistan/s_tj_potato_seeds.html TajikistanSaodat Shabonova and her husband were astounded by the harvest: each potato plant produced 44 tubers. Shabonova is an agriculture volunteer in the mountainous village of Kul, in eastern Tajikistan for a program funded by USAID and implemented by Mercy Corps. She is 36 years old and lives with her five children and husband. The family has less than one half acre of land and they grow potatoes mainly, as do most people in the area. In Tajikistan, three-quarters of the population live in rural areas. Thur, 06 Apr 2011 12:50:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/kyrgyzstan/s_kg_health_resources.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/kyrgyzstan/s_kg_health_resources.html KyrgyzstanMuhabbat almost didn't take the job offer. Her daughter, Shahnoza, had originally agreed to be the health outreach worker with a USAID-sponsored program for internally displaced persons in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. Thur, 06 Apr 2011 12:50:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/guatemala/s_gt_educate_communities.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/guatemala/s_gt_educate_communities.html Guatemala"We are bridges; we build bridges for a better future," says Gladys Marisol Soto. She is 29, a mother of two: 3-year-old Selvin David and 11-month-old Joshua. As a housewife from a rural community in Pedro Jocopilas, on the South Coast of Guatemala, Gladys received a visit at her home from a USAID-sponsored community facilitator. He invited her to join a training program for mothers.Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:05:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/burundi/burundi/fp_bi_malaria.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/burundi/burundi/fp_bi_malaria.html BurundiMy name is Genevieve Ndagijimana. I am 34 years old and live with my husband, our four children and my late brother's two children in Muzinda, a small town near Burundi's capital Bu-jumbura. Muzinda is a flat open plain that allows us to grow the rice that is our staple food.Thur, 17 Mar 2011 15:10:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/burundi/s_bi_coffee.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/burundi/s_bi_coffee.html BurundiCoffee accounts for roughly 80 percent of Burundi's export earnings as nearly 800,000 rural families make their living from the crop. Most of Burundi's coffee washing stations process coffee cherry without the necessary environmental controls to receive specialty certifications like Utz, Starbucks, and Rainforest Alliance. Implementing the environmental controls to attain this level of certification is important for environmental stewardship. It is equally crucial for the farmers. Certification allows their coffee to access international markets and better prices.Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:30:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/tajikistan/s_tj_womens_fund.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/tajikistan/s_tj_womens_fund.html TajikistanA few pennies per month may mean the difference between life and death for a woman in the mountainous villages of Tajikistan. There, in such isolation, USAID and partner Mercy Corps have been helping mothers prepare for worst-case scenarios since 2009.Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:30:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/burundi/s_bu_women_fightcorruption.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/burundi/s_bu_women_fightcorruption.html BurundiWhen it comes to civic involvement, Burundian women represent an untapped resource at a time when the country needs improved leadership at all levels of government and civil society. To fill this void, in 2009, USAID stepped forward to train more than 170 women leaders in Burundi, including parliamentarians and representatives of civil society.Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:30:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/mali/s_ml_family_planning.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/mali/s_ml_family_planning.html MaliKadia Bagayogo is a 39 year-old woman who lives in the working class neighborhood of Bamako, in Mali. She was married to Seyba Fane when she was only 14 years old. Since then, Kadia has been pregnant 11 times, with two sets of twins and one miscarriage. The couple rents a room where they live with their surviving nine children Seyba works as a chauffeur but is currently unemployed. Kadia, in addition to her role as a housewife, sells charcoal to earn extra money. Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:20:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/mozambique/s_mz_farming.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/mozambique/s_mz_farming.html MozambiqueIn rural Mozambique, many farmers work on such small plots that generate so little income that they often suffer from high levels of poverty, poor nutrition and are food insecure. In Mozambique's Manica Province, USAID is helping small-scale farmers shift from individual, small plots located far away from one another to more organized farming closer together, known as block farming. Thur, 17 Feb 2011 11:31:30 -0500

Zimbabwe: Small Growers Gain from the "Business of Farming"

http://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/s_zm_market.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/s_zm_market.html ZimbabweEdmond Munengiwa was always a successful farmer, but he jumped at the chance to get USAID-sponsored "farming-as-a-business" training and to gain access to buyers through USAID's partner on the initiative, the Cooperative League of the United States of America (CLUSA). Thur, 17 Feb 2011 11:31:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/azerbaijan/cs_az_antimoney.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/azerbaijan/cs_az_antimoney.html AzerbaijanThe Central Bank of Azerbaijan is working hard to modernize the country's financial sector. In 2009, an important milestone was achieved when USAID assisted it in drafting legislation that met international standards in combatting serious financial crime. The Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism bill was successfully passed and established a Financial Monitoring Service (FMS) that was charged with enforcing the new financial sector requirements. Thur, 03 Feb 2011 11:150:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/asia/s_asia_pfes.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/asia/s_asia_pfes.html AsiaSoutheast Asia's aggressive economic growth has come with significant environmental costs. The region's natural forests continue to be lost at an alarming pace, resulting in devastating impacts on the region's biodiversity, as well significant green-house gas emissions. Growing demands for food, wood, and economic-development opportunities are key drivers, which are underlined by the common belief that forests are a free resource to be utilized and exploited at will.Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:00:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/asia/s_burma_maetao_clinic.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/asia/s_burma_maetao_clinic.html BurmaNyine Tun lies in a hospital bed hooked up to a drip bottle with saline solution. The frail 34-year-old woman says that she con-tracted malaria two weeks before arriving at Mae Tao from a village deep in the eastern Burma's interior. "I had a very high fever for days," she says. "I went to a clinic in my village but they wouldn't treat me because I couldn't afford the medicines." Nyine Tun resorted to seeing a traditional healer who prescribed herbs as treatment. "They didn't help," she explains. "But poor people always treat themselves with herbs."Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:00:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/asia/s_asia_cfl.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/asia/s_asia_cfl.html AsiaNearly half of the energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) sold in Asia were burning out faster and giving off less light than they should. Since each quality CFL can help reduce nearly 34 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions over its life-time, ensuring the quality of CFLs is critical to addressing climate change. While CFL sales in Asia are rising sharply ($8 billion annually), consumer dissatisfaction with poor quality CFLs is threatening to derail the huge potential for broad adoption of these energy-saving lamps.Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:00:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/china/s_cn_tibetan_entrepreneur.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/china/s_cn_tibetan_entrepreneur.html ChinaThroughout Tibetan regions of China, resources for promoting local businesses, education, and healthcare are extremely limited. The socio-economic situation in Tibet is on par with some areas of sub-Saharan Africa. As the economy grows, rural Tibetans desperately need new skills and opportunities for living.Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:00:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/asia/s_asia_malaria_cambodia.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/asia/s_asia_malaria_cambodia.html AsiaIn early 2008, Mr. Oeur Dara, a farmer living in a remote Cam-bodian village with a high burden of malaria, delayed seeking malaria treatment for his son with high fevers and chills believing that praying to the forest spirits would cure him. A few days later, his son became unconscious and was finally taken to a health center where he was diagnosed with malaria. He was successfully treated and his life was saved. Mr. Dara credits the health center staff with saving his son's life and realized the importance of seeking prompt treatment for malaria, which had almost killed his son.Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:00:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/china/s_cn_desertification.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/china/s_cn_desertification.html ChinaAbout 40 percent of the earth's land area is currently threatened by desertification. Asia, in terms of the number of people affected by desertification and drought, is the most severely affected continent.Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:00:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/asia/s_aisa_asean.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/asia/s_aisa_asean.html AsiaThe illegal wildlife trade is an immediate threat to Southeast Asia's biodiversity, natural resources, and environment. It threatens species including tigers, rhinos, and elephants. The multi-billion dollar illegal market in wildlife has spawned criminal syndicates with global reach and negative implications for na-tional security and economic wellbeing. These networks also spread disease by illegally importing animal products.Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:20:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/burma/s_burma_saw.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/burma/s_burma_saw.html BurmaThe tension within Burma contributes to the present-day exodus of people into Thailand. Nwe Nwe, one of many who sought a better life across the border, was a widowed mother diagnosed with TB and HIV when she travelled with two children from Burma to Bangkok to seek work. In desperation, Nwe Nwe and her eldest son took jobs in a bean factory in Mae Sot where they each earned $2 per day.Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:20:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/china/s_cn_workerscomp.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/china/s_cn_workerscomp.html ChinaChina's work-related fatality rate remains high. Since 2007, almost 950,000 workers have been injured each year, with an average of 16,000 fatalities. Work-related injury certification has long been a disputed subject among workers, employers, and China's Labor and Social Security Bureaus which are the responsible government body. The certification process is cost-ly and lengthy, often taking yearsMon, 20 Dec 2010 13:20:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/thailand/s_th_rights.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/thailand/s_th_rights.html ThailandThe extraordinary degree of polarization in Thai politics has been well-documented, and local media have undoubtedly played a role in perpetuating ongoing political tension. In Thai-land, quality debate programs where two sides of an important public issue are represented have disappeared.Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:20:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/uganda/cs_ug_climatechange.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/uganda/cs_ug_climatechange.html UgandaFarmers near Kayunga, Uganda, rely on the income generated from sun drying fruit and selling it in bulk to local and European markets. Fruit takes two to three days to dry completely, and even a small amount of rainfall during the drying period can damage a harvest. The absence of basic access to information in developing countries limits the ability of rural populations to receive warnings, forecasts, and observations of hydro-meteorological conditions to improve their livelihoods.Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:40:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/guatemala/s_gt_girls.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/guatemala/s_gt_girls.html GuatemalaYuri Tecun is an exception to the rule. Thanks to a USAID-backed scholarship program, she was able to attend university,unlike many other young girls in Guatemala. According to the 2002 census, only 2.87 percent of high school graduates in Guatemala go on to university. Girls make up only 1.26 percent of this group. If a girl happens to come from a lowincome, rural family like Yuri her chances are even lower.Tue, 07 Dec 2010 12:30:11 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/indonesia/s_id_peace_strikes.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/indonesia/s_id_peace_strikes.html IndonesiaThe violent conflict between Muslims and Christians that started in the late 1990s in many provinces of the East Indonesian islands of Maluku has eroded the traditional values of harmony, brotherhood (pela gandong), and tolerance in many communities. Although the conflict itself ended in 2002, over time, it has impacted not only adults' views of one another but also influenced the interactionamong the next generation of youth in the area. There remains a need to continue to rehabilitate communities, rebuild trust, andinspire a sense of accord among youth by utilizing existing tools and limited resources.Tue, 07 Dec 2010 12:30:11 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/asia/cs_asia_climatechange_financing.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/asia/cs_asia_climatechange_financing.html AsiaScaling up clean energy will be essential for promoting low-carbon development over the coming decades, particularly in Asia where energy demand is growing rapidly. One major hurdle to the large-scale deployment of clean energy has been the significant gap between traditional investors and clean energy project developers, particularly small-scale projects. The challenge can be broken down into two fundamental barriers: First, the majority of project developers do not have access to investors, nor do they understand the criteria upon which investors make decisions. Second, investors who are willing to finance clean energy projects do not have the local knowledge or the technical expertise to assess a clean energy project's viability.Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:30:16 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/paraguay/s_py_entrepreneurs.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/paraguay/s_py_entrepreneurs.html ParaguayMaria del Rosario Arguello and Francisco Garcia are micro entrepreneurs. For six years now, Arguello and her husband have been making traditional straw brooms in the courtyard oftheir home in Hernandarias, Paraguay. Garcia, a family man from Encarnacion, Paraguay, and owner of Peanut Guzi, has been making and selling sugared peanuts for over a decade.Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:30:16 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/s_af_savingnewborns.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/s_af_savingnewborns.html AfghanistanMiriam has four children, although she has given birth six times. Two infants unfortunately died within days of birth. However, her most recent birth was different in that Miriam and her female relatives had learned from the local female community health worker (CHW) about the importance of keeping the baby warm.Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:03:22 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/nepal/ba_nepal_bridge.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/nepal/ba_nepal_bridge.html NepalMaiya Ram Neupane, a staff member from the Jansakti Lower Secondary School in Nepal's western district of Banke, doesn't tire from telling the story about her village bridge. She will tell you how a small wooden bridge was all that connected the villages of Udharapur and Ditapur. The bridge was old and rundown, and the river it crossed was notorious for flooding, often rising five meters or more and making it difficult and even dangerous for citizens to attend school, conduct business, or travel to receive medical care.Wed, 10 Nov 2010 10:15:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/nepal/s_nepal_farmer.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/nepal/s_nepal_farmer.html NepalMan Maya Lama and her husband own a small tea shop in Manikapur village in Nepal's mid-western Banke district, but they struggle to earn enough to feed their two children. When USAID's Flood Recovery Program started its income-generation activities in their district, Lama jumped at the opportunity to get involved. Wed, 10 Nov 2010 10:15:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/haiti/ss_ht_wynnfarm.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/haiti/ss_ht_wynnfarm.html HaitiIn the mountains of Kenscoff, Mrs. Jane Wynn recently donated her land to a program that is helping farmers grasp innovative techniques in order to double their yields and increase their income - 1,500 farmers, to be exact.Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:15:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/southernafrica/ss_sa_regionalpartnerships.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/southernafrica/ss_sa_regionalpartnerships.html Southern AfricaUSAID's Southern Africa Global Competitive Trade Hub firstmet Peter Mabeo at the International Contemporary FurnitureFair (ICFF) in New York in 2006. He was there representing hiscompany, Mabeo Furniture, which is based in Gaborone,Botswana, and produces high-end contemporary furniture witha strategic focus on craftsmanship and the use of sustainableraw materials.Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:05:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/georgia/ss_ge_health_insurance.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/georgia/ss_ge_health_insurance.html GeorgiaMore than 1.5 million newly insured Georgians are now able tobetter navigate the complex world of health insurance thanks toa USAID-initiated Health Insurance Mediation Service (HIMS).The new service is part of the Government of Georgia's Ministryof Labor Health and Social Affairs (MOLHSA) and servesGeorgians by resolving disputes and strengthening interactionsbetween vulnerable individuals, insurers, and health care providers.Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:05:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/benin/ss_bj_empower.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/benin/ss_bj_empower.html BeninDeborah and her husband Djobo live in the village of Guiguiso in northern Benin. On the night of September 9, 2009, three men assaulted the couple while they slept. Djobo was left bleeding and unconscious and Deborah was raped. After Djobo regained consciousness, he alerted the village.Wed, 06 Oct 2010 10:41:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/senegal/ss_afgh_english.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/senegal/ss_afgh_english.html AfghanistanImagine trying to learn to use a computer with an English keyboard, having never seen the English alphabet. Add to that the fact that you've never seen a computer in your life and you're in middle age. That's the challenge for employees of the national electric company Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) who work at hydro power stations in Afghanistan.Thur, 30 Sep 2010 12:43:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/senegal/ss_sn_baobab.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/senegal/ss_sn_baobab.html SenegalIn southeastern Senegal, baobab seeds were once believed to be a useless byproduct of a locally grown fruit. The fruit was eaten and the seeds merely tossed aside. Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:15:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/ss_zm_agriculturesupplies.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/ss_zm_agriculturesupplies.html ZimbabweLucas Kaseke lives with his wife, children, and four grandchildren in Gwezere Village in Bindura district, located in northeast Zimbabwe. Kaseke is a farmer, and in recent years the family of eight has struggled to get by due to drought and difficult economic conditions. Thur, 23 Sep 2010 13:32:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/albania/cs_al_technology.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/albania/cs_al_technology.html Albania Since 1951, the Agriculture University of Tirana (AUT) has been Albania's leading research, training and extension institution. During the Communist period, Albania was one of the most isolated countries in the world and relied on agriculture production to supply most of all the food that was consumed and was one the country's only exports.Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:15:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/albania/ss_al_tourism.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/albania/ss_al_tourism.html Albania The New Year's Eve celebration at the Perla Hotel in Pogradec actually drew a crowd this past winter, encapsulating a marked increase in winter tourism as a result of improved information services from a partnership with USAID.Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:15:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/sudan/ss_sd_dam.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/sudan/ss_sd_dam.html Sudan One hundred young Sudanese came together to build a dam. At the same time, they built themselves a stronger future, in which ethnic strife is less of a threat to their livelihood.Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:35:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/rwanda/ss_rw_journalism.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/rwanda/ss_rw_journalism.html Rwanda Few journalists have the luxury of time and funding necessary to conduct in-depth research on the ground for a story. Thanks to a USAID partnership with the Rwandan government, a 25-year-old Rwandan journalist, Eugene Kwibuka, now has that privilege.Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:35:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/rwanda/ss_rw_landconflict.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/rwanda/ss_rw_landconflict.html Rwanda For two years, Ignace Karangwa was afraid to invest in his land because he was told it had been expropriated by a local bank. "I watched as the bank confiscated the land of my neighbors bit by bit. I was unable to invest anything durable on my land because it seemed that my land could also be taken at any minute," Ignace said. The confiscations apparently continued even after the Mayor of Gasabo said the expropriations would stop.Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:15:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/fp_afgh_engineers.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/fp_afgh_engineers.html Afghanistan When Abdullah Jan met Shabnam, they were seniors in the Engineering Department at Kabul University. They soon began to intern at the Kabul Central Materials Laboratory operated by USAID's Afghanistan Infrastructure Rehabilitation Program (AIRP).Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afgh_snowshoveling.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afgh_snowshoveling.html Afghanistan In just six months, Nawa residents went from collecting and carrying water every day to using clean, well-built communal taps near their homes. What started as an essential snow removal operation resulted in a renewed relationship between local Afghans and their governmentand a strong commitment to protecting reconstruction efforts from the Taliban insurgency.Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afgh_pomegranates.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afgh_pomegranates.html Afghanistan Consumers in Europe will soon be savoring the sweet taste of Afghanistan. The United Kingdom's leading pomegranate juice company,Pomegreat, recently agreed to a pioneering deal with Afghanistan's first juice concentrate facility. It is 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 stateof-the-art facility established with the support of USAID.Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afgh_literacyhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afgh_literacy Afghanistan Men and women, both young and old, are pleased to have the opportunity to learn how to read in Afghanistan. Thanks to Afghan-led efforts and support from multiple donors, including USAID, residents now have that privilege.Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afgh_kandaharschoolshttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afgh_kandaharschools Afghanistan 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. But parents had been increasingly reluctant to send their children to school because of poor security and deteriorating facilities. Now, children are returning to school worries allayed, thanks to a grant from USAID's Local Governance and Community Development(LGCD) project.Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ss_col_justice.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ss_col_justice.html Colombia Even for minor disputes between neighbors, residents like Maria Nelly Criollo of the rural municipality of Chaparral in Southern Tolima had to travel long distances to seek redress from the legal system. For years, the political unrest, tough terrain, presence of illegal armed groupsprevented the Colombian justice sector from serving the region on a regular basis.Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ba_col_school.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ba_col_school.html Colombia Thanks to USAID, the isolated community now has two new classrooms providing a place for 50 indigenous children to learn andgrow.Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/kyrgyzstan/ss_kyrg_mosque.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/kyrgyzstan/ss_kyrg_mosque.html Kyrgyzstan Upon returning from the United States, Sagyndyk Chekirbaev has become both a religious leader and an entrepreneur. He has succeeded in building a mosque in his community using volunteer labor and his own funds garnered from the sale of his car. Chekirbaev is one of the ten Kyrgyzstan participants who travelled to Chicago for a USAID program.Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/mozambique/fp_moz_fisheries.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/mozambique/fp_moz_fisheries.html Mozambique Antonio Joao Cecilio Mtambo is a fisherman from the community of Chuanga in Lake Niassa who used to depend on ineffective fine-meshed fishing nets that provided little sustenance for his family. "I used to struggle to provide for my family. The situation here was so bad that one could stand for hours in the lake and find nothing," said Mtambo.Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:15:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/mozambique/fp_mz_sweetfarm.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/mozambique/fp_mz_sweetfarm.html Mozambique Since she was a young girl, Virginia Sebastiao Neves has been working in the fields, but when a USAID-supported project introduced the benefits of growing orange-fleshed sweet potatoes in 2003, her business flourished and life started to change.Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:04:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/mozambique/fp_mz_hiv.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/mozambique/fp_mz_hiv.html Mozambique Preciosa Joao Cossa, a married woman with three young children, lost her 19 year-old cousin to AIDS two years ago. Today, Cossa has come to the HIV/AIDS counseling and testing tent in a Maputo neighborhood market because she felt compelled to get tested herself. "When my cousin died, it was very sad because she was so sick and did not tell anyone," said Cossa.Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:04:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/fp_zm_condoms.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/fp_zm_condoms.html Zimbabwe Preciosa Joao Cossa, a married woman with three young children, lost her 19 year-old cousin to AIDS two years ago. Today, Cossa has come to the HIV/AIDS counseling and testing tent in a Maputo neighborhood market because she felt compelled to get tested herself. "When my cousin died, it was very sad because she was so sick and did not tell anyone," said Cossa.Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:04:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/ss_zmb_streetchildren.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/ss_zmb_streetchildren.html Zimbabwe At the Presbyterian Church in downtown Harare, Zimbabwe, 15-year-old Lovemore and other children crowd around tables in a small room, leaning over their workbooks. Their uniforms are clean and worn with pride, and in many ways it would be difficult to distinguish this classroom from any other.Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:04:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/ss_zmb_hivchildren.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/ss_zmb_hivchildren.html ZimbabweFortune said she was too young to comprehend the loss of her mother. Six years later, when she lost her father to AIDS and had to live with her uncle, she felt the loneliness of a parentless life. Scholarships got her through secondary school since her uncle could not afford it. When she graduated, she discovered Grassroots Soccer.Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:04:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/kosovo/pc_ko_school_comp.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/kosovo/pc_ko_school_comp.html Kosovo For three years, high school students in Kosovo benefited from access to computers, internet, and the English language through USAID's "Community Service through Extracurricular Activities" initiative.Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:04:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/philippines/pc_phl_water.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/philippines/pc_phl_water.html Philippines Residents of Barangay Indang in Cavite, Philippines now have clean drinking and bathing water in an area formerly prone to waterborne diseases due to underfunded delivery systems.Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:04:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ss_columbia_afroco.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ss_columbia_afroco.html Colombia The walls of 52 homes on Colombia's Isla Grande in the Caribbean Sea demonstrate how cutting-edge technology can lead to a cleaner future for the island. The walls are lined with plastic bottles left behind by tourists, part of an effort to solve two key ecological problems: sanitation and shelter. Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:04:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ba_colombia_homicide.htmhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ba_colombia_homicide.htm Colombia The Paloquemao legal complex in Bogota, Colombia has more than 100 courts and a backlog of more than 8,000 homicide cases. Before March of last year, Colombia's largest judicial complex could not address families' and victims' needs. Now, however, with the support of the USAID Justice Reform and Modernization Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:04:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/cs_colombia_oraladvocacy.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/cs_colombia_oraladvocacy.html Colombia With the implementation of the new accusatory system in Colombia, students, practicing attorneys, law professors, and other professionals involved in the justice system needed to develop new skills and abilities that would help them perform effectively in the various stages of oral proceedings. In most instances, their lack of knowledge and experience would prevent them from adequately carrying out their functions and ably representing their clients. Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:04:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/burundi/pc_bi_women.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/burundi/pc_bi_women.html Burundi When Yvonne Karenzo lost her husband in 2003, she was forced to engage in unsafe sex for money even though she knew she was already HIV positive. Ostracized from her community, a jobless Karenzo was without the necessary resources to support or educate her two children.Thur, 29 Jul 2010 10:04:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/kenya/ss_ke_conflict.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/kenya/ss_ke_conflict.html Kenya For years, banditry, arms smuggling, and a crisis of national identity have prevented members of the same Ogaden clan from reaching peace along the Kenya/Somalia border, but residents on both sides are now taking the first steps towards collaboration.Thur, 29 Jul 2010 10:04:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/kenya/ss_ke_water.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/kenya/ss_ke_water.html Kenya The people of Kapsasian community, near Kenya's renowned Masai Mara Game Reserve no longer have to walk miles in search of water thanks to a USAID/East Africa project that uses a giant rock to capture rain water.Thur, 29 Jul 2010 10:04:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/turkmenistan/ss_tm_farmers.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/turkmenistan/ss_tm_farmers.html Turkmenistan Ilyas Amanov, an economics teacher with years of experience, is combining his expertise with skills learned during a U.S. study program on agricultural practices to improve agriculture in his own country, Turkmenistan. He and his colleagues provide information about local and international markets, consultations on agricultural business development through trainings and seminars, and assist farmers in establishing associations.Thur, 29 Jul 2010 10:04:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/ethiopia/ss_eth_coffeeloan.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/ethiopia/ss_eth_coffeeloan.html Ethiopia Tariku Midergo started a coffee processing project with family support in 1998 near Yeragalem town in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities People's (SNNP) Region. While establishing his business, Midergo heard about a new USAID-sponsored loan program and approached one of USAID's partner banks, the Bank of Abyssinia, participating in the Development Credit Authority program, to get capital to establish and expand his business.Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:18:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/uzbekistan/ss_uzb_water.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/uzbekistan/ss_uzb_water.html Uzbekistan Tursun Jonikulov, an 81-year-old farmer in Samarkand Oblast, was among the first to receive water from a newly built water distribution point. The structure, made possible by USAID, allows for easier irrigation as well as a guaranteed water supply for 824 hectares of farm land owned by 800 people.Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:18:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/senegal/ss_sen_teachertraining.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/senegal/ss_sen_teachertraining.html Senegal Alpha Oumar Ba is a science and math teacher in a rural middle school in Senegal. The school, situated in the region of Tambacounda, is a day's travel by road from the capital city of Dakar. Ba has been teaching there since 2001, and has seen a remarkable improvement since the school was rehabilitated and furnished by USAID in 2005. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:18:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/pakistan/ss_pak_marriage.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/pakistan/ss_pak_marriage.html PakistanBakhtawar was a good student in the fifth grade at a small school located in a Southern Pakistan village. She enjoyed learning, laughing with her friends, and spending time with her family. But one evening, as she sat nervously in a chair beside her parents at the local meeting hall, she knew that everything about her childhood was coming to an end. No more school, no more girlfriends, no more fun. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:18:00 -0500

Pakistan - Gul's Girls: Educating the Girls of Pakistan

http://www.usaid.gov/stories/pakistan/ss_pak_girlseducation.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/pakistan/ss_pak_girlseducation.html Pakistan Gul Laila, a resident of Dharian Bambian, Pakistan, can't read or write, but she still arrives at the local school early every morning. Before heading off to her job as a domestic worker, she stops by the school to ensure all the teachers have shown up for work. Faculty absenteeism has no longer been an issue since the School Management Committee elected Laila as its chairwoman.Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:18:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/pakistan/ss_pak_femalebiz.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/pakistan/ss_pak_femalebiz.html Pakistan Ifi khtar Ahmed is the marketing manager of I.A. Khan Enterprises, a homebased business that produces local delicacies like tangy pickles and sohan halwa, a popular dessert, in Multan, a central Punjabi city of four million. And while Ahmed's position as a manager would be considered normal by even the most traditional in Pakistan, what makes his role unusual is that the company's managing director is his wife, Amna.Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:18:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/kyrgyzstan/ss_kgz_repairs.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/kyrgyzstan/ss_kgz_repairs.html Kyrgyzstan These days it is not unusual to see a long line of cars waiting to be repaired in the front of mechanic Uson Matysakov's repair shop in Halmion, southern Kyrgyzstan. In June 2008, Uson transformed a once empty building into a bustling auto repair facility.Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:18:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/ss_zmb_hivchildren.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/zimbabwe/ss_zmb_hivchildren.html Zimbabwe In Zimbabwe, a nine-year old boy living with HIV knew to take his antiretroviral treatment whenever he heard the country's national anthem on the radio. The anthem is played twice a day, at sunrise and sunset - and this schedule coincided with when Kudakwashe needed to take his pills. When the radio had batteries that worked, this system worked well. be among his people. After the historic election of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Freeman found his opportunity.Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:18:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/guatemala/ss_gtm_vote.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/guatemala/ss_gtm_vote.html Guatemala Traditionally, candidates who captured the majority of votes in Guatemala City win the presidency, but that is changing. The 2007 Guatemalan presidential election represents an important shift of power away from Guatemala City and toward the more rural areas of the country. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:18:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/guatemala/ss_gtm_harvest.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/guatemala/ss_gtm_harvest.html GuatemalaThe story of agricultural diversification-the change from growing only basic grains for family consumption to growing a diverse group of crops sold in national and international markets-is the story of thousands of farmers in the Guatemalan Highlands that has increased incomes, jobs, and opportunity, transforming hundreds of thousands of livesWed, 31 Mar 2010 13:18:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/egypt/ss_egy_cutting.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/egypt/ss_egy_cutting.html Egypt The USAID-funded Integrated Reproductive Health Services Project conducts community-level training to increase knowledge of, and change attitudes towards, specific health practices in Egypt. Included in community training programs are male and female religious leaders, literacy facilitators, Ministry of Health and community development association outreach workers, and agricultural extension workers. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:18:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/fp_lbr_internship.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/fp_lbr_internship.html Liberia Freeman B. Woahloe, Jr. spent 14 years in exile in Ghana - the entire length of the Liberian civil conflict, waiting for an opportunity to come back home and be among his people. After the historic election of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Freeman found his opportunity.Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:24:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/fp_lbr_isaac.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/fp_lbr_isaac.html Liberia USAID and the Presidential Malaria Initiative work with local partners and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in all 15 of Liberia's counties to cure and prevent malaria. With malaria medicine and bednets now available, one of the most challenging aspects of the fight against the disease is public awareness and door-to-door outreach to persuade people to use mosquito nets correctly and to seek treatment from qualified providers.Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:24:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/pc_col_food.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/pc_col_food.html ColombiaFor nearly ten years USAID has worked with the Pan American Development Foundation on a program dedicated to the economic reintegration of families displaced by violence. Over the years, USAID has supported numerous projects for the most vulnerable sectors of the population in Bogota.Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:24:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/ss_lbr_food.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/ss_lbr_food.html LiberiaSange and her husband rejoiced on the discovery of expecting a child. But six months after welcoming a healthy baby boy named Febyah, Sange passed away from an unknown illness. After his mother's death, Febyah's father abandoned him, leaving him with his maternal grandmother. In her late fifties and taking care of an infant, Fatta Mento did not have the resources or knowledge to keep Febyah nourished.Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:24:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/ss_lbr_josephine.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/ss_lbr_josephine.html LiberiaJosephine Mendoza, jumped at the chance to learn auto mechanics on one of USAID's first post-war apprenticeship programs in 2005. Mendoza had been a refugee in neighboring Ivory Coast where she had seen women working in construction and as mechanics. Only one other woman joined Mendoza; the rest chose more traditional activities with less income-earning potential.Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:24:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/tajikistan/ss_tjk_donations.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/tajikistan/ss_tjk_donations.html TajikistanMoikhon Zukurova is a 50-year-old woman who lives with her 75- year-old husband, their five children, and the disabled 25-year-old son of her husband in the Rash region of Tajikistan. The family lives in a small mud house that leaks during each rain and is very drafty. They have a small household plot where they grow potatoes and vegetables, but due to lack of irrigation and very high temperatures during the summer, the harvest is often very poor.Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:24:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/belarus/ss_blr_farm.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/belarus/ss_blr_farm.html BelarusDzerzhinsk Farm in Belarus employs more than 550 workers and is the largest force in the Minsk oblast's economy. The farmserves as a good model for future market-oriented agricultural enterprises in Belarus. Unfortunately, the farm's veterinarians have faced challenges in the area of artificial insemination and dairy health management.Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/belarus/ss_blr_cow.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/belarus/ss_blr_cow.html BelarusSIS, a Belarusian company that provides consulting services to agricultural businesses shifted its focus several years ago todesigning cow houses. During the summer of 2009, the company was involved in the reconstruction of eight dairy farms and the building of an entirely new dairy complex.Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ss_col_art.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ss_col_art.html ColombiaPaula Correa is not the real name of this 24-year-old woman, who is still afraid of the danger to her and her 8-year-old son. Her story is one of loss and pain, survival and hope, hard work and an encouragingfuture.Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ss_col_coffee.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ss_col_coffee.html ColombiaMaria, (not her real name) a 48-year-old single mother of three and a grandmother, has lived the same tragedy as many displaced families in Colombia. With tears in her eyes she recalls the story of her village, El Rosario in Cauca, where she was ateacher. "I still shiver when I think about the group of armed men who killed several people in front of a bus, just to show that theycould," she said.Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ss_col_water.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/colombia/ss_col_water.html ColombiaResidents of Soacha, Colombia, and the surrounding areas learned to resolve their differences through mediation thanks to an award-winning USAID-supported program.Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/ss_lbr_blacksmith.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/ss_lbr_blacksmith.html LiberiaSaah Fassi is a professional blacksmith in Foya, Lofa County, Liberia. Although he does not know his exact age, Fassi doesknow that he apprenticed in his youth for almost a decade. He estimates he has been a master blacksmith for more than three decades and might be in his late 50's.Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:15:00 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/ss_lbr_teachers.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/ss_lbr_teachers.html LiberiaWhile assessing the status of teacher training in Liberia, USAID found three badly war-damaged Rural Teacher Training Institutes in Kakata, Zorzor, and Webbo. None were fully operational and the number of staff was virtually non-existent.Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:15:00 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/zambia/ss_zmb_mobilehiv.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/zambia/ss_zmb_mobilehiv.html ZambiaIn the remote village of Chitanda in Zambia's Central Province, two-year-old Chipo, is learning to walk. This event is remarkable, given the challenges of her young life.Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:23:15 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/pc_lbr_desks.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/pc_lbr_desks.html TurkmenistanOn his visit to Liberia in 2008, President George Bush promised 10,000 desks from the American people. USAID managed the construction of the desks creating work for Liberian carpenters and apprentices and reducing the transport costs.Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:23:15 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/georgia/ss_geo_health.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/georgia/ss_geo_health.html GeorgiaFor four teachers at Public School 17 in Kutaisi, Georgia, teaching high school students is more than a job. It is a commitment to helping their young students make safe and healty choices on their path to adulthood.Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:23:15 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/ss_lbr_midwife.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/liberia/ss_lbr_midwife.html LiberiaDuring the 14-year civil conflict in Liberia, the health system virtually collapsed. The health system's fraglity coupled with the difficulty women face in getting to health facilities in emergencies due to no roads or means of transportation in largely rural Liberia, has led to one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world's deaths per 100,000 live births.Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:23:15 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/senegal/ss_sen_cotton.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/senegal/ss_sen_cotton.html SenegalIt sounds like a fairy tale: a farmer sows a seed gently in the earth, and then watches it grow into a classroom, mills, school supplies, and cereal banks. But more than a rural fable, this has been the social harvest for communities in southern Senegal growing fair trade cotton during the past five years.Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:23:15 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/turkmenistan/fp_tkm_business.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/turkmenistan/fp_tkm_business.html TurkmenistanToday Kristina Kolesnikova manages tourist programs at Ayan Tourist and Travel Company, one of the leading tour operators in Turkmenistan. The 19-year old says that she got this job because of her participation in a USAID entrepreneurship training program.Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:23:15 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/turkmenistan/ss_tkm_poultry.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/turkmenistan/ss_tkm_poultry.html TurkmenistanGenjim Gala Poultry was established in 1991 as one of many small-scale egg production businesses in the Dashoguz region of northern Turkmenistan. Unfortunately, after launching, the business was not as profi table as expected and had a number of problems preventing it from being sustainable and competitive.Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:16:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/senegal/ss_sen_game.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/senegal/ss_sen_game.html SenegalSana Barry, a community health worker and traditional birth attendant for 18 years, works at the health hut in Diery Diouga in the Region of Saint Louis, Department of Podor. Through a USAID program focused on mother and child health, she receives training on responding to childhood illnesses and caretaking practices.Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:16:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/senegal/ss_sen_cashew.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/senegal/ss_sen_cashew.html SenegalPrices for cashews have hit a 10-year high in West Africa, and Awa Beve, president of the Beye Counda Economic Interest Group, could not be happier. In 2006, she took a gamble, left a textile business and decided to try cashew nut processing in Senegal's cashew-rich Casamance region.Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:16:30 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/kyrgyzstan/cs_kyr_waterassoc.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/kyrgyzstan/cs_kyr_waterassoc.html KyrgyzstanThe Tamchy-Bulak Water Users Association in Bazarkorgon Region, Jalalabat Oblast was created in 1999 and had more than 1,200 members with 1,384 hectares of land that provided livelihood for 10,500 residents. However, the association's structures existed only on paper. Its members didn't know what the organization did nor even if they were part of the association at all, and farmers never participated in its activities. Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:16:30 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/benin/ss_ben_malaria.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/benin/ss_ben_malaria.html BeninDiane Sagbohan is one of six women among the 265 trained spray operators who volunteered to participate in the first insecticide residential spray (IRS) campaign in Benin. Sagbohan is native of Seme Kpodji, a community well-known for suffering from high rates of malaria transmission and deadly illnesses. Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:16:30 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/benin/ss_ben_edu.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/benin/ss_ben_edu.html BeninThe Ambassador's Girls Scholarship Program (AGSP) started in Benin in 2004, part of the African Education Initiative that USAID implements in 12 West African countries to help the poorest children go to primary school. To date, 4,600 girls have received scholarships. Since 2007, 1,200 of the neediest boys have also received scholarships, including new uniforms, school supplies, and daily lunch.Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:16:30 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/benin/ss_ben_edu.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/benin/ss_ben_edu.html Benin"Before, girls did not go far in their studies. Today, girls have a chance and they are coming back to school", said Celine Nambi, speaking on behalf of the Mothers Association of Tabota, a remote village in northern Benin. "At first, I was skeptical, but I witnessed mothers taking initiative and convincing parents to send their daughters back to school."Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:16:30 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/tajikistan/fp_tjk_internet.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/tajikistan/fp_tjk_internet.html TajikistanFormer administrator of a USAID-funded Internet cafe, Alisher Eshonkhonov opened his own Internet-centered business in Tajikistan's capital city Dushanbe.Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:16:30 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/tajikistan/cs_tjk_registration.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/tajikistan/cs_tjk_registration.html TajikistanEach year, Tajikistan's 37,000 entrepreneurs used to spend money and time to re-register their businesses. Some 600 of them also had to undergo annual relicensing. Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:16:30 -0500http://www.usaid.gov/stories/tajikistan/cs_tjk_apricots.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/tajikistan/cs_tjk_apricots.html TajikistanThe old Tajik city of Isfara is famous for its apricot orchards. Apricot production is the main source of income for the population of this region, and for years the high productivity allowed exports to countries of the former Soviet Union. But in the last 10 years orchard production declined dramatically, and product quality did not meet market standards. Customers stopped purchasing Tajik apricots.Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:16:30 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afg_community.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afg_community.html AfghanistanAs Afghanistan's justice system matures, it offers citizensnumerous options for legal recourse when their rights areviolated. However, many people, especially women, do notknow their legal rights or how to use the formal justice system.Additionally, many do not know where to turn when they facelegal problems that could be solved through the courts orcommunity mediation.Thur, 19 Nov 2009 11:14:10 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afg_roads.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afg_roads.html AfghanistanSeveral years ago, there were only three produce merchants inthe Baharak Bazaar, a market in Afghanistan's remote northernprovince of Badakhshan. Today, there are 30 traders selling freshfruits and vegetables. Farmers are growing more diverse cropsand enjoying larger harvests as they take advantage of lowertransportation costs resulting from a massive USAID program tobuild and improve roads.Thur, 19 Nov 2009 11:14:10 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afg_tailors.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afg_tailors.html AfghanistanIn western Afghanistan's Farah Province, women have fewopportunities to go to school or work outside of the home. Evenwhen they possess a useful, income-earning skill like tailoring,many women stay at home during the day for cultural or securityreasonsThur, 19 Nov 2009 11:14:10 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afg_water.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/ss_afg_water.html AfghanistanIn eastern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan,infrastructure is poor and many villages lack good roads, accessto clean water, and other basic necessities. USAID and U.S.Forces are working together to ensure that Afghan citizensreceive the development assistance that they need to improvetheir livelihoods and quality of life.Thur, 19 Nov 2009 11:14:10 -0500 http://www.usaid.gov/stories/kazakhstan/ss_kaz_access.htmlhttp://www.usaid.gov/stories/kazakhstan/ss_kaz_access.html KazakhstanAs a result of an advocacy campaign supported by USAID,the authorities in the Kazakh city of Karagandy have equippedthe city's main government building with a ramp for people inwheelchairs.Thur, 19 Nov 2009 11:14:10 -0500