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USAID’s Evaluation Policy: Setting the Standard
By: Ruth Levine, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau of Policy, Planning and Learning In a major address today, Dr. Shah will announce USAID’s new evaluation policy, evidence of the renewed emphasis the Agency is placing on evaluation, measuring and documenting program achievements and shortcomings, and generating data on what works to drive decision-making. The policy marks [...]
Haiti One Year Later: “As long as I am alive, I have hope”
By: Ben Edwards If you read a newspaper, surfed the internet or watched TV on Wednesday, you know the heart-wrenching state of Haiti one year after the earthquake. For many, the milestone was a benchmark to measure progress toward earthquake recovery – to report the amount of rubble moved and shelters constructed. But, for those [...]
In the News: 1/10/2011–1/14/2011
January 11: The Washington Post published a story that while many lives were saved after the Haiti earthquake, one year later, many Haitians remain impoverished. However, USAID’s $19 million cash for work program employed 350,000 people after the earthquake. January 11 : AP and The Seattle Times wrote that the Gates Foundation and USAID have [...]
The Role of Teachers and Textbooks in a Democracy
Submitted by: Diana Harper “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives.” —James Madison, 1788 This month’s historic referendum will determine southern Sudan’s future, either as an independent country of part of a unified Sudan. Voting ends on Saturday, January [...]
Saving Lives in Rural Malawi with Knowledge Management and Mobile Phones
“An informal, but very insightful, first-person account of how cell phones are rapidly changing the way USAID implements health programs in the field. With a bit more focus and targeted resources, USAID could dramatically accelerate the mainstreaming of mHealth interventions, helping us achieve our GHI targets more rapidly, and leaving behind a legacy with enduring [...]
Administrator Shah Observes Guatemala’s Agriculture Value Chain Programs
By: Wende Duflon, USAID/Guatemala Dr. Shah and LAC Assistant Administrator, Mark Feierstein, were accompanied by U.S. Ambassador Stephen McFarland, USAID Guatemala Director, Kevin Kelly, and USAID staff on a visit to the village of Magdalena la Abundancia (Magdalene of Abundance) in the municipality of Sacapulas of the Quiché Department. The visitors were met by leaders [...]
Haiti: The First Year of the USG’s Long-Term Commitment
By: Paul Weisenfeld, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Latin American and the Caribbean As we mark the one-year anniversary of the 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, it’s important to reflect on the lives lost and shattered by this devastating tragedy. But we should also remind ourselves of the commitment of [...]
Paige Alexander Leads Bureau for Europe and Eurasia
By: Paige Alexander, Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia I am honored to have been nominated by President Obama to lead the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia as their Assistant Administrator. Following confirmation by the U.S. Senate on December 22nd, I was sworn in on Monday, January 3rd. Let me briefly introduce myself. I’m returning [...]
A Tale of Two Citizens
By: Clydette Powell, MD, MPH, FAAP It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. January 12’s earthquake, epicentered in Port-au-Prince, killed over 200,000 people, but also mobilized one of the largest humanitarian disaster responses in the Western Hemisphere in the last 60 years. As Medical Officer at USAID/Washington, I was part [...]
Administrator Shah Makes His Debut in Guatemala
By: Wende DuFlon, USAID/Guatemala Administrator Shah packed an enormous amount into his day-and-a-half visit to Guatemala. Dr. Shah and Mark Feierstein, Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), were hosted by U.S. Ambassador Stephen McFarland and USAID Director Kevin Kelly and USAID staff on an early morning helicopter ride over Guatemala’s mountainous terrain [...]
