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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 [...]
Embracing Innovation in Haiti: USAID’s Haiti Mobile Money Initiative
By: Mark Feierstein, USAID Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean One of the hallmarks of the U.S. Government’s fresh approach to development in Haiti is making better use of innovative private sector ideas to solve tough development challenges. So when one third of Haiti’s bank branches were destroyed in the earthquake a year [...]
Voting Begins in the Southern Sudan Referendum
By Diana Harper On Sunday, voting began in the historic southern Sudan referendum. Through January 15, southern Sudanese will cast their ballots to determine whether the region will stay unified with the north or secede and become an independent country. More than 3.9 million people are registered to vote in Sudan, and more than 60,000 [...]
From the Field
In the Philippines, we will hold an international conference on Mobile Money Transfer (MMT) in Asia. The 2-day interactive workshop is designed to help define the right MMT business model, while maintaining prudent financial sector regulatory practices. Particular focus will be given to the prevention of money laundering, the security of payment mechanisms and consumer [...]
Supporting Sustainable Livelihoods and Nutritious Meals
By: Jessica DiRocco Food and nutrition are important elements across all cultures. In America there is a renewed sense of instilling good nutritional habits in children through the First Lady’s campaign against childhood obesity and the newly signed Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. At USAID, we are concerned with not only feeding those in need around [...]
“Helping Babies Breathe” Global Development Alliance Results in New Innovative Company
By: Lily Kak, Senior Maternal and Newborn Health Advisor Sixty seconds – that is all it takes to breathe life into a newborn that is gasping for air. This is the golden minute that can mean the difference between life and death for a newborn who is not breathing. Jubaida, the community midwife, from Bangladesh [...]
From Lab to Communities: Pioneering Low-Cost Approaches to Prevent Death and Treat Severe Illness
The third installment of the 2010 Health Research Report to Congress is newborn health. Today, we look at USAID’s seminal role in working to focus global attention on the issue of newborn survival as well as its investments in establishing the research foundation for action in this area. By: Neal Brandes, Health Advisor USAID works [...]
The “Stuff” of Democracy – USAID Supports the Southern Sudan Referendum
Submitted by Diana Harper Two hands clasped together, or one hand alone? This is the choice that southern Sudanese voters will face in less than one week, when they choose either to remain part of a unified Sudan or to secede and form an independent country. Several democratic milestones have paved the way for Sudan [...]
