The facilities were impeccable, the students were learning from enthusiastic teachers, and the school had the strong support of parents and its surrounding community. This is not a school in the United States, but rather the school I’m describing is the Sedati Gede 2 primary school, located in Sidoarjo district in the Indonesian province of [...]
Tag archives for Asia
USAID Helps Timor-Leste Usher In a New Era in Land Rights
New Partnership with Islamic Bank Marks Step Forward for Indonesian Women and USAID
Eid Saeed! This week Muslims around the world have been celebrating Eid ul-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. And low-income women in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, have another reason to celebrate. As a result of a new USAID loan guarantee signed on August 23, they [...]
Partnering with Diaspora Groups for Asia’s Development
Nisha Desai Biswal is Assistant Administrator for the Asia Bureau Asia is a dynamic region experiencing impressive but uneven growth while still grappling with the challenges of improved governance and sustainability. It is a region of opportunity and innovation where governments, civil society, and the private sector are increasingly partnering with international donors to tackle [...]
Across Asia, Reaching out a Hand in Support of Development
Crossposted from the White House Blog In 1954, South Korea was still reeling from the devastation of the Korean War. Its economy was poorer than 2/3 of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa and its people had an average life expectancy of 54 years. In that same year, the International Cooperation Association—USAID’s precursor—developed a partnership between [...]
USAID Commemorates National Freedom Day and Advocates to Combat Human Trafficking
On February 1, 1865 President Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery and sent it to the States for ratification. February 1st was later established as National Freedom Day. A very complex form of “modern slavery” currently pervades across society and affects men, women and children. Through human trafficking, individuals and families are entrapped in [...]
When Lights Come Back on, New Asia Training Center Glows Green
By: Kelly Ramundo Thirty-one floors up on the Bangkok skyline, on December 14, aid veteran Jim Bednar was in the middle of a touching reflection on his decades of Foreign Service when the lights went out. It was exactly 7:00pm, and Bednar had just been sworn in as Mission Director to Sri Lanka, his ceremony [...]
Supporting a Sustainable Economy in Northern Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, USAID is supporting activities that increase economic opportunities, enhance respect for human rights, strengthen rule of law, improve responsive governance, and foster political reconciliation. In recent years Sri Lanka has gone through major transitions. More than two decades of fighting prevented Sri Lanka from reaching its potential. The goal of this work [...]
Long-Term Investments to Bring Real-Life Improvements to People of Pakistan
During Dr. Raj Shah’s whirlwind two-day visit to Pakistan with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the ongoing Strategic Dialogue between the two countries, the U.S. announced more than $500 million in new development assistance for Pakistan. The new projects include the completion of two hydroelectric dams in South Waziristan and Gilgit-Baltistan that will supply more [...]
USAID Testifies on Agent Orange in Vietnam
On Thursday, Dr. John Wilson, Director for the Office of Technical Support in USAID’s Bureaus for Asia and the Middle East, testified before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment on “Agent Orange in Vietnam: Recent Developments in Remediation”. Dioxin contamination, associated with the use of Agent Orange, is [...]
