Weekly Briefing (8/22/2011 – 8/26/2011)
August 23: In an op-ed published in The Huffington Post, USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah highlighted the recent DevelopmentXChange event, which brought together 77 grant finalists to share their innovative ideas to discover the next breakthrough in maternal and infant health. The event was part of Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development, a joint partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, the Government of Norway, and The World Bank.
August 25: In an interview with The Washington Post, Nancy Lindborg, Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, discussed the current drought in the Horn of Africa and America’s comprehensive response to the food crisis. Lindborg emphasized that the U.S. is focusing on three critical needs: providing immediate food assistance, addressing health and sanitation concerns, and helping families purchase food through food vouchers. “When we talk about 12 million people being affected, we understand that behind each one of those individuals is a story,” Lindborg said.
