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Tag archives for Sports

USAID and Special Olympics: Advancing Human Dignity Worldwide through Sport

The inclusive volleyball team from Krusevac, Serbia, formed as part of the USAID/Special Olympics "Inclusion for All" project. / Special Olympics

Today is the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. USAID and Special Olympics demonstrate the power of partnering to use sport to transform lives.

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Video of the Week: Abby Wambach named USAID Development Champion

Today we announced that U.S. Olympic soccer star Abby Wambach will serve as the agency’s first-ever Development Champion. Read more >>

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Title IX creates Opportunities for Women in Sports and Development

When Title IX was enacted, I was just six years old and had no idea how this one piece of legislation ensuring equal rights for women in sport and education would impact me and millions of girls over the next four decades. Having equal access to participate in athletics did far more than just pay […]

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USAID at 50: Improving Health Services in Ethiopia

To commemorate USAID’s 50th anniversary and the concentrated efforts to improve health in Ethiopia, USAID co-sponsored the 2011 annual Every One Campaign Race to raise awareness about maternal and infant mortality rates within the country. While Ethiopia has some of the highest maternal and child mortality rates in the world, USAID and its partners are […]

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In The Arena: Sports as a Catalyst for International Development

Governments and private organizations have long been using sport as a tool in global development and humanitarian aid because of its ability to transform lives in unique and powerful ways. In fact, there are few areas in development where sport cannot be used as a platform to strengthen communities and improve lives. At the field […]

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Harnessing the Power of Sport and Play for Development and Peace

As a former Olympic athlete, I have experienced the incredible impact that sport can have firsthand. But, it wasn’t until 1993, during a trip to Eritrea, as an ambassador for Olympic aid, that I began to truly understand the influence that sport can have on a variety of developmental issues, including the Millennium Development Goals […]

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Running for Maternal and Newborn Lives in Ethiopia

Growing up in New England, the highlight of spring was always the Boston Marathon. Whether we cheered the runners on from alongside the road or if we watched the event live on television, the experience always had a distinct allure. Bonded together with a singular purpose, beating their feet along the pavement with a steady […]

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Development, Diaspora and the Universal Language of Sports

For diaspora communities across the globe, sport continues to be an integral connection to their native countries.  Sport is tightly woven into the lives and cultures of people globally and has an inherent and unique ability to connect people and provides the ability to transform some of the world’s least developed countries. While sport has […]

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Measuring the Impact of Sports on Youth Development

USAID’s Office of Development Partners (ODP) and the Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade (EGAT) sponsored a panel discussion on “Measuring the Impact of Sports on Youth Development” on Tuesday, March 1st.   Over 125 guests and staff heard from NGO leadership who work with sports as a platform for youth development and spoke on […]

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