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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
In this section:
USAID Boosts Ugandan Flower Exports
Rural India Gets Clean Energy
Africa Receives $4.8 Million in Food Aid
Former Accountant Sentenced for Theft
Heavy Rains Cause Flooding in Bolivia
Microsoft Donates $41 Million to NGOs
Tuberculosis Treatment in India
USAID Boosts Ugandan Flower Exports
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A soil and peat cleansing bed in Uganda’s flower
industry, which has received support from the Strengthening
the Competitiveness of Private Enterprise project.
M. Herrick, Chemonics
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KAMPALA, Uganda—Rosebud LTD, a Ugandan company,
delivered its first shipment of 500,000 roses to the United
States in early February, just in time for the floral industry’s
busy season around Valentine’s Day. The company, Uganda’s
largest flower producer, is exporting to the United States
for the first time, after linking up with Miami-based Orange
Flower Connect. USAID assists Ugandan flower exporters with
U.S. entry regulations, export documentation, and certification
of origin. The work is done through the Strengthening the
Competitiveness of Private Enterprise project, which aims
to enhance Uganda’s export capacity.
“This is a remarkable step for Uganda, and we are glad
to be a part of the progress,” said Lloyd Pierson, assistant
administrator for the Africa bureau.
Flower exports from African nations enter the U.S. market
quota and duty free under the African Growth and Opportunity
Act trade legislation, which helps African companies gain
access to the global marketplace. Floriculture is Uganda’s
fifth largest export earner, and it is estimated that every
direct job in the flower industry supports five individuals.
For Ugandans, this newly tapped U.S. market has great potential
to increase incomes and improve livelihoods, especially for
women, who make up 60–80 percent of workers on flower
farms, Pierson said.
Rural India Gets Clean Energy
WASHINGTON—General Electric Co. (GE) and USAID
on Jan. 26 launched a joint project to increase access to
modern and affordable energy services in rural India.
Over two years, the partnership aims to provide up to four
communities, home to about 15,000 people, with access to clean
energy through GE power generation technologies using agricultural
waste (such as banana leaves), wind, and solar resources.
USAID is contributing $600,000 to the effort, while GE will
employ its worldwide network of partners to invest $2.7 million
in the development of new rural electrification technologies.
Some 56 percent of India’s 700 million rural residents
lack adequate and/or reliable power supplies.
“Access to clean energy helps rural communities create
new opportunities for employment and income generation,”
said James Smith, deputy assistant administrator for the Economic
Growth, Agriculture, and Trade bureau.
“This can help meet a variety of development objectives
such as improved health care services, enhanced agricultural
productivity, increased access to clean water, and economic
empowerment.”
Africa Receives $4.8 Million in Food Aid
WASHINGTON—USAID is providing an additional
$4.8 million to southern Africa for food assistance. The money
will be used in areas of Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia where
there is a deteriorating food situation.
The money is in addition to the Agency’s ongoing food
assistance to these three countries and to Lesotho, Swaziland,
and Zimbabwe. More than 12 million people in the six countries
are in need of emergency food assistance. Several factors
are exacerbating the conditions, including a poor harvest
in 2004 and 2005 due to erratic rainfall, poverty, HIV/AIDS,
and government mismanagement.
The latest money will be used to care for malnourished children
and to help local farmers grow food to provide for their families
in the coming months. The money will also be used in communities
to provide clean water and sanitation facilities. Since June
2005, USAID’s Office of Food for Peace has provided more
than 380,000 metric tons of food assistance. The Agency is
also supporting programs in the affected countries to promote
long-term improvements in agriculture that could help stave
off future food emergencies.
Former Accountant Sentenced for Theft
WASHINGTON—USAID’s Office of the Inspector
General announced that on Jan. 17, Michael Steiger, 41, of
Stafford, Va., was sentenced in U.S. District Court to one
year probation, including six months of home detention and
150 hours of community service.
The sentence followed Steiger’s Sept. 26, 2005, plea
of guilty to interstate transportation of stolen and fraudulently
obtained property in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 2314.
The guilty plea and subsequent sentence resulted from Steiger’s
theft of $58,337 from his former employer, Management Sciences
for Development, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based company carrying
out USAID projects. Steiger was the company’s accountant/controller
at the time of the theft.
Heavy Rains Cause Flooding in Bolivia
LA PAZ, Bolivia—USAID is providing more than
$300,000 in emergency relief supplies and transportation here
after unusually heavy rains in eight of Bolivia’s nine
departments, or administrative regions, caused flooding and
landslides.
Five people have died, and about 600 homes have been damaged,
according to the Bolivian National Civil Defense. The bad
weather has also damaged agricultural lands.
Preliminary reports from the Bolivian government and international
organizations indicate that La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz,
and Beni are the most affected regions. USAID emergency relief
items include rolls of plastic sheeting for temporary shelter
purposes, large water tanks, water containers, blankets, and
personal hygiene kits.
Four agency consultants are also working on assessments
to identify further needs.
Microsoft Donates $41 Million to NGOs
REDMOND, Wash.—Microsoft Corp. announced Feb.
22 that it is donating $41 million in software and cash to
two umbrella NGOs whose members carry out humanitarian relief
operations across the globe.
The money will go to NetHope, which comprises 17 global
NGOs working in international development, and to the Interagency
Working Group on Emergency Capacity Building, which is made
up of seven groups, including Mercy Corps, Catholic Relief
Services (CRS), and Save the Children.
The software should improve collaboration among these groups
and those they work with in the field. The $41 million effort
comes after Microsoft teamed with CRS to provide it a tailored
portal to help the NGO accelerate its relief response to the
South Asia earthquake and tsunami in December 2004. Microsoft
considered the effort a success and decided to replicate it
through the donation.
“Sadly, disasters do happen,” Pamela Passman,
Microsoft’s vice president of Global Corporate Affairs,
said in a statement. “Through our long-term involvement
with disaster response, we have built programs designed to
maximize use of our technology expertise as well as our cash
contributions. Our partnerships with nonprofit organizations
are designed to provide long-term value for the organizations
and their ability to respond in crisis situations.”
In the same statement, Molly Tschang, NetHope’s executive
director, said: “Microsoft has played a catalytic role
in fostering strong partnership among leading international
NGOs, enabling them to unleash the power of technology to
solve common problems cooperatively. This collaboration model
creates leverage for technology to dramatically improve the
efficiency, speed, and information share by those who need
it most during emergencies.”
Tuberculosis Treatment in India
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A clinic for tuberculosis treatment
in India, a country of more than a billion people, where
USAID is making directly observed treatment strategy (DOTS)
accessible. DOTS coverage rose from 50 percent in 2002
to 65 percent in 2003. The goal is to achieve full national
coverage by 2005.
Chris Thomas, USAID
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