2002 Press Releases

USAID Supports World Food Program's Southern Africa Operation
September 23, 2002:  The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today that it is providing $1 million to the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) to support its regional management and logistics coordination unit in South Africa. The regional coordination unit will monitor food supplies in the region and facilitate the movement of humanitarian shipments to avoid undue congestion on heavily used transport routes. Supporting a coordinated regional response is one of USAID's non-food emergency assistance priorities in southern Africa, which is threatened by growing food insecurity.

TAKALANI SESAME launches its second season with a new Muppet living with HIV.
September 17, 2002:  Moshe, Zikwe, Zuzu and Neno-they're back and they've got a new friend. Kami, a Muppet living with HIV. Kami is a lively, friendly and an active participant of the community, and will be engaging in Takalani Sesame adventures when the second season debuts on 30 September this year.

USAID SUPPORTS READATHON 2002
August 21, 2002:  USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, today showed its support for READATHON 2002 by hosting a group of primary school learners from JJ De Jong Primary School, Atteridgeville, to read and tell stories for its Pretoria staff.

Criminal Justice Strengthening Programme officially launched
August 5, 2002:  As part of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development's programme to make the criminal justice system more effective and accessible to all the people of South Africa, the Department launched the Criminal Justice Strengthening Programme (CJSP) at a ceremony in Pretoria today. The US and SA governments have joined forces with Business Against Crime (BAC) in a new strategic alliance to strengthen SA's criminal justice system.

$16 MILLION OF USAID FOOD AID TO ARRIVE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
July 26, 2002:  The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) chartered Liberty Star's, carrying 36,000 metric tons of emergency food commodities, including corn, cornsoya milk and cornmeal, is due to arrive in Durban, South Africa, early next week. Valued at approximately $16 million, the Liberty Star's delivery will feed up to 2.4 million people for a month.

LIFE EXPECTANCY WILL DROP WORLDWIDE DUE TO AIDS
July 8, 2002:  BARCELONA, SPAIN - The U.S. Census Bureau, with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, released a study Sunday showing that life expectancies in 51 countries will drop due to the global AIDS pandemic.

U.S. RELEASING OVER 400,000 METRIC TONS OF FOOD AID TO SOUTHERN AFRICA RELIEF EFFORTS
June 19, 2002:  The United States will provide a third of the 1.2 million tons of food aid needed to stave off famine in southern Africa. Andrew Natsios, the head of US Agency for International Development, said the United States was contributing an extra 275,000 tons of wheat to the UN emergency relief effort for six African countries, bringing its total to over 400,000 tons. Natsios made the announcement last week at the World Food Summit in Rome, Italy.

President Bush's International Mother and Child HIV Prevention Initiative
June 19, 2002:  President Bush announced a new $500 million International Mother and Child HIV Prevention Initiative that seeks to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS from mothers to infants and to improve health care delivery in Africa and the Caribbean. Through a combination of improving care and drug treatment and building the healthcare delivery capacity, this new effort is expected to reach up to one million women annually and reduce mother to child transmission by forty percent within five years or less in twelve African countries and the Caribbean. This Initiative will complement the efforts of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and represents the next essential step in the global struggle against AIDS.

USAID and AUSAID Studies Show New HIV/AIDS Effects in South Africa
May 22, 2002:  HIV/AIDS is severely affecting South African households, small and medium enterprises and the housing sector, according to new research commissioned by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Australian Agency for International Aid. The two development bodies supported seven studies selected with government to help government find out about rising economic problems caused by HIV/AIDS and how to respond.

NATIONAL TUBERCULOSIS DAY - March 25, 2002
March 25, 2002:  USAID supports Department of Health efforts to combat the TB epidemic and recognises the many South Africans helping TB patients in their own communities. To mark World TB Day, USAID is providing 20,000 volunteers administering the treatment known as "DOTS" (directly observed treatment short-course) with bags, hats, water bottles and other supplies marked with the "STOP TB" logo in recognition of their continued support.

USAID-Sponsored Regional HIV/AIDS Workshop for Faith-Based Leaders Seeks to Change Course of HIV/AIDS
March 19, 2002:  Thirty-eight leaders from faith-based organisations in nine southern African countries began a three-day HIV/AIDS workshop near Johannesburg Monday to "alter the course of the epidemic". Sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the workshop aims to help delegates in the epicenter of the disease to gain practical leadership skills in communication, counseling and project management to help their communities deal with HIV/AIDS. The participants hope they can also help a new generation to avoid the devastation HIV and AIDS has wreaked on people in their countries.

USAID Helps Black-Owned Microenterprise Achieve First Privatisation Deal in Waste Management
March 12, 2002:  The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has supported South Africa's first black economic empowerment merger achieved through privatization in the waste management industry. USAID Private Sector Director, Bill Brands, celebrated the successful deal with Phambili Services CEO, Vincent Charnley, and two senior managers in Alexandra today.

USAID-SOUTH AFRICA BILATERAL DEVELOPMENT SURPASSES R260 MILLION IN 2001
January 30, 2002:  U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, Cameron Hume, signed a Declaration of Development Cooperation with South African Deputy Finance Minister, Mandisi Mpahlwa, for United States Agency for International Development (USAID) assistance to South Africa. USAID provided more than R260 million (US$23.2 million) in direct support to the South African government for development priorities this past year. U.S. aid to South Africa is expected to rise by another eight percent this year. Total government-to-government development assistance has reached nearly R3 billion ($264.25 million) since establishing bilateral cooperation after the 1994 elections.