2007 Press Releases

USAID Administrator Sworn-in by Secretary of State
December 13, 2007.  Today Henrietta H. Fore was sworn-in here by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as the 15th Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Fore concurrently serves as the Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance and chairs the National Security Council's Policy Coordinating Committee on Development. She was designated by President Bush as Acting Administrator of USAID and by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as Acting Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance on May 7, 2007.

Imposing Sentences That Fit the Crime, Sponsored by USAID, Regional Court Magistrates learn to apply appropriate new sentencing measures
November 16, 2007.  A two-day conference was held November 16 and 17 in Boksburg—arranged by the Association of Regional Court Magistrates of Southern Africa (ARMSA), sponsored by USAID—to help Regional Court Magistrates learn how to apply the new sentencing legislation.  The Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Advocate J. H. De Lange, opened the conference attended by most of the country’s Regional Court Magistrates.

Local Language Book Initiative Spurs South African Children's Literacy (36KB)
October 19, 2007.   MIDRAND – Minister of Education Naledi Pandor and American Deputy Chief of Mission Don Teitelbaum today launched an American- South African partnership to develop children’s books in local South African languages. The three-year, R21.6 million (US$1=R7.2) program is funded by the U.S. President’s Africa Education Initiative, designed to improve educational opportunities for Africa’s children.  Today’s program commemorates World Literacy Month. 1.3 million copies of new books and learning materials for 4th, 5th and 6th grade students will be published through the ITHUBA Writing Project.

Media Advisory: Official Launch of Ithuba Writing Project (50KB)
September 10, 2007.   The Minister of Education, the Honorable Naledi Pandor, will celebrate World Literacy Month by launching the Ithuba Writing Project that is developing more than 600 000 South African learning materials in all official languages.  This USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development)-sponsored project is a collaboration between the Department of Education, the University of Texas at San Antonio, READ Educational Trust and the Molteno Project.  The first set of 16 storybooks will be revealed at the launch.

HHS Secretary To Visit Africa
August 15, 2007.   HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and a group of senior U.S. government leaders will visit four African nations to observe U.S. government programs that are delivering life-saving health care and sustenance to underserved communities, beginning Friday, Aug. 17. The Secretary will meet with top host-country government officials during the 10-day mission, as well as multiple sites that are providing health care and basic social services in each country.

American Students Travel To Africa As Hero Youth Ambassadors
July 13, 2007.   The students, selected by the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and its partners that include USAID will spend four weeks volunteering in schools targeting orphans and vulnerable children living in AIDS-affected communities. The HERO Youth Ambassadors will participate in building classrooms, constructing fences, installing kitchens (for in-school feeding programs), painting existing school structures and engaging in classroom and recreational activities to help improve the lives of school-aged children coping with the HIV  epidemic’s impact.

South African TV series wins international excellence awards
May 31, 2007.  Popular South African television drama series, Tsha Tsha, has recently been honored with several international awards for exceptional and innovative programs.  The weekly TV show won the Mass Media Award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Communication from the African Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development (AfriComNet), announced May 28. 

New Community Courts Increase Access to Justice. USAID Hands Over First Community Court for South African Government Management
May 22, 2007.  Fixing the problem that “justice delayed is justice denied,” will be part of South Africa’s history as the country introduces innovative Community Courts to speed up crime prosecutions.  The U.S. Agency for International Development—USAID—is supporting the South African Government’s efforts to address the staggering case backlog by establishing six well-equipped Courts within targeted communities that are closer to the scenes of crime.

Media Advisory: First Community Court Handed Over to South African Government: Will help address court backlog in Limpopo Province
May 22, 2007.   The U.S. Agency for International Development—USAID—is supporting the South African Government’s efforts to address the staggering criminal case backlog by establishing six well-equipped courts within targeted communities that are closer to the scenes of crime. 

Strengthening Justice to fight Debt Traps
16 April, 2007:  Sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), more than 700 magistrates countrywide are being trained by South Africa’s Justice College to apply and uphold the new National Credit Act (NCA) that takes effect on June 1.  This is the first Credit Act of its kind in Africa. 

U.S. Provides Disaster Assistance to Madagascar
March 29, 2007:   Responding to the Government of Madagascar’s request for international assistance, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Henderson M. Patrick declared a disaster due to widespread flooding from Cyclone Indlala.  As a result, the U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has provided $100,000 in assistance to Madagascar for this disaster and other recent tropical storms and cyclones.  USAID is giving $50,000 to NGO partner CARE for emergency relief supplies and another $50,000 to the UN World Food Programme to transport food to remote communities.

U.S. Increases Funds for Combating Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
March 27, 2007:   The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is increasing its contribution to the global fight against tuberculosis (TB), the airborne infectious disease that is especially deadly to people whose immune systems are compromised by HIV/AIDS.

Reaching New Heights  to bring AIDS Messages and Water to Africa
January 8, 2007:  (New York, NY and Johannesburg, South Africa, January 8, 2007)  Producers of the award-winning children’s television series, Takalani Sesame, have achieved new heights to bring relevant HIV and AIDS prevention messages to African children and their families.  The world’s first HIV-positive Muppet, Kami, relays pertinent AIDS facts from billboards on top of water towers created and built by PlayPumps, an organization that provides merry-go-round style pumps that bring water into communities in South Africa and throughout the sub-continent.