Speeches Shim
Every day, all over the world, USAID brings peace to those who endure violence, health to those who struggle with sickness, and prosperity to those who live in poverty. It is these individuals — these uncounted thousands of lives — that are the true measure of USAID’s successes and the true face of USAID's programs.
The citizens of Timbuktu, a region in northern Mali, experienced a large number of abuses during the country’s 2012 conflict, including rape and assault. Now victims of human rights abuses are attending psychosocial counseling as they move along the path to recovery.
Following the catastrophic floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in May 2014, two U.S. Government agencies have been working together to deliver emergency supplies for flood victims, refurbish schools and rebuild playgrounds and youth camps. And they’ve tackled tougher issues, too, such as government transparency and corruption.
Anyone who was in Sarajevo the night the team came home has witnessed the power of sport to unite the people of BiH. More than 50,000 people took to the streets in Sarajevo and throughout the country to celebrate the victory of their national youth basketball team.
The escalation of violence after the disputed 2010 presidential elections led to the worst humanitarian crisis in Côte d'Ivoire's history. Violence devastated families across the country, with an estimated 3,000 deaths, numerous arrests and hundreds of thousands forced to flee as internally displaced persons or refugees.
A natural disaster is 30 times more likely to occur in the Pacific Islands than in the United States. Floods, droughts, tropical cyclones and other extreme weather events have forced people to cope with the devastating effects of a changing climate. Many of the region’s villages have not developed formal disaster response training, leaving families unprepared to survive catastrophic events.
Each time a case of sesame seeds left the Barakat Bazr factory in Herat, Masood* knew that it was a lost opportunity. The seeds were sold unprepared, making them 40 percent cheaper at just $1,350 per metric ton.
The Peace Through Sports project, led by the American University of Nigeria with support from USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives, has been hosting a six-month sports tournament to recognize and build youth self-esteem, resilience and tolerance. Youth participants, diverse in geographic origin, attend local secondary schools or were identified as vulnerable to violent extremism. Over 1,500 local youth from the northeastern state of Adamawa have been competing on 104 soccer, basketball and volleyball teams.
Looking back, it is clear that a lack of understanding of the electoral process and the regulations governing the elections by the youth in these neighborhoods contributed greatly to the violence. This lack of knowledge on their civic rights and responsibilities made them vulnerable to manipulation to perpetrate acts of violence. With the next presidential elections on Oct. 25, 2015, many feared that the situation could repeat itself if nothing was done.
The eldest of three daughters, she grew up in a farming family near the Mekong River in Cambodia. Doem Sdao, a rural, agricultural community, was poor and isolated. Cheng never heard of gender equality until she was recruited to join the Cambodia Ministry of Women’s Affairs in 2007. Her education in law and development cooperation led her superiors to give her a leadership position on gender and climate change.
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