African Development Foundation

A United States Government Agency

USADF funds record number of grants in fy 2011

supporting more than 65,000 jobs

WASHINGTON - October 25, 2011  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 25, 2011 -The United States African Development Foundation (USADF) announced today that Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 grant funding to grassroots groups and enterprises across Africa reached record levels.  USADF funded $25.9 million in project and partner development grants in 21 sub-Saharan African countries achieving the all-time highest level of grant funding in USADF history. Over the next five years these 250 new grants will generate over $60 million of additional income in 65,000 new and existing jobs.  More than 250,000 people will benefit from better incomes and improved access to food, education and health services.

Jack Leslie, Chairman of the USADF Board of Directors, said, “FY 2011 results show that USADF is a model of foreign assistance with low overhead and high results.”

“Our grants help to provide hope, growth and goodwill from the United States to a record number of vulnerable populations in Africa,” said USADF President and CEO, Lloyd O. Pierson. “I am proud of the USADF American and African staff who have worked together to benefit the ‘bottom billion’.”

The Foundation’s unique mission of supplying economic development grants directly to the most marginalized and underserved populations in Africa is achieving results.  USADF funds are used to develop or expand agricultural cooperatives, enterprises, and community groups, that create new jobs, increase incomes, and support a higher quality of life for people that have been overlooked.  Below is a sample of successful 2011 projects.

 Breaking the Cycle of Poverty in Turkana, Kenya

This spring USADF launched the five year, $10 million Turkana Food Security Program.  The Turkana in arid northern Kenya are one of the most marginalized people on the African continent; 75 percent of the population depends on food aid for survival.  Many lack jobs and there are few opportunities for employment.  Regional conflicts and drought are constant. USADF grants provide access to credit for improvements in irrigation, livestock, and fisheries sectors resulting in jobs and hope for a better future.  Matthew Logurale, a Turkana native and USADF Country Program Support Specialist stated, “These communities are saying that USADF’s program is a way out of poverty and reliance on food aid which has relegated the Turkana to poverty and dependency.”

Connecting Feed the Future Objectives and Jobs Creation in Senegal

USADF awarded six new projects to improve food production in villages affected by chronic food shortages.   It is estimated that 70 percent of Senegal’s population depend on imported food, more than any other country in sub-Saharan Africa.  USADF is a part of Feed the Future, the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative, which works with farmers who grow sesame, fonio, and rice in Senegal.  Cooperative members use USADF funding to get trainings in high yield agricultural techniques and composting skills.  Local experts teach cooperatives how to label, package, and sell their products ensuring that farmers have the skills to continue to earn incomes in the future.

Expanding Program Funds in Uganda

The Government of Uganda and USADF matched funding this year to bring $1.6 million to nine local cooperatives.  Groups such as the Bukonzo Joint Cooperative Micro Finance Society Ltd., a 3,887 member cooperative located in western Uganda, are now able to grow higher quality products and earn larger profits.  USADF has worked with African governments to match funding since 2004—an initiative that encourages governments to take a stake in their own development activities.  

USADF plans to support an additional 200 African led and initiated cooperatives, community groups, and small enterprises in FY 2012.  For more information about USADF programming, please visit our website at www.usadf.gov.

To learn more about USADF’s program with marginalized communities and populations, visit http://www.usadf.gov.  Follow us on Twitter @USADF.

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