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.
Living with a disability often means facing discrimination, exclusion from mainstream society, and a formidable range of physical obstacles. For most of the more than 7 million Ethiopians living with disabilities, simply getting around usually requires assistance from family or friends, while earning a real income and having financial independence remain unattainable dreams.
In Afghanistan, a proliferation of mobile phones is dramatically changing how citizens across the country are communicating with one another. But for deaf Afghans, mobile phone usage is limited to SMS text messages—a particular challenge considering that less than one-third of the population is literate.
When Marya Azimi found that she was constantly having to turn away large orders for her handicrafts company, she decided she needed help to expand the business.
В условиях финансового кризиса и сложной ситуации на рынке рекламы, центрально азиатские СМИ нуждаются в информации, инструментах и планах действий, которые помогут им продолжить свою деятельность и финансовую независимость. Кроме того, региональные СМИ сталкиваются с рядом других проблем, включая недостаток профессиональных навыков в стратегическом и финансовом планировании, текучка профессиональных кадров в связи с низкой заработной платой, а также нехватка надежных показателей охвата аудитории для привлечения рекламодателей. Плюс ко всему, переход на цифровое вещание в 2015 году остается проблематичной задачей для многих СМИ региона.
Кыргызская Республика – страна с самым сильным гражданским обществом в Центральной Азии. Правительство страны внедряет систему государственного социального заказа для прямого финансирования организаций гражданского общества (ОГО) как эффективных поставщиков государственных услуг. В то же время Программа USAID по совместному управлению работает над совершенствованием профессиональных знаний ОГО в рамках образовательных проектов в области управления некоммерческими организациями (УНКО). Данная инициатива – ответ на потребность сообщества ОГО в лучшем образовании в сфере УНКО, благодаря которому эти организации смогут повышать качество социальных услуг, проводить исследования в поддержку принятия тех или иных государственных решений и эффективнее защищать интересы граждан страны.
Thousands of primary school teachers in Kosovo are learning how to instruct their students more effectively and to rapidly determine if the lessons are being absorbed.
Local media in Central Asia are hungry for tools and strategies that will allow them to continue to operate and even thrive in a less-than-optimal advertising market and difficult financial conditions. The recession in Russia has led hundreds of thousands of Central Asian labor migrants to return to their homes, causing a severe drop in remittances, which make up a sizable portion of GDP in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in particular. In addition, regional media agencies face a range of other challenges including insufficient strategic and financial planning skills, trouble retaining professional staff due to low salaries, and lack of reliable audience metrics to attract advertisers. Moreover, the 2015 transition from analog to digital broadcasting remains problematic for most media outlets in the region. Many of them cannot afford to purchase the new equipment they need to produce and broadcast digital content, nor to pay the fees charged by the companies that control access to the digital broadcasting spectrum. In some cases, legal and regulatory obstacles may prevent stations from gaining access to broadcasting frequencies.
Like many other women entrepreneurs in Kyrgyzstan, Gulzat Tuleeva was able to fulfill her dream of starting a business only after her children were old enough. She launched her hotel business in 2013 when she was 36 years old and had four children with the eldest being already 15. Gulzat’s 12 room guesthouse, Adamkaly (Good Luck), is conveniently placed along the main road in Kochkor city, mountainous Naryn province in central Kyrgyzstan. The year-round guests are mostly business travelers from local businesses, banks, and government agencies. From May through October, Gulzat’s guesthouse also caters to local and international tourists.
The Kyrgyz Republic has the most vibrant and diverse civil society in Central Asia. The Government is introducing a social procurement system to directly fund civil society organizations (CSOs) as effective public service providers. At the same time, USAID’s Collaborative Governance Program has worked in parallel to improve the expertise of CSOs through nonprofit management (NPM) education. This initiative responds to the need within the CSO community for better NPM education so that CSOs can improve the quality of social services, conduct research in support of decision-making, and more effectively advocate for citizens’ needs.
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