USAID Volunteers Recognized for Services in Promoting Economic Growth Overseas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2007
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA), recently recognized the international service of volunteers who have contributed their professional skills and time to meeting the challenges of economic growth in developing countries on behalf of USAID. The awards were presented at USAID's Washington, D.C. headquarters by Jacqueline Schafer, USAID Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, and David Norman, Chairman, VEGA Board of Directors.
Twenty volunteers received the President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA), which is recognition by the President of the United States for outstanding volunteer service, and aims to inspire others to volunteer. Notable among these volunteers is Damon Szymakski, recipient of the President's Call to Service Award, for having contributed, to date, more that 19,000 hours of volunteer service in fifteen countries. Thomas Moore, Volunteers Alexandra Lepionka, Ryan Lyford, Manyok Mabior and Kirk Manhin received the PVSA Gold Award for volunteering more than 500 or hours of service. William Bryant, Nancy Eranosian, Gary Mutz, Beth Oliver and Rick Otero received the PVSA Silver Award for 250-499 hours of volunteer service. Stephen Drozda, Connie Freiermuth, Ron Harbour, Kendall Mau, Donald Renquist, Ashok Sadhwani, Sherif Sakr, Howard Stein and Wissam Yafi received the PVSA Bronze Award for 100-249 hours of volunteer service.
Eight of these volunteers also received the VEGA Service Impact Award, which recognizes volunteers whose work had especially significant impact on the economic growth of the countries in which they volunteered. One of the most interesting achievements from this group of outstanding volunteers is that of Mabior Manyok, one of the "Lost Boys," of Southern Sudan who left the war-torn country as a refugee during his teenage years, and resettled in the United States. He is presently working as a VEGA volunteer in Southern Sudan, using his professional skills to upgrade the information communications technology capabilities of the country's Ministry of the Environment. Other recipients of the VEGA Service Impact Award were Stephen Drozda, for service in Bulgaria; Connie Freiermuth, Alexandra Lepionka, Kirk Manhin and Beth Oliver for service in Southern Sudan; and Gary Mutz and Sherif Sakr for service in Morocco and Bahrain.
VEGA plans, manages, and supports these volunteers' work overseas under a five-year Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreement with USAID that began in February 2004. The VEGA member organizations that recruited, fielded, and supported the work of these volunteers are ACDI/VOCA; Citizens Development Corps: Financial Services Volunteer Corps; International Executive Service Corps; and Winrock International.
For further information about the President's Volunteer Service awards, go to http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/. For additional information on USAID visit www.usaid.gov.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
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