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- 10/21/08: Remarks by Henrietta Fore, Administrator, USAID and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance at the White House Development Summit
- 10/08/08: Remarks by Henrietta Fore, USAID Administrator and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance at The President's Freedom Agenda
- 10/01/08: Remarks by Henrietta H. Fore, Administrator, USAID and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance, at the Ceremony Marking the Full Operational Capacity of Africa Command (AFRICOM)
- 09/25/08: Remarks by Henrietta H. Fore, Administrator, USAID and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance, at 2008 Millennium Development Goal Malaria Summit, New York - "U.S. Leadership in the Fight Against Malaria"
- 09/22/08: Remarks by Henrietta H. Fore, Administrator, USAID and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance, at the White House Symposium on Advancing Global Literacy - "U.S. Commitment to Advancing Global Literacy"
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John Gillcrist, Chairman
North American Millers' Association
Presentation for USAID Program
"Bringing Hope to the Hungry"
50th Anniversary of Food for Peace
Washington, D.C.
July 21, 2004
Good morning! I need to preface my comments this morning by telling you ….. that I'm not qualified to make these remarks. But that won't stop me. I'm speaking to a room full of experts on food aid, so I'll try to give you the perspective of a businessman and a proud citizen whose had a glimpse at the positive impact US food aid can make in peoples lives.
Bartlett, along with many other US milling companies, have supplied millions of tonnes of enriched wheat flour, corn meal, corn soy blend, bulgur, fortified grits, and corn soy milk to PL480 programs over it's 50 year history.
We take great pride in our role in a program that has been so successful and that has provided hundreds of millions of people with the food necessary for their survival. US food aid best represents the goodwill and compassion of the American people toward those less fortunate around the world.
We are very proud and privileged to be a part of this grand humanitarian endeavor and have great admiration for those of you who have dedicated your careers towards helping others, often times under very difficult and perilous conditions. Thank you for your great work.
By the grace of God, most of us here today have been born into the "land of milk and honey". The United States of America is blessed with an abundance of resources, opportunity, wealth, prosperity, and freedom unmatched in the history of the world. Poverty and hunger, as measured by global standards, is virtually non-existent in the United States.
We enjoy comforts of life only dreamed of in many parts of the world. Comforts so basic that we take them for granted every day. Comforts such as clean running water, power on demand, housing, and education.
The privilege of being born in the United States is like winning life's lottery!
But with this privilege comes great responsibility. As the most blessed nation in the world we are also a nation with great obligations to the developing world.
Thomas Paine wrote in 1776, "The cause of America is in great measure the cause of mankind. Many circumstances have, and will, arise which are not local, but universal, and through which the principals of all lovers of mankind are affected, …."
I was in Ethiopia this past December with three other US milling executives and we were hosted by Beth Dunford and Brian Lamb of USAID. Beth and Brian are two wonderful examples of America's best; young, smart and full of energy.
We visited a WFP land reclamation project near Nazeret. A group of Ethiopian villagers proudly described their project which consisted of terracing and planting the hills around their village in a successful effort to stem erosion, retain top soil, grow trees, attract wild life, and grow grass essential to building their roofs and feeding their cattle.
US food aid was key in providing the sustenance that allowed them to complete this physically challenging project over three years. They thanked us repeatedly for the food we provided. They were immensely proud of the fact that they no longer relied on or received food aid due to the success and sustainability of their project.
Another site we visited was a water catchment project south of Addis. Villagers had hand dug a large water retention basin to capture water during the rainy season and to hold throughout the year. This development project provided clean water for the village and reduced the distance, time and energy women and children spent carrying water every day. The walking distance was cut by about 12 miles. US aid provided food during the construction of this catchment.
At a WFP food distribution site in a remote rural village some 2 hours from Addis, we witnessed a village woman receive a 50 kg bag of US donated wheat. She lifted the 110 lb bag over her shoulder, and bent over, under this burden, started to walk away. Curious about how she was going to use the whole wheat, we asked another villager how the woman would prepare the wheat to be eaten. We were told the woman was on her way to a mill, 10 km away, to have the wheat ground into flour. The women would hike back the 10 km to the village carrying a somewhat lighter load of 40 kgs. of flour which she would use to bake enjira bread. I had trouble comprehending the time and more importantly, the physical energy expended to provide a basic food staple for her family? It's incredible!
I have two strapping young sons, each about 6'2" and in great physical condition. They're both in the US Army, one just recently returned from a year Iraq. The other was on a training mission at Ft. Knox several months ago. He called to describe to me a grueling 10 mile quick march he'd completed in full battle dress carrying a 70 lb rucksack. He said , "Dad it was really rough!" ….. Needless to say, I wasn't very sympathetic.
Can you imagine having to spend most of every day of your life walking miles and miles carrying gerry cans full of water, or fire wood, or food just to make it through the next couple of days.
USAID took us to many, very successful programs in Ethiopia.
The most moving and heart wrenching visit was to the Mission of Charity facility in Addis Ababa: a tiny island of relief surrounded by a city of millions living in squalor and destitution. It is the last stop in life for many adults and children ravaged by Aids or other horrific diseases or handicaps, while also a springboard to a new life for hundreds of healthy orphans each year for whom new homes and new hopes are found.
Sister Benedicta took us into one ward in the mission full of dying young children. She announced to the room that we were the men from the United States that make their food. A handful of the children in the room, who were able, burst out in song to thank us! …. There wasn't a dry eye among the four "tough" American businessmen!
All the programs we witnessed had a lot in common. Most notably, they were all successful. Also, to our surprise, everywhere we went, aid recipients went out of their way to sincerely thank America for our help. Apparently, this gratitude and appreciation is common wherever US food aid is present around the world.
In recent years, emergencies such as Ethiopia, Afghanistan and more recently Sudan, have given the impression that food aid is primarily for emergencies. That is tempting to both budget watchers and others who may not understand the inherent value of development programs.
Food aid reaches its peak effect as a means to create development that will help prevent such emergencies. That is why it is vital to consistently fund programs such as global food for education, nutrition as the focus of HIV/AIDS remediation and development programs fueled by food aid, such as I described in Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, detractors who push for restrictions on food aid in the WTO negotiations have it backwards. The US is providing over half the resources for food security in a world that needs much much more, not less! Our colleagues in the WTO should be challenged not to restrict our efforts, but to step up to the plate and match us!
Of the eight hundred million people today in developing countries that are chronically malnourished, fifty million are suffering acute malnutrition and on the verge of starvation. Two hundred million are children under the age of five. Thirty percent of the 800 million live in Africa and the Near East and suffer the greatest proportion of malnourishment relative to total population than any other region in the world. Eleven thousand children per day die from malnourishment.
These are destitute, vulnerable people in a desperate day to day struggle for survival.
The most positive and effective demonstration and expression of the compassion and goodwill of America toward these people is our food aid program.
The United States and its' citizens are mistakenly perceived throughout most of the world in a very negative light in spite of our unmatched generosity and great compassion.
The United States needs to expand foreign food aid development programs to best demonstrate our true intentions, disarm our adversaries, and establish America as the world's undisputed "superpower" in the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Let us capitalize on a food aid program replete with 50 years of success stories and expand it in such a way that America's good intentions to reach out and help others cannot be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Thank you.
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