OCTOBER 2004
In this section:
Sudan Deaths Climb
OFDA's 40th: Storms, Crises, Swift Response
Jobs Key in Iraq
Photo: At-Risk Youth Programs in Brazil
Sudan Deaths Climb
DARFUR, Sudan—The crisis in Western Sudan has been called genocide by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, and it continued unabated in this African country, leaving 2 million people affected and a death rate of 6,000-10,000 per month, U.N. officials said.
USAID remained deeply involved in providing relief to the displaced. Fourteen staff members were posted to Khartoum, the capital, and the three Darfur provinces. Administrator Andrew Natsios made his latest visit to the region September 15-18.
A breakdown in talks between the Sudan government and rebels in mid-September and ongoing clashes between the two sides raised fears that aid could be further obstructed and violence could spread among civilians.
The ethnic Arab Jangaweit militia, armed and backed by the Sudan government, continued to be blamed for rapes, murders, the wanton destruction of many villages, and displacement of non-Arab residents of Darfur.
Police deployed by the government into displacement camps have not eased concerns for the safety of the displaced. The police have strong ties to the Jangaweit, according to observers.
"The reports streaming in from Sudanese refugees in Chad and from the Sudanese in Darfur clearly show that the events of the past year have shattered their lives. Trust in the government is completely eroded and, without dramatic improvement in security, Sudanese will not be able to return home," said Roger Winter, Assistant Administrator of Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance.
Swiss relief officials, the first to use a transportation corridor cleared by Libya, sent 400 tons of food overland from Libya. They crossed 2,500 miles of the Sahara Desert in 25 days to reach some of the 200,000 refugees in Chad. However, the Chad-Sudan border remains closed to passage of food and other commodities, though the Chadian government has proved helpful in the crisis.
In addition, seasonal rains have made roads impassible in places, cutting off some of the refugee camps in Chad and displaced persons' camps in Sudan.
USAID airlifted 24 all-terrain trucks into Khartoum in September, and they have been put to work hauling food from Port Sudan to Darfur.
OFDA's 40th: Storms, Crises, Swift Response
The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) celebrated its 40th anniversary by responding to massive damage from Hurricane Ivan, which tore through the islands of Grenada and Jamaica in early September.
OFDA also responded to the seizure of hostages in a school in Russia, which left more than 350 children and adults dead and more than 700 wounded.
And the office dispatched funds and emergency supplies to Haiti after Tropical Storm Jeanne's heavy rains caused mudslides and severe flooding, killing more than 1,500 people.
"September was a very busy month for us," said Michael Marx, a disaster response team leader with OFDA. "But immediate response to humanitarian disasters is at the heart of what we do, so we were prepared."
Hurricane Ivan tore through Grenada September 7, damaging or destroying 90 percent of homes and affecting nearly all of the island's 90,000 residents. By a week later, 37 deaths were reported. Some 5,000 people were living in shelters.
Two days later, Ivan ripped into Jamaica, leaving 18 dead. Some 18,000 people were displaced when dozens of communities were flooded and many houses were structurally damaged.
In Grenada, OFDA provided $100,000 to buy emergency relief supplies and for in-country air transport and aerial assessments of affected areas. OFDA also provided $150,000 to the Pan American Health Organization for health services and infrastructure rebuilding.
The Agency also has provided Grenada with 3,360 ten-liter and 6,800 five-gallon water containers, a water treatment unit, four 10,000-liter water bladder kits, 774 rolls of plastic sheeting, 4,332 hygiene kits, and 12 chainsaws for debris removal. As of September 20, some $386,000 worth of supplies had been airlifted to the island.
In Jamaica, OFDA provided $50,000 for relief activities to be carried out by the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. OFDA also airlifted 2,000 jerry cans, 360 rolls of plastic sheeting, 2,024 hygiene kits, and 8 boats with motors and life vests valued at nearly $200,000, including transport.
In Haiti, USAID has provided more than $1.9 million in humanitarian aid, including for plastic sheeting, hygiene kits, cooking sets, blankets, water containers, and other relief supplies.
As hurricanes raged in the Caribbean, terrorists seized a school in North Ossetia,. Russia, September 1. After a three-day siege that ended violently, the U.S. Ambassador in Moscow, Alexander Vershbow, issued a disaster declaration.
OFDA provided $50,000 to the Russian Red Cross for medical equipment and support medical services. On September 6, the U.S. Department of Defense sent two C-130s with emergency supplies from a Department of State stockpile in Germany.
USAID supplemented this contribution through the purchase of five trauma and five burn kits valued at $80,000 from a stockpile in Italy. In all, USAID has provided $130,000 in assistance to Russia.
Jobs Key in Iraq
BAGHDAD—At least 50,000 Iraqis per month are finding work—whether temporary or permanent—through USAID-supported programs.
"We are the engine, in terms of creating employment," said Iraq Mission Director Spike Stevenson during a recent visit to Washington, D.C.
The Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) employs an average of 40,000 Iraqis per month on short-term, labor-intensive jobs cleaning up communities and rehabilitating schools and other buildings. These activities focus on poor and conflict-prone areas.
Meanwhile, some 8,000 Iraqis have found long-term employment with contractors and subcontractors funded by the Agency. Thousands are also participating in trainings that teach job skills.
Some $21 million in microcredit loans to small and medium-sized businesses are also creating jobs as Iraq's economy tries to get back on its feet. USAID is funding the loans through NGOs.
Some 52 percent of Iraqis are unemployed, and many of those with jobs are underemployed, working part-time or for small income. This is a particularly alarming figure, given that some 70 percent of the Iraqi population is under 25—a large labor pool with need for economic opportunity.
"Our programs focus on creating long-term, meaningful employment," said Nadia Dawood of the Iraq desk.
Under a new program, USAID will also work with vocational and educational centers throughout Iraq to provide job skills training and help people find work.
USAID-assisted private sector housing and commercial construction are also creating jobs, especially in urban areas. Iraq is estimated to have a housing shortage of 1 million units.
War and drought have hurt Iraq's agriculture, on which 35 percent of the population depend for a livelihood.
The Agency is therefore rehabilitating agricultural infrastructure, maintaining irrigation networks, and improving crop and livestock production technologies, focusing on the private sector. These activities will provide employment and higher incomes for the rural population and lead to sector-wide economic growth, said Doug Pool of the Iraq team.
At-Risk Youth Programs in Brazil
A contemporary dance performance by the Dance and Social Integration School for Children and Adolescents (EDISCA), held June 8 in Brasília to commemorate the 10th anniversary of USAID/Brazil's program assisting at-risk youth. EDISCA offers children from Fortaleza's poorest neighborhoods the chance to participate in arts, health, education, and nutrition activities. Photo: Mila Petrillo
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