Leahy War Victims Fund
Since its creation in 1989, the Patrick Leahy War Victims Fund has been the foundation
of USAID’s
efforts to respond to the needs of civilian victims of conflict in war-affected
developing countries. The Fund provides a dedicated source of
financial and technical assistance for people living with disabilities, particularly
those who have sustained mobility-related injuries from unexploded ordnance,
antipersonnel landmines, and other direct and indirect causes of disability,
including preventable diseases that might result from interrupted immunization
campaigns.
Over time, the Fund has expanded its scope. It now not only delivers immediate
care to those in need, as it did at its inception, but also designs and implements
myraid development programs that accommodate the changing needs of the populations
they serve, as well as establishing the foundations for sustainable services
in developing countries. It contributes to the design and enforcement of international
standards to ensure that practitioners who provide care to survivors are competent,
and ensures that treatment and equipment are used effectively to increase
the mobility of people with disabilities around the world.
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