Humanitarian Assistance
A hurricane tears through Central America. Civil war creates refugees in the Balkans. Famine strikes the Horn of Africa. Two decades of war in Afghanistan its new government unable to deliver the most basic of services. In these and other situations around the world, the compassion of the American people goes pouring out to those in need through USAID.
 |
Truck transporting USAID
commodities to Afghanistan.
|
The United States gives more to those in crisis than any other country in the world. USAID is the U.S. Government agency that is responsible for directing these contributions to thousands of non-profit partners and international organizations like the World Food Program and UNICEF. In tandem with these organizations, the agency helps those affected by disaster to cope and then begin again by converting crisis situations into opportunities to promote peace, democracy, and economic growth. USAID ensures that all of this assistance is spent in the way that most effectively helps those who are in need.
The following USAID programs are key to providing humanitarian assistance:
Foreign
Disaster Assistance: Responsible for facilitating
and coordinating U.S. Government emergency assistance overseas and
to provide humanitarian assistance to save lives, alleviate human suffering, and reduce the social and economic impact
of natural and man-made disasters worldwide.
Food for Peace: The primary means by which
the United States donates food quickly to those people who
have the immediate needs because of natural or man-made disasters.
Agricultural goods provided by Food for Peace can also be
sold or exchanged to help rural communities learn how to produce
enough food to meet their own needs, and to teach these communities
about nutrition and health.
Ocean Freight Reimbursement: Provides small competitive grants to over 50 U.S. partners each year to reimburse the partner's costs to transport donations, such as medical supplies, agricultural equipment, educational supplies, and building equipment, to developing countries.
Denton Program: Allows nongovernmental organizations
or private citizens to use space available on U.S. Military
cargo planes to transport humanitarian goods and equipment
to countries in need, at little or no cost to them.
The Funds consists of three separate programs operated together:
Displaced
Children and Orphans Fund (DCOF): Provides assistance
to families who take in children orphaned as a result of war
or disaster.
Patrick
J. Leahy War Victims Fund (LWVF): For those
disabled by conflict, provides assistance in getting prosthetics.
Also provides assistance to polio victims.
Victims
of Torture Fund (VOT): Supports programs that
affirm the dignity of the survivor by restoring his or her
position as a functioning and contributing member of the
family and the community.
Back to Top ^
|
