Youth development programs need to continue to bridge the gap between school and work. To do this, they should offer avenues to increase economic opportunities for young people, provide social and political stability, and arm the incoming workforce with 21st century skills. By supporting and preparing young people for real-world work, youth workforce development programs…
Successful and sustainable gender sensitive policies that promote equity require commitment from all stakeholders and a thorough understanding of country context. STEP-UP Zambia, a USAID-funded and Chemonics-implemented education project, first assessed existing policies that could play a part in gender sensitive programming. They then worked with local institutions, stakeholders, and government counterparts to assess the…
The Feed the Future Uganda Commodity Production and Marketing (CPM) activity began in 2013 and ran for five years. CPM works to increase productivity and income of rural families so they can lift themselves out of poverty and thrive. The activity harnesses market forces and uses innovative methods to increase the quantity and quality of coffee, maize, and beans that…
The Capacity Development for Partners of Accountability Program, referred to as Pamoja Twajenga, meaning “Together We Build” in Kiswahili, supported select Tanzanian civil society organizations (CSOs) and government of Tanzania Institutions of Accountability (IOAs) with timely technical assistance enabling them to provide sustainable and significant impact as advocates in their respective sectors. With Pamoja Twajenga’s…
The USAID Pakistan FIRMS Project, implemented by Chemonics, strove to enhance the competitiveness of the small and medium-sized firms that represent 90 percent all enterprises, employ an estimated 80 percent of the non-agricultural labor force, and account for approximately 40 percent of GDP. FIRMS provided enterprise-level assistance, worked to improve the business enabling environment, and…
This technical brief discusses the challenges in finding equitable, practical ways to accelerate and sustain power sector reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa, which also learn from public-private transactions. One way is to provide additional technical and capacity support to the public sector in combination with market development programs that match investors to new business opportunities. This…
The work that BioREDD+ produced in the Colombian Pacific region was designed to achieve USAID’s development objective to strengthen Colombia’s efforts to sustainably manage the country’s environmental resources, by addressing climate change, biodiversity conservation, and environmental governance objectives. The BioREDD+ climate change component focused on mitigation and preparing Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities along Colombia’s Pacific…
The signing of the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) in 2006 revealed a need to reduce Peru’s illegal logging rates. To accomplish this, USAID’s Environmental Management and Forest Governance Support Activity, also known as Peru Bosques (“Forests” in English) project supports several objectives 1) to help the Peruvian government improve its institutions, forestry regulations,…
The Jordan Ministry of Health’s Strategic Plan 2013-2017 lists both attracting new talent into the public health system and retaining staff as two of its biggest challenges. Because about 3.78 million people in Jordan — including refugees and marginalized populations — rely on services provided by the ministry, a full, committed staff is critical. In…
From June 2008 to August 2013, the principal objective of the USAID West Bank/Gaza Trade Facilitation Project was to facilitate the flow of goods and people in a manner that satisfied the principles and benchmarks of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access. At the start of the project, TFP focused on three key components,…
The $8.7-million program began in February 2012 in response to Haiti’s excessive charcoal production and consumption, and the resultant environmental impact, such as extensive deforestation, watershed destruction, and increased vulnerability to flooding, mudslides, and soil erosion. ICTP aimed at four intermediate results. The program worked to expand a local market for improved household biomass cookstoves; reduce charcoal consumption; strengthen the legal and…
The Bago City government received technical support through the Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystem Resilience (B+WISER) Program, jointly developed and implemented by USAID and the Philippines’ Department for Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Through this program, Bago City was able to introduce the environmental protection fee on water, with proceeds from…