• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

28 May 2003

USAID Awards Five Iraq Community Development Contracts

(NGOs to help develop social, economic infrastructure) (430)
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded five
contracts to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to promote citizen
involvement in community development in Iraq.
The contracts were awarded to Mercy Corps, International Relief and
Development, Inc., Agricultural Cooperative Development International
and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance, Cooperative Housing
Foundation International and Save the Children Federation, Inc., USAID
said in a May 27 press release.
USAID's community development program in Iraq will focus on community
mobilization and cooperation, social and economic infrastructure
development, employment and income generation, and environmental
protection and management. The program will target under-represented
and "at risk" groups, including women.
Following is the text of USAID's press release:
(begin text)
May 27, 2003
USAID Awards Grants for Iraq
Community Action Program
Washington, DC -- The U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) announced award of five cooperative agreements to
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) today as part of its Iraq
Community Action Program (CAP). Five NGOs will receive cooperative
agreements: Mercy Corps, International Relief and Development, Inc.
(IRD), Agricultural Cooperative Development International and
Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI/VOCA), Cooperative
Housing Foundation International (CHF International) and Save the
Children Federation, Inc. Each NGO will receive initial funding of $7
million. The Iraq Community Action Program (CAP) is designed to
promote citizen involvement in community development efforts at the
grass-roots level and to prevent and mitigate potential conflict by
empowering individuals across gender, ethnic and religious lines. The
program will promote diverse and representative citizen participation
in and among 250 communities and will benefit approximately 5 million
Iraqis.
The goal of the CAP is to foster stability and improve Iraqis' lives
by ensuring that citizens' basic needs are met within their respective
communities. The CAP will provide citizens with an opportunity to
participate in decision-making related to the policies that govern
their lives. The program will focus on four areas: community
mobilization and cooperation; social and economic infrastructure
development; employment and income generation; and environmental
protection and management. In addition, all CAP initiatives will
target under-represented and "at risk" groups, including promoting
women's rights and facilitating the participation of youth and
minority groups in political processes.
USAID community action programs have a history of success in
challenging post-conflict environments, and flagship programs have
mobilized communities in Lebanon, Serbia and Montenegro, and Central
Asia's Ferghana Valley. This grant is part of USAID's overall relief
and reconstruction efforts in Iraq. For more information on the Iraq
CAP and other relief and reconstruction issues, please visit
www.usaid.gov/iraq/.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)