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| ![](med                | # Center for Fai                            |
| ia/image1.jpeg){width= | th-Based & Community Initiatives Newsletter |
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+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|                        | **september 26, 2008**                      |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **Letter from the      | > **AT A GLANCE**                           |
| Director**             | >                                           |
|                        | > **USAID Press.................. USAID     |
| **Dear Newsletter      | > Grants \$2 Million Dollars to the United  |
| Recipients,**          | > Nations Literacy Decade Fund to Advance   |
|                        | > Global Literacy, President Bush Attends   |
| **In this week's       | > Meeting on Food Security, \$800,000 US    |
| newsletter we have     | > aid for Flood Relief, World Vision, USAID |
| focused in part on     | > Tout Aid for Local Organic Agriculture**  |
| mircrofinance and the  | >                                           |
| organizations, such as | > **Helpful Tools................DGP        |
| Kiva and Opportunity   | > Informational Conference Call**           |
| International, that    | >                                           |
| are working            | > **Helpful                                 |
| successfully in this   | >                                           |
| field.**               | Links..................www.america.gov/ar** |
|                        | >                                           |
| **Microfinance is an   | > **Articles of Interest.........Egypt      |
| area of service that   | > Needs Bigger Plans for Microfinance, Say  |
| can give people a      | > Experts, Rural Banks to Have Expanded     |
| sense of self and      | > Mobile Phone Banking Services Aid Plan    |
| change the entire      | > Aims to Help Poor Farmers Reach Markets,  |
| economic situation of  | > Mission Helps Study Use Of Faith, McCain, |
| a country. We have     | > Obama Poised to Expand Faith-Based        |
| included articles      | > Initiative**                              |
| surrounding this issue | >                                           |
| that are worth reading | > **Success Stories.............Kiva,       |
| in the "Articles of    | > Opportunity International**               |
| Interest" section.**   | >                                           |
|                        | > **Upcoming Events........... Advisory     |
| **The CFBCI will also  | > Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid,**     |
| be hosting an          | >                                           |
| informational          | > **White House OFBCI Partnership Summit,   |
| conference call on the | > Introductory Security Management Workshop |
| Development Grants     | > for Humanitarian & Faith-Based            |
| Program. For call      | > Organizations Conference on Protection of |
| information go to the  | > Unaccompanied and Separated Children,     |
| "Helpful Tools"        | > Forum on Relief and Development**         |
| section of this week's | >                                           |
| newsletter.**          | > **Grant Opportunities......\... USAID and |
|                        | > U.S. Department of State**                |
| **Warmest regards,**   |                                             |
|                        | If you would like to sign up to receive     |
| **Terri**              | regular updates from the USAID Center for   |
|                        | Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, or   |
|                        | if you would like to discontinue            |
|                        |                                             |
| ***Terri Hasdorff***   | receiving the newsletter, please [click     |
|                        | here.](http://www.usaid.go                  |
| ***Director, Center    | v/cgi-bin/listserv.cgi?listname=FAITHBASED) |
| for Faith Based &      |                                             |
| Community              |                                             |
| Initiatives***         |                                             |
|                        |                                             |
| ***U.S. Agency for     |                                             |
| International          |                                             |
| Development***         |                                             |
|                        |                                             |
| ***U.S. Department of  |                                             |
| State***               |                                             |
|                        |                                             |
| ***1300 Pennsylvania   |                                             |
| Avenue NW Washington,  |                                             |
| DC  20523***           |                                             |
|                        |                                             |
| [                      |                                             |
| ***FBCI@usaid.gov***]( |                                             |
| mailto:FBCI@usaid.gov) |                                             |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|                        | **USAID PRESS**                             |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **USAID Grants \$2     | **WASHINGTON, D.C. - USAID provided a grant |
| Million Dollars to the | of more than \$2 million to support the new |
| United Nations         | United Nations Literacy Decade Fund to      |
| Literacy Decade Fund   | Advance Global Literacy at the United       |
| to Advance Global      | Nations Educational, Scientific and         |
| Literacy**             | Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Fund    |
|                        | will promote best practices and effective   |
|                        | programs in areas with high illiteracy      |
|                        | rates and ensure that programs are          |
|                        | accountable and measurable. Announced by    |
|                        | Mrs. Laura Bush, First Lady of the United   |
|                        | States, during the White House Symposium on |
|                        | Advancing Global Literacy in New York City, |
|                        | the new Fund is expected to continue to     |
|                        | stimulate country-level leadership in       |
|                        | promoting new policies and strategies to    |
|                        | improve literacy where it is needed most.** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **\"Achieving the goal of global literacy   |
|                        | will require global participation. Today, I |
|                        | am happy to announce the establishment of   |
|                        | the United Nations Literacy Decade Fund to  |
|                        | Advance Global Literacy,\" said Mrs. Bush.  |
|                        | \"This fund will be housed at UNESCO, and   |
|                        | sustained by contributions from             |
|                        | governments, foundations, corporations, and |
|                        | others. It will support activities in the   |
|                        | 35 countries with the lowest literacy       |
|                        | rates, and it will target the most          |
|                        | disadvantaged populations - including       |
|                        | orphans and out-of-school youth.\"**        |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **As Honorary Ambassador for the United     |
|                        | Nations Literacy Decade, earlier today Mrs. |
|                        | Bush hosted the White House Symposium on    |
|                        | Advancing Global Literacy: Building a       |
|                        | Foundation for Freedom at the Metropolitan  |
|                        | Museum of Art. The symposium provided a     |
|                        | forum to discuss the outcomes of the six    |
|                        | UNESCO Regional Literacy Conferences,       |
|                        | inspired by the first White House           |
|                        | Conference on Global Literacy in 2006;      |
|                        | highlighted programs that can be replicated |
|                        | around the world with the support of local  |
|                        | and national governments, civil society,    |
|                        | and the private sector; and renewed         |
|                        | international commitments to promoting and  |
|                        | sustaining global literacy efforts.**       |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Panelists included Ambassador Louise      |
|                        | Oliver, U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO, Mrs.     |
|                        | Margarita Zavala, First Lady of Mexico, Her |
|                        | Excellency Madame Tours Lobbo Traoré,       |
|                        | Spouse of the President of the Republic of  |
|                        | Mali, and Her Royal Highness Princess       |
|                        | Laurentien of the Netherlands. Officials    |
|                        | from the U.S. and UNESCO discussed          |
|                        | continued commitments to advance global     |
|                        | literacy. The Symposium featured an address |
|                        | from U.S. Agency for International          |
|                        | Development (USAID) Administrator and the   |
|                        | Director of Foreign Assistance, Henrietta   |
|                        | Fore.**                                     |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **\"Men and women who can read and write    |
|                        | participate more fully in their             |
|                        | communities, develop the skills they need   |
|                        | to be self-supporting, and significantly    |
|                        | strengthen the position of their countries  |
|                        | in today\'s global economy,\" said          |
|                        | Administrator Fore.**                       |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Target groups for the Fund include women  |
|                        | and girls; out-of-school youth; orphans and |
|                        | vulnerable children; persons displaced from |
|                        | their homes; and disadvantaged persons      |
|                        | based on age, economic level, religion,     |
|                        | illness, disease, and/or disability. The    |
|                        | Fund will be used to build upon the work of |
|                        | the White House Conference on Global        |
|                        | Literacy, the White House Symposium on      |
|                        | Advancing Global Literacy, and the UNESCO   |
|                        | Regional Literacy Conferences in Qatar,     |
|                        | China, Mali, India, Azerbaijan, and Mexico  |
|                        | to promote and sustain global literacy      |
|                        | efforts and demonstrate international       |
|                        | support for improving education and         |
|                        | learning opportunities worldwide. The       |
|                        | Fund\'s aim is to support efforts to        |
|                        | achieve the goals of the United Nations     |
|                        | Literacy Decade (UNLD), particularly        |
|                        | through the Literacy Initiative for         |
|                        | Empowerment (LIFE), the Literacy Assessment |
|                        | and Monitoring Programme (LAMP)             |
|                        | initiatives, and in particular by improving |
|                        | literacy delivery on the ground through the |
|                        | promotion of best practices.**              |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **By encouraging countries around the world |
|                        | to promote and sustain global literacy      |
|                        | efforts, this Fund will help reduce         |
|                        | inequality and build a foundation of        |
|                        | freedom for all. The priority areas for     |
|                        | funding are Mother-Child Literacy and       |
|                        | Intergenerational Learning, Literacy for    |
|                        | Health, and Literacy for Economic           |
|                        | Self-Sufficiency. The symposium included    |
|                        | nearly 200 guests, such as First Ladies of  |
|                        | Heads of States, UNESCO Ambassadors, and    |
|                        | NGOs and private sector individuals who     |
|                        | have been instrumental in the regional      |
|                        | literacy conferences.**                     |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **For more information about USAID and its  |
|                        | education programs around the world, visit  |
|                        | [www.usaid.gov](http://www.usaid.gov/).**   |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **President Bush       | **THE PRESIDENT: Today, Laura and I and     |
| Attends Meeting on     | Condi, and other members of the             |
| Food Security**        | administration are really honored to be at  |
|                        | a table with folks from the private sector  |
| **Millennium U.N.      | and the public sector and NGOs who are all  |
| Plaza Hotel\           | concerned about hunger.**                   |
| New York, New York**   |                                             |
|                        | **The United States has made a very strong  |
| 10:57 A.M. EDT         | and powerful commitment to help those who   |
|                        | need food. We\'ve committed about \$5       |
| ![](me                 | billion of taxpayers\' money over the next  |
| dia/image2.png){width= | two years to make sure people don\'t go     |
| "2.4805555555555556in" | hungry. And it\'s in our interest that we   |
| height="               | do that. On the other hand, is it always in |
| 1.5659722222222223in"} | our interest to promote a second Green      |
|                        | Revolution.**                               |
| **President George W.  |                                             |
| Bush, Secretary of     | **And how do you do that? Well, you use     |
| State Condoleezza      | good science to get farmers in sub-Sahara   |
| Rice, and USAID        | Africa, for example, the tools necessary to |
| Administrator          | be able to deal with the conditions in      |
| Henrietta H. Fore**    | which they have to farm. You use government |
|                        | aid to build infrastructure so farmers can  |
|                        | get products to market. You have good trade |
|                        | policy so that farm goods can travel freely |
|                        | across national borders. You have good      |
|                        | agricultural policy that \-- combined with  |
|                        | good trade policy, which reduces the        |
|                        | subsidies that sometimes make it hard for,  |
|                        | you know, indigenous farming communities to |
|                        | take off. You have \-- promote value-added  |
|                        | processing.**                               |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **And so this is the strategy that\'s being |
|                        | discussed here at this table. The United    |
|                        | States is a compassionate nation. When      |
|                        | citizens around the world suffer, we suffer |
|                        | with them. We\'re a strong enough nation to |
|                        | help people in our own country who are      |
|                        | having trouble, but we\'re also strong      |
|                        | enough to help others as well. And a        |
|                        | cornerstone of good foreign policy and a    |
|                        | good compassionate philosophy is making     |
|                        | sure that people don\'t go hungry.**        |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **And so I thank you all very much for      |
|                        | sharing that passion. I thank you for the   |
|                        | leadership roles you have taken. And may    |
|                        | the Good Lord continue to bless your work.  |
|                        | Thank you. (Applause).**                    |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **\$800,000 US aid for | **KATHMANDU- The United States Agency for   |
| Flood Relief**         | International Development (USAID) on Friday |
|                        | released an additional \$800,000 in relief  |
| **Kantipur Online      | funds for recent flood victims in Sunsari   |
| (Nepal)**              | and Saptari districts.**                    |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **According to a press statement issued by  |
|                        | USAID/Nepal today, the amount is being      |
|                        | released through the Office of U.S. Foreign |
|                        | Disaster Assistance (OFDA). "The funds will |
|                        | assist the Government of Nepal in meeting   |
|                        | the ongoing critical needs of the           |
|                        | flood-affected. USAID/Nepal has authorized  |
|                        | immediate additional release of \$800,000,  |
|                        | which will be granted to the International  |
|                        | Federation of the Red Cross/Nepal Red Cross |
|                        | Society, International Organization for     |
|                        | Migration, and Save the Children," said the |
|                        | statement.**                                |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **This relief money will provide emergency  |
|                        | shelter materials for the displaced living  |
|                        | in camps and for the host families who are  |
|                        | sheltering the displaced. Earlier,          |
|                        | USAID/Nepal had responded with immediate    |
|                        | provision of emergency non-food relief      |
|                        | items and shelter materials worth           |
|                        | \$121,100.**                                |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **World Vision, USAID  | **BEIRUT: World Vision and the United       |
| Tout Aid for Local     | States Agency for International Development |
| Organic Agriculture**  | (USAID) celebrated on Friday the            |
|                        | achievements of a three-year project that   |
| **Daily Star           | helped hundreds of Lebanon's farmers by     |
| (Lebanon)**            | growing organic agriculture sector in       |
|                        | Lebanon, which has positive impact on the   |
| **September 22, 2008** | environment, the economy and the health of  |
|                        | the consumer," said project manager Nabil   |
|                        | Maalouf.**                                  |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **More than 4,500 people benefited directly |
|                        | from the Sustainable Agri-Business          |
|                        | Initiative for Lebanon project, 800 of whom |
|                        | are farmers from Bint Jbeil, East Sidon,    |
|                        | Marjayoun, the Bekaa Valley, North Lebanon  |
|                        | and Beirut. The project focused on          |
|                        | developing BioCo-op Lubnan, national        |
|                        | organic agriculture farming cooperative.**  |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **USAID provided \$7.8 million funding over |
|                        | three years to identify and develop         |
|                        | specialized organic agriculture practices;  |
|                        | provided state-of-the-art processing,       |
|                        | packaging and storage facilities throughout |
|                        | Lebanon; and put in place the marketing and |
|                        | other services needed to bring Lebanese     |
|                        | organic farm products to market.**          |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Through the SABIL project, Lebanese       |
|                        | farmers were able to earn organic           |
|                        | certifications and sell their produce at    |
|                        | higher prices than conventional produce     |
|                        | under the local brand name Campagnia. Some  |
|                        | organic Lebanese products have also been    |
|                        | exported to Europe and the Gulf.**          |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **"The journey of the organic farming       |
|                        | sector under the program was not easy, yet  |
|                        | despite the many challenging times, what    |
|                        | was achieved in Lebanon by the program and  |
|                        | its partners in the past five years have    |
|                        | taken other countries at least a decade,"   |
|                        | said USAID official Christine Sayegh.**     |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **World Vision and USAID worked with        |
|                        | several Lebanese partners to implement the  |
|                        | project, including the Litani River         |
|                        | Authority, the Lebanese Agriculture         |
|                        | Research Institute, the Gebran National     |
|                        | Committee, and the Holy Spirit University   |
|                        | Kaslik's faculty of agricultural            |
|                        | sciences.**                                 |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|                        | **HELPFUL TOOLS**                           |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **Please join USAID's  | **DEVELOPMENT GRANTS PROGRAM INFORMATIONAL  |
| Center for Faith-Based | CONFERENCE CALL**                           |
| and Community          |                                             |
| Initiatives on a       | **WHEN: Wednesday, October 1, 2008**        |
| conference call to     |                                             |
| discuss the rollout of | **TIME: 3:00 PM EST -- 4:00 PM EST**        |
| the Development Grants |                                             |
| Program (DGP), a       | **CALL-IN NUMBER: (866) 306-0035**          |
| grants program geared  |                                             |
| toward new USAID       | **CONFERENCE ID:** **66470326 (Please       |
| partners.  This is a   | reference this number when joining the      |
| great opportunity for  | call)**                                     |
| faith-based and        |                                             |
| community              | **NOTE: In order to join this conference    |
| organizations to learn | call, all speakers and participants will be |
| about this exciting    | required to provide the Conference ID       |
| new grants program     | Number listed above.**                      |
| designed for partners  |                                             |
| just like you. Karen   |                                             |
| Turner, Director of    |                                             |
| the Office of          |                                             |
| Development Partners   |                                             |
| at USAID, and Terri    |                                             |
| Hasdorff, Director of  |                                             |
| the Center for         |                                             |
| Faith-Based and        |                                             |
| Community Initiatives  |                                             |
| will explain the DGP   |                                             |
| and take questions     |                                             |
| from call              |                                             |
| participants.          |                                             |
| Participation on the   |                                             |
| call is capped at 200, |                                             |
| so please ensure that  |                                             |
| you call in prior to   |                                             |
| the 3pm start time to  |                                             |
| ensure your spot.  For |                                             |
| preliminary            |                                             |
| information about the  |                                             |
| DGP, please read       |                                             |
| below.**               |                                             |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|                        | **HELPFUL LINKS**                           |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **www.america.gov/ar** | **The Bureau of International Information   |
|                        | Programs is pleased to announce the launch  |
|                        | of the Arabic-language version of           |
|                        | [www                                        |
|                        | .america.gov/ar](http://www.america.gov/ar) |
|                        | on Tuesday, September 23. In addition to**  |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **offering up-to-date information on U.S.   |
|                        | society, values and policy in Arabic,       |
|                        | reflecting most of what English America.gov |
|                        | offers our worldwide audiences, the Arabic  |
|                        | America.gov will also offer our Arab        |
|                        | readers information that is NEA-specific.** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The site offers four unique pages         |
|                        | including a page dedicated to the Middle    |
|                        | East Peace Process and America\'s           |
|                        | involvement in peacemaking in the region.   |
|                        | It will also feature information of U.S.    |
|                        | relations with individual Arab countries.** |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|                        | **ARTICLES OF INTEREST**                    |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **Rural Banks to Have  | **This development is expected to intensify |
| Expanded Mobile Phone  | even more with the recent collaboration of  |
| Banking Services**     | Globe Telecom's mobile commerce subsidiary, |
|                        | G-Xchange Inc. (GXI) with the Rural Bankers |
| ***Mobile phone        | Association of the Philippines (RBAP) to    |
| banking services are   | further expand the existing mobile phone    |
| no longer the domain   | banking services (MPBS) of rural banks.**   |
| of big urban banks,    |                                             |
| with banks based in    | **GXI president Rizza Maniego-Eala and RBAP |
| the countryside now    | president Tomas Gomez IV signed a           |
| embracing the          | memorandum of understanding (MOU) which     |
| technology like never  | will serve as the partnership's framework   |
| before.***             | for the expansion of MPBS.**                |
|                        |                                             |
| **Manila Bulletin**    | **Using the GCash payment platform, MPBS,   |
|                        | developed under RBAP's Micro-enterprise     |
| **Friday, September    | Access to Banking Services (MABS) program,  |
| 26, 2008**             | will be made available to more than 500     |
|                        | rural bank branches and their clients.**    |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Since 1997, the MABS program has been     |
|                        | working with rural banks to assist them to  |
|                        | develop the capability to profitably        |
|                        | provide financial services to the           |
|                        | micro-enterprise sector. The MABS Program   |
|                        | receives support from the United States     |
|                        | Agency for International Development        |
|                        | (USAID) and is jointly implemented with     |
|                        | RBAP with oversight from the Office of the  |
|                        | President through the Mindanao Economic     |
|                        | Development Council (MEDCo).**              |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **GCash is Globe's flagship mobile commerce |
|                        | service which allows Globe and TM           |
|                        | subscribers access to a cashless and        |
|                        | cardless method of facilitating money       |
|                        | transfer with text message.**               |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **GXI and RBAP, through the MABS program,   |
|                        | have collaborated since early 2005 to       |
|                        | develop and roll out MPBS that provide      |
|                        | clients of rural banks access to complete   |
|                        | banking transactions that include making    |
|                        | micro-loan payments (Text-A-Payment or      |
|                        | TAP), paying bills (Text-A-Bill-Payment or  |
|                        | TAB), making deposits (Text-A-Deposit or    |
|                        | TAD) and withdrawals (Text-A -Withdrawal or |
|                        | TAW), sending or receiving domestic or      |
|                        | international remittances                   |
|                        | (Text-A-Remittance or TAR), and disbursing  |
|                        | and receiving salaries (Text-A-Sweldo or    |
|                        | TAS) --- using only their mobile phones     |
|                        | through Gcash.**                            |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **These mobile phone banking services,      |
|                        | according to a press statement, will be     |
|                        | expanded under a renewed agreement between  |
|                        | RBAP and GXI.**                             |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **During the signing ceremony, Maniego-Eala |
|                        | said noted the progress made by rural banks |
|                        | in the area of mobile banking. \"What       |
|                        | seemed to be a daunting task around three   |
|                        | years ago with respect to having rural      |
|                        | banks and their clients use GCash as a      |
|                        | convenient and low-cost mobile banking      |
|                        | solution has now become a growing reality.  |
|                        | Mobile banking through GCash as we know it  |
|                        | today has been proven to be an efficient    |
|                        | technology solution for lower income        |
|                        | segments, converting many unbanked          |
|                        | customers into bank clients with access to  |
|                        | various financial services.\"**             |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Gomez pointed out that less than a decade |
|                        | ago, the rural banking industry was         |
|                        | characteristically technology-averse. He    |
|                        | however, countered that, \"Today rural      |
|                        | banks have embraced technology like they    |
|                        | never have before.\"**                      |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **He went on to say that, \"every month...  |
|                        | we receive parts of our salary on our       |
|                        | mobile phones. We pay for goods and         |
|                        | services, transfer money, withdraw and make |
|                        | deposits on our mobile phones. And more     |
|                        | amazing still, thousands and thousands more |
|                        | in the countryside are experiencing the     |
|                        | same thing even in areas without wireline   |
|                        | service or ATMs. All of these are made      |
|                        | possible by RBAP's mobile phone banking     |
|                        | initiative developed under the              |
|                        | USAID-supported MABS Program using the      |
|                        | GCash platform.\" --- Melvin G. Calimag**   |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **Egypt Needs Bigger   | **[\<\<]{.mark}CAIRO[\>\>]{.mark}: In 2006, |
| Plans for              | Bangladeshi Dr Muhammed Yunus won the Nobel |
| Microfinance, Say      | Peace Prize for his achievements in         |
| Experts**              | microfinance with the Grameen Bank,         |
|                        | changing the way the world views the kind   |
| **Daily News           | of action needed to eradicate poverty.**    |
| [\<\<]{.mar            |                                             |
| k}Egypt[\>\>]{.mark}** | **The poor don't need good advice, moral    |
|                        | support or charity, rather "a little        |
| **By Pascale Nader**   | capital to start climbing the economic      |
|                        | ladder" --- also known as microfinance, a   |
|                        | development tool to help the poor           |
|                        | contribute to economic growth.**            |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **As experts in both developing and         |
|                        | developed markets learn more about their    |
|                        | poorer economic segments, the view towards  |
|                        | microfinance is changing.**                 |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **A change like this will alter the         |
|                        | economic landscape in a developing country  |
|                        | like [\<\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>\>]{.mark} as     |
|                        | competitiveness and diversity rely heavily  |
|                        | on the strength of home-grown micro, small  |
|                        | and medium enterprises.**                   |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Most of [\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>]{.mark}'s     |
|                        | poor are concentrated in the rural areas of |
|                        | five governorates in [\<]{.mark}Upper       |
|                        | Egypt[\>]{.mark} and in squatter and        |
|                        | informal settlements of larger metropolitan |
|                        | areas, according to UNDP reports. Some of   |
|                        | the nation's poorest are agricultural       |
|                        | laborers, urban industrial employees and a  |
|                        | large number of government workers. In this |
|                        | context, experts say, microfinance is an    |
|                        | ideal tool to contribute to private         |
|                        | sector-led growth by promoting              |
|                        | micro-enterprises that increase income and  |
|                        | create jobs.**                              |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The question is, can                      |
|                        | [\<\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>\>]{.mark}'s financial |
|                        | sector adapt to the needs of                |
|                        | micro-entrepreneurs?**                      |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Currently the size of microfinance        |
|                        | services in [\<\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>\>]{.mark} |
|                        | cover only 3 percent of the total market    |
|                        | need, according to Sanabel, a regional      |
|                        | network for microfinance institutions       |
|                        | (MFIs) in the Arab world. Compared to a     |
|                        | country like [\<]{.mark}Morocco[\>]{.mark}, |
|                        | which reaches over 30 percent,              |
|                        | [\<\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>\>]{.mark}'s           |
|                        | microfinance market is grossly              |
|                        | under-penetrated.**                         |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Inability to acquire property rights is   |
|                        | the main reason the poor have no access to  |
|                        | capital or credit, therefore, they find it  |
|                        | hard to make it as entrepreneurs, said      |
|                        | Frederic Mishkin, a former member of the    |
|                        | Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve   |
|                        | System.**                                   |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Microfinance programs provide financial   |
|                        | services --- such as credit, deposit and    |
|                        | saving --- to the entrepreneurial poor.     |
|                        | Effective microfinance programs offer small |
|                        | (between LE 500 to LE 1,000 initially),     |
|                        | short-term repeat loans, alternative        |
|                        | approaches to collateral, convenient        |
|                        | location and timing of services and         |
|                        | above-market interest rates to cover the    |
|                        | high transaction costs inherent in          |
|                        | microfinance.**                             |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Under the Egypt Microfinance Strategy --- |
|                        | created by the Central Bank of              |
|                        | [\<\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>\>]{.mark} ---         |
|                        | microfinance donors, mainly USAID and the   |
|                        | UNDP, established the Egyptian Microfinance |
|                        | Network in 2006 to unify MFIs.**            |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Magdy Hussein, Sanabel's chief            |
|                        | consultant, said their vision is to         |
|                        | "provide microfinance on a sustainable      |
|                        | institutional basis and not a donor project |
|                        | basis to the market."**                     |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **"As we see globally the adoption of       |
|                        | microfinance by the commercial banking      |
|                        | sector, a similar direction is expected in  |
|                        | [\<\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>\>]{.mark} because our |
|                        | MFIs are showing good profitability," he    |
|                        | added.**                                    |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Viable MFIs cover their own lending       |
|                        | costs, avoid subsidies, promote outreach of |
|                        | services and maintain a targeted social     |
|                        | mission as well as financial returns to     |
|                        | shareholders.**                             |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **With a quarter of the population          |
|                        | considered poor and another quarter living  |
|                        | on the edge of poverty, a country like      |
|                        | Egypt cannot afford to have a poor          |
|                        | perception of the lower-income segment of   |
|                        | the population.**                           |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Kristen Besch, interim executive director |
|                        | of Sanabel [\<\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>\>]{.mark}, |
|                        | said a balance is needed between MFIs'      |
|                        | "double bottom-lines," or how well they     |
|                        | perform on their social mission and         |
|                        | financial returns. Industry benchmarks such |
|                        | as the Forbes Top 50 MFIs typically assess  |
|                        | these indicators.**                         |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **While the commercial banking sector       |
|                        | brings the capacity --- in terms of branch  |
|                        | reach, capital and financial services ---   |
|                        | to cater to microfinance needs, NGOs and    |
|                        | other MFIs hold valuable experience and a   |
|                        | broad understanding of social mission.**    |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **On the structure of                       |
|                        | [\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>]{.mark}'s microfinance  |
|                        | industry today, Ranya Abdel Baki said, "The |
|                        | legal structure of most MFIs in             |
|                        | [\<\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>\>]{.mark} continue to |
|                        | be predominantly NGOs (95 percent), and the |
|                        | biggest player by far is USAID.**           |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **"On the other side are just three         |
|                        | commercial banks with no social mission     |
|                        | that are downscaling their services to      |
|                        | capture a small niche of lower-income       |
|                        | borrowers. Microfinance banks are not       |
|                        | growing in comparison to their NGO          |
|                        | counterparts."**                            |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Specialists say commercial banks'         |
|                        | reluctance to take risks is the main reason |
|                        | for the slow growth of microfinance in      |
|                        | [\<\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>\>]{.mark}. When USAID |
|                        | started many of the MFIs in                 |
|                        | [\<\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>\>]{.mark}, they were  |
|                        | given large amounts of donations as         |
|                        | collateral which they could borrow against. |
|                        | In addition, a general aversion towards     |
|                        | NGOs or microfinance means they are limited |
|                        | to how much money they can source from the  |
|                        | market, she added.**                        |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The solutions to these obstacles lie in   |
|                        | observing developments in comparative       |
|                        | markets. In                                 |
|                        | [\<\<]{.mark}Morocco[\>\>]{.mark}, for      |
|                        | example, local bank Banque Populaire,       |
|                        | created its own microfinance NGO, Abdel     |
|                        | Baki said. With this close relationship     |
|                        | between banks and NGOs, their leverage      |
|                        | rates increased three-fold.**               |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Amanah, the biggest MFI in                |
|                        | [\<\<]{.mark}Morocco[\>\>]{.mark}, will     |
|                        | issue a bond in the market very soon.**     |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Another challenge to microfinance growth  |
|                        | is training the right staff to grow a       |
|                        | bank's microfinance program. Specialists    |
|                        | point to commercial banks such as Banque du |
|                        | Caire's, which has established a            |
|                        | microfinance department as a means to       |
|                        | absorb abundant staff during privatization  |
|                        | restructuring.**                            |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The career of a microfinance loan         |
|                        | officer, which often entails forging        |
|                        | relationships with customers by visiting    |
|                        | their home or workplace, is very different  |
|                        | from the typical desk job.**                |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **As commercial banks invest in corporate   |
|                        | finance and suffer big defaults, more and   |
|                        | more are restructuring their portfolios and |
|                        | leaning towards retail segments. Still,     |
|                        | "microfinance programs in                   |
|                        | [\<\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>\>]{.mark}'s           |
|                        | commercial banks constitute less than 0.1   |
|                        | percent of their total portfolios to date," |
|                        | Abdel Baki said.**                          |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **For the time being, the financial         |
|                        | services sector is still learning to adjust |
|                        | its perspectives towards the                |
|                        | entrepreneurial wealth of                   |
|                        | [\<\<]{.mark}Egypt[\>\>]{.mark}'s poor and  |
|                        | treat them as an untapped financial         |
|                        | resource in the mission to integrate        |
|                        | lower-income segments into the growing      |
|                        | economy.**                                  |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **Aid Plan Aims to     | **UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 24 \-- In an        |
| Help Poor Farmers      | ambitious move to combat the global food    |
| Reach Markets**        | crisis, the Bill and Melinda Gates          |
|                        | Foundation on Wednesday unveiled an         |
| **By Philip Rucker\    | experimental public-private initiative that |
| Washington Post Staff  | could transform rural agriculture in        |
| Writer**               | undernourished parts of Africa and Latin    |
|                        | America by helping small farmers sell their |
|                        | surplus crops at competitive prices.**      |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Rather than only delivering food to       |
|                        | hungry nations, this partnership between    |
|                        | the world\'s richest philanthropy and the   |
|                        | [U.N. World Food                            |
|                        | Program](http://www.wa                      |
|                        | shingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/United+N |
|                        | ations+World+Food+Programme?tid=informline) |
|                        | promises to help build a sustainable        |
|                        | farming infrastructure across the           |
|                        | developing world.**                         |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The Purchase for Progress program will    |
|                        | give poor farmers, many of them women with  |
|                        | little or no access to commercial markets,  |
|                        | a chance to move beyond subsistence living  |
|                        | with opportunities to sell their milk,      |
|                        | grains, produce and other products to       |
|                        | reliable buyers. During a five-year pilot   |
|                        | period, it hopes to increase the incomes of |
|                        | 350,000 farmers in 21 countries and give    |
|                        | them a path out of poverty.**               |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **\"This is not your grandmother\'s food    |
|                        | aid,\" said [Josette                        |
|                        | She                                         |
|                        | eran](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/rel |
|                        | ated/topic/Josette+Sheeran?tid=informline), |
|                        | executive director of the World Food        |
|                        | Program. \"This is a revolution in food     |
|                        | aid, where food aid becomes a productive    |
|                        | investment that not only feeds today but    |
|                        | produces solutions for tomorrow.\"**        |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Funded largely by the Gates Foundation,   |
|                        | the program is part of the foundation\'s    |
|                        | broader \$900 million investment in         |
|                        | agricultural development, with many of its  |
|                        | efforts made in concert with foreign states |
|                        | and public institutions. The initiative is  |
|                        | the latest example of how software giant    |
|                        | [Bill                                       |
|                        | Gates](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac     |
|                        | 2/related/topic/Bill+Gates?tid=informline), |
|                        | who stepped down this summer from           |
|                        | [Microsoft](                                |
|                        | http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/t |
|                        | opic/Microsoft+Corporation?tid=informline), |
|                        | is committing his time and fortune to       |
|                        | trying to create a results-oriented brand   |
|                        | of philanthropy focused on taking risks to  |
|                        | achieve lasting impact.**                   |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Announcing the Purchase for Progress      |
|                        | program here flanked by the presidents of   |
|                        | three African nations, Gates said he hopes  |
|                        | the effort linking poor farmers to          |
|                        | commercial markets will be successful       |
|                        | enough that it becomes \"self-sustaining,\" |
|                        | no longer needing private funding.**        |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **\"It transforms the way that small        |
|                        | holders are able to get to market, whether  |
|                        | it\'s helping them with guaranteed          |
|                        | purchase, helping them with their storage,  |
|                        | understanding crop quality,\" Gates said.   |
|                        | \"It will increase the supply of food, and  |
|                        | it will increase the well-being of these    |
|                        | farmers.\"**                                |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Purchase for Progress is one of several   |
|                        | public-private hunger initiatives expected  |
|                        | to be announced this week in New York, as   |
|                        | world leaders converge at the [U.N. General |
|                        | Assembly](http://ww                         |
|                        | w.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Unit |
|                        | ed+Nations+General+Assembly?tid=informline) |
|                        | to draw attention to the Millennium         |
|                        | Development Goals, a series of benchmarks   |
|                        | aimed at slashing the poverty levels in the |
|                        | world\'s poorest countries by 2015.**       |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Former president [Bill                    |
|                        | Clinton](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2  |
|                        | /related/topic/Bill+Clinton?tid=informline) |
|                        | will announce at his philanthropy           |
|                        | conference on Thursday that [Yum!           |
|                        | Bra                                         |
|                        | nds](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/rela |
|                        | ted/topic/Yum!+Brands+Inc.?tid=informline), |
|                        | the parent company of such fast-food chains |
|                        | as                                          |
|                        | [KFC](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/rel |
|                        | ated/topic/KFC+Corporation?tid=informline), |
|                        | [Pizza                                      |
|                        | Hut](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/r    |
|                        | elated/topic/Pizza+Hut+Inc.?tid=informline) |
|                        | and [Taco                                   |
|                        | Bell](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/rel |
|                        | ated/topic/Taco+Bell+Corp.?tid=informline), |
|                        | is donating \$80 million over five years to |
|                        | purchase 200 million meals for school-age   |
|                        | children.**                                 |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **This is part of a five-year campaign by   |
|                        | the restaurant behemoth to provide hunger   |
|                        | relief to the poorest people in the United  |
|                        | States and worldwide. The company\'s 35,000 |
|                        | restaurants in 111 countries are pledging   |
|                        | to donate \$200 million worth of prepared   |
|                        | foods to community soup kitchens and food   |
|                        | banks, Yum! Brands chief executive David    |
|                        | Novak said.**                               |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **\"We\'re inspired by the fact that there  |
|                        | are so many kids out there who die because  |
|                        | they can\'t eat,\" Novak said. \"It\'s a    |
|                        | huge problem and has only gotten worse, so  |
|                        | it\'s even more timely that we commit.\"**  |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The company will roll out a marketing     |
|                        | campaign Thursday in its restaurants to     |
|                        | persuade its customers to donate toward     |
|                        | anti-hunger causes, and pop star [Mariah    |
|                        | Carey](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2    |
|                        | /related/topic/Mariah+Carey?tid=informline) |
|                        | is releasing a single with sale proceeds    |
|                        | going toward the cause.**                   |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Hunger around the world is so chronic,    |
|                        | scholars say, that it far outstrips the     |
|                        | financial resources committed to fight it.  |
|                        | The number of hungry people worldwide has   |
|                        | ballooned over the past year to 923 million |
|                        | and threatens to grow further, Sheeran      |
|                        | said.**                                     |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The problem is growing against the        |
|                        | backdrop of a food price shock that is      |
|                        | roiling world markets and igniting street   |
|                        | riots. Over the past three years, world     |
|                        | food prices were estimated to have surged   |
|                        | by 80 percent, outpacing the 78 percent     |
|                        | jump during the Soviet grain emergency of   |
|                        | 1972-75.**                                  |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **\"There\'s a need for a much larger       |
|                        | international response,\" said [Jeffrey D.  |
|                        | Sa                                          |
|                        | chs](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/rela |
|                        | ted/topic/Jeffrey+D.+Sachs?tid=informline), |
|                        | an economist and founder of the Millennium  |
|                        | Promise Alliance, an anti-poverty nonprofit |
|                        | organization. \"The Gates Foundation is     |
|                        | playing an important role in helping people |
|                        | become aware of this, but in this case no   |
|                        | single action is going to be decisive.\"**  |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The Purchase for Progress program, to be  |
|                        | administered by the U.N. World Food         |
|                        | Program, is being funded by \$66 million    |
|                        | from the Gates Foundation, \$9.1 million    |
|                        | from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and   |
|                        | \$750,000 from the Belgian government.      |
|                        | Program planners said that if the pilot     |
|                        | program is successful, it will be           |
|                        | expanded.**                                 |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The presidents of Rwanda, Tanzania and    |
|                        | Uganda and the first lady of Guatemala      |
|                        | hailed the initiative as a catalyst to help |
|                        | poor farmers in their countries who are cut |
|                        | off from markets, roads, transportation and |
|                        | storage for their surplus crops.**          |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **\"This will go a long way in building the |
|                        | capacities of the farmers,\" said Rwandan   |
|                        | President [Paul                             |
|                        | Kagame](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/r |
|                        | elated/topic/Paul+Kagame?tid=informline).** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **About 1.1 billion people live on \$1 a    |
|                        | day or less, and more than seven in 10      |
|                        | people around the world depend on work in   |
|                        | agriculture for food and income, said Rajiv |
|                        | Shah, agricultural development director of  |
|                        | the Gates Foundation.**                     |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **\"In order to help farmers and small      |
|                        | farmers in part move out of poverty, you    |
|                        | need to help them improve productivity,\"   |
|                        | Shah said. \"But you also need to improve   |
|                        | access to markets and create the financial  |
|                        | and commercial incentives so that farmers   |
|                        | are rewarded for their additional           |
|                        | efforts.\"**                                |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **In a preliminary test of the program last |
|                        | year in Uganda, poor farmers achieved       |
|                        | dramatic results, Shah said.**              |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Buffett, an environmentalist and          |
|                        | businessman whose father, investor [Warren  |
|                        | Bu                                          |
|                        | ffett](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/re |
|                        | lated/topic/Warren+Buffett?tid=informline), |
|                        | has pledged much of his fortune to the      |
|                        | Gates Foundation, said the program provides |
|                        | \"a critical link\" to existing efforts to  |
|                        | boost crop production.**                    |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **\"Agriculture development is the most     |
|                        | effective way to combat poverty and pull    |
|                        | these people in these populations up into a |
|                        | higher level of food security,\" Buffett    |
|                        | said. \"It\'s important to realize that we  |
|                        | can all work on the production of the       |
|                        | supply side, but without something to pull  |
|                        | that through to the market, we\'ll never be |
|                        | successful in our efforts.\" End of a       |
|                        | Washington Post 09/25 on a \$75.1 million   |
|                        | Gates/Buffett Foundation grant to WFP for   |
|                        | local food purchases ('Purchase for         |
|                        | Progress').**                               |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Best, Tim Lavelle**                       |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **Mission Helps Study  | **Water Street Rescue Mission was part of a |
| Use Of Faith**         | pilot study this year on the correlation of |
|                        | faith to the effectiveness of social        |
| **By Lori Van Ingen\   | services.**                                 |
| [*Intelligencer        |                                             |
| Journal (Lancaster,    | **Water Street is one of 17 rescue missions |
| PA)*](htt              | in the United States that participated in   |
| p://w3.nexis.com/new/r | creating a baseline for the research study, |
| esults/docview/docview | said Maria B. Schaszberger, Water Street    |
| .do?docLinkInd=true&ri | Rescue Mission\'s public relations and      |
| sb=21_T4634588612&form | media manager.**                            |
| at=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANC |                                             |
| E&startDocNo=1&results | **All of the rescue missions that           |
| UrlKey=29_T4634588615& | participated in the study are members of    |
| cisb=22_T4634588614&tr | the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions,  |
| eeMax=true&treeWidth=0 | which oversaw the project. Founded in 1913, |
| &csi=230176&docNo=1)** | the Kansas City, Mo.-based organization     |
|                        | provides food, clothing and shelter to      |
| **dddddddd             | millions of needy Americans.**              |
| dddddddddddddddddddd** |                                             |
|                        | **The rescue missions, Schaszberger said,   |
|                        | wanted to know if \"faith in God,           |
|                        | relationships with others - or both - are   |
|                        | the pathway to a clean, sober and more      |
|                        | responsible lifestyle.\"**                  |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The research may help determine how       |
|                        | federal** **faith-based initiatives should  |
|                        | continue to be funded, she said. The Bush   |
|                        | administration has funded such initiatives  |
|                        | over the last seven years.**                |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Jere Shertzer, president of Water Street  |
|                        | Rescue Mission, said, \"Water Street has an |
|                        | excellent (substance- abuse) recovery       |
|                        | program for both men and women. It\'s not   |
|                        | only the curriculum and processes in our    |
|                        | recovery program that make the difference.  |
|                        | It\'s the relationship with God.**          |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **\"Taking part in the (National Recovery   |
|                        | Initiative) pilot study allows us to        |
|                        | demonstrate the impact of a relationship    |
|                        | with Jesus,\" Shertzer said.**              |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Eighteen of Water Street Rescue           |
|                        | Mission\'s clients who were in its          |
|                        | long-term enrollment program participated   |
|                        | in the study between September 2007 and     |
|                        | May.**                                      |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The findings of the study include:**      |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | ** Faith elements can be measured, and      |
|                        | people who seek help from** **faith-based   |
|                        | programs show clear evidence of change;**   |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | ** ****Faith-based programs differ in       |
|                        | services delivered and how much faith is    |
|                        | incorporated;**                             |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | ** There are no \"one size fits all\"       |
|                        | measures of faith;**                        |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | ** Different faith traditions use           |
|                        | different** **faith-based approaches;**     |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | ** The duration of a** **faith-based        |
|                        | program and strength of relationships       |
|                        | experienced in treatment may result in a    |
|                        | stronger faith life by program              |
|                        | participants.**                             |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **A detailed report on the results of the   |
|                        | pilot project was presented at a White      |
|                        | House conference in June.**                 |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **\"Despite all the publicity about**       |
|                        | **faith-based initiatives, the truth of the |
|                        | matter is that the faith component in these |
|                        | programs is not well understood,\" Karen    |
|                        | Woods, project director for the National    |
|                        | Recovery Initiative, said in a news         |
|                        | release. \"The pilot study points us in the |
|                        | right direction for a better understanding  |
|                        | of how faith works in social service        |
|                        | agencies.\"**                               |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Water Street also hopes to participate in |
|                        | the study\'s second phase next summer,      |
|                        | Schaszberger said.**                        |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The second phase will compare**           |
|                        | **faith-based recovery programs to secular  |
|                        | recovery programs.**                        |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **It is a five-year phase that includes     |
|                        | three years of data collection, she said.** |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **McCain, Obama Poised | **On Jan. 29, 2001, the first day of the    |
| to Expand Faith-Based  | first full week of his new administration,  |
| Initiative**           | President George W. Bush announced an       |
|                        | [initiative](http://www.wh                  |
| **The Pew Forum**      | itehouse.gov/news/releases/20010129-5.html) |
|                        | to expand opportunities for faith-based and |
| **fffff                | community organizations to partner with     |
| ffffffffffffffffffffff | federal, state and local government in the  |
| ffffffffffffffffffff** | delivery of social services such as         |
|                        | substance abuse treatment, prisoner         |
|                        | re-entry and aid to at-risk youths. During  |
|                        | the 2000 campaign, Bush's Democratic rival, |
|                        | Al Gore, also had promised to expand        |
|                        | government's relationship with faith-based  |
|                        | groups to serve at-risk populations.**      |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **It now appears that some version of the   |
|                        | faith-based initiative is likely to         |
|                        | continue no matter who wins the 2008        |
|                        | presidential election. On July 1, 2008,     |
|                        | Democratic presidential candidate Barack    |
|                        | Obama announced his                         |
|                        | [support](http://pewforum.org/religion08/   |
|                        | compare.php?Issue=Faith__Based_Initiatives) |
|                        | for partnerships "between the White House   |
|                        | and grassroots groups, both faith-based and |
|                        | secular" and unveiled his plans for an      |
|                        | expanded program if he is elected           |
|                        | president. Republican presidential          |
|                        | candidate John McCain also has expressed    |
|                        | his                                         |
|                        | [support](http://pewforum.org/religion08/   |
|                        | compare.php?Issue=Faith__Based_Initiatives) |
|                        | for faith-based partnerships and has stated |
|                        | he "would continue along the model of" the  |
|                        | current initiative should he be elected     |
|                        | president.**                                |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **To discuss how Obama might implement his  |
|                        | faith-based and community initiatives, the  |
|                        | Pew Forum posed a series of questions to    |
|                        | John J. DiIulio Jr., who has worked closely |
|                        | with this issue. DiIulio is the Frederic    |
|                        | Fox Leadership Professor of Politics,       |
|                        | Religion and Civil Society at the           |
|                        | University of Pennsylvania. He was the      |
|                        | first director of the White House Office of |
|                        | Faith-Based and Community Initiatives       |
|                        | (2001) and is the author of *Godly          |
|                        | Republic: A Centrist Blueprint for          |
|                        | America's Faith-Based Future* (2007). He    |
|                        | works with numerous faith-based             |
|                        | organizations that supply social services   |
|                        | to the poor in Philadelphia and other       |
|                        | cities.**                                   |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | [**Q&A With John DiIulio Jr. About Obama\'s |
|                        | Plans*                                      |
|                        | *](http://pewforum.org/events/?EventID=202) |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **\"Sen. Obama wants to foster interfaith,  |
|                        | ecumenical, religious-secular and           |
|                        | public-private partnerships with            |
|                        | faith-based and other nonprofit             |
|                        | organizations that constitutionally,        |
|                        | compassionately and cost-effectively supply |
|                        | social services to the needy and the        |
|                        | neglected.\" To view Mr. Dilulio's remarks, |
|                        | [click                                      |
|                        | here.]                                      |
|                        | (http://pewforum.org/events/?EventID=202)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **[Q&A With Stephen Goldsmith About         |
|                        | McCain\'s                                   |
|                        | Plans]                                      |
|                        | (http://pewforum.org/events/?EventID=201)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **\"Sen. McCain will make safeguarding      |
|                        | religious liberty a priority and will       |
|                        | protect the right of faith-based            |
|                        | organizations to participate fully in       |
|                        | public programs without renouncing their    |
|                        | beliefs, removing religious objects or      |
|                        | symbols, or becoming subject to             |
|                        | government-imposed hiring practices.\" To   |
|                        | view Mr. Goldsmith's remarks, [click        |
|                        | here.]                                      |
|                        | (http://pewforum.org/events/?EventID=201)** |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|                        | **success stories**                         |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| ![](me                 | **Ever wish you could make an investment    |
| dia/image3.png){width= | that not only had a good return, but also   |
| "1.7708333333333333in" | helped people in the process? Well, look no |
| height="0.9375in"}     | further. Kiva is the world's first person   |
|                        | to person, micro-lending website. Kiva's    |
| **Kiva is the world\'s | mission is to alleviate poverty through     |
| first person-to-person | connecting people to those in need.**       |
| micro-lending website, |                                             |
| empowering individuals | **While exploring Kiva's site you will be   |
| to lend directly to an | introduced to real people who need your     |
| entrepreneur in the    | help. You will begin to see the             |
| developing world. By   | entrepreneur's profile and begin to         |
| combining microfinance | understand why they need your help in       |
| with the internet,     | funding their business, rather than just    |
| Kiva is creating a     | giving them hand-outs. Even better, these   |
| global community of    | profiles are constructed by the             |
| people connected       | entrepreneurs themselves. Therefore, you    |
| through lending.\      | are hearing directly from them what they    |
| \                      | need, rather than making your own           |
| Kiva\'s mission is to  | assumptions.**                              |
| connect people,        |                                             |
| through lending, for   | **During your exploration of profiles, you  |
| the sake of            | will be blessed with the gift of choice.    |
| alleviating poverty.** | That's right, when giving to Kiva, you can  |
|                        | decide which business adventures you would  |
| **Kiva was born of the | like to fund. Therefore, you can feel a     |
| following beliefs:**   | personal connection in the fact that you    |
|                        | are helping someone in need gain the        |
| -   **People are by    | economic independence they need to tend to  |
|     nature generous,   | their families.**                           |
|     and will help      |                                             |
|     others if given    | ** **![](media/image4.png){width="1.5625in" |
|     the opportunity to | height="0.9270833333333334in"}              |
|     do so in a         |                                             |
|     transparent,       | **What is even better, is that this is not  |
|     accountable way.** | where not connection ends. During the loan  |
|                        | period, approximately six to twelve months, |
| -   **The poor are     | you will receive emails, updating you on    |
|     highly motivated   | the progress and payments made toward the   |
|     and can be very    | loan. Then once the loan money has been     |
|     successful when    | paid, you can go through the process again  |
|     given an           | and replant the loan elsewhere.**           |
|     opportunity.**     |                                             |
|                        | **Kiva also produces a data-rich,           |
| -   **By connecting    | transparent lending platform. Kiva keeps a  |
|     people we can      | standard of accountability that works to    |
|     create             | show investors where the money is flowing,  |
|     relationships      | and what effect it has on the people and    |
|     which exceed       | institutions, borrowing it, lending it and  |
|     beyond financial   | managing it. When investing in Kiva's       |
|     transactions, and  | clients, you are not only making a wise     |
|     build a global     | business investment, you are contributing   |
|     community          | to the quality of life of not only the      |
|     expressing support | entrepreneur, but their whole community.**  |
|     and encouragement  |                                             |
|     of one another.**  | ![](med                                     |
|                        | ia/image5.jpeg){width="3.189583333333333in" |
| **Kiva promotes:**     | height="3.688888888888889in"}               |
|                        |                                             |
| -   **Dignity:         | **How Does It Work?**                       |
|     Person-to person   |                                             |
|     lending encourages | 1.  **Kiva partners with [microfinance      |
|     partnership        |     institut                                |
|     relationships as   | ions](http://www.cgap.org/about/faq05.html) |
|     opposed to         |     that vet and approve loan applications  |
|     benefactor         |     from low-income entrepreneurs. Kiva\'s  |
|     relationships.     |     current list of microfinance partners   |
|     Partnership        |     (Field Partners) can be found           |
|     relationships are  |     [he                                     |
|     characterized by   | re](http://www.kiva.org/about/partners/).** |
|     mutual dignity and |                                             |
|     respect.**         | 2.  **Approved loans are posted to the Kiva |
|                        |     website for funding. Internet users     |
| -   **Accountability:  |     choose an entrepreneur they would like  |
|       Loans encourage  |     to lend to, and select the amount they  |
|     more               |     would like to contribute to the loan    |
|     accountability     |     (starting at \$25).**                   |
|     than donations     |                                             |
|     where repayment is | 3.  **As repayments are made each lender    |
|     not expected.**    |     receives an email notifying them of the |
|                        |     progress of the loan, and journal       |
| -   **Transparency:    |     updates are posted \"blog-style\" to    |
|     The Kiva website   |     the loan profile by the Field           |
|     is an open         |     Partner.**                              |
|     platform where     |                                             |
|     communication can  | 4.  **When the loan has been repaid, the    |
|     flow freely        |     lenders receive their loan amount       |
|     between the        |     credited to their Kiva account, which   |
|     developing and     |     they can then withdraw or reloan to     |
|     developed          |     another entrepreneur.**                 |
|     worlds.**          |                                             |
|                        |                                             |
| **Kiva democratizes    |                                             |
| philanthropy, allowing |                                             |
| the average individual |                                             |
| to feel like a         |                                             |
| mini-Bill Gates by     |                                             |
| building a portfolio   |                                             |
| of investments in      |                                             |
| developing world       |                                             |
| businesses.\           |                                             |
| \                      |                                             |
| Kiva will have         |                                             |
| facilitated loans      |                                             |
| totaling \$100 million |                                             |
| by 2010.**             |                                             |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|                        |                                             |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **Opportunity          | ![](media/image6.png){width="5.68125in"     |
| International is one   | height="0.9416666666666667in"}              |
| of the world's oldest, |                                             |
| largest and fastest    | **Opportunity International Merges with     |
| growing microfinance   | "The Least of These"**                      |
| organizations,         |                                             |
| providing a wide range | **Opportunity International was founded by  |
| of financial services  | Al Whittaker, former president of Bristol   |
| and business training  | Myers International Corporation and         |
| to the poorest of the  | Australian entrepreneur David Bussau. These |
| working poor in 28     | men decided to join forces in the 1970's    |
| developing countries   | and fight the real issue behind poverty;    |
| in Africa, Asia,       | the lack of work.**                         |
| Eastern Europe and     |                                             |
| Latin America.         | **Opportunity International is an           |
| Microloans**           | organization convicted by the call of Jesus |
|                        | Christ to care for the poor. In their fight |
| ** A loan as small as | against poverty they do all they can to     |
| \$50 to a poor         | give people a hand up and provide them with |
| entrepreneur can be    | jobs. However, they do so much more.**      |
| used to start or       |                                             |
| expand a business,     | **They not only do their best to ensure     |
| develop a steady       | employment of the people they help, but     |
| income, provide for    | Opportunity International works to empower  |
| their families and     | their clients by helping them open their    |
| create jobs for their  | own business. So how is this done?**        |
| neighbors. The loan    |                                             |
| allows the recipient   | **Opportunity International works with the  |
| to increase business   | local organizations in the different        |
| and profits while      | regions they are located in and they work   |
| paying back the loan   | through their "Partners". Opportunity       |
| with interest at local | Partners are everyday people who donate     |
| market rates. It       | funds to help finance business adventures.  |
| offers the poor a hand | With the new OptINnow program, donors can   |
| up, not a hand out.**  | even select the Opportunity Client or       |
|                        | entrepreneur t**                            |
| ** Opportunity        | ![](media/image7.jpeg){width="2.8125in"     |
| International offers a | height="1.8645833333333333in"}**hat they    |
| mix of individual and  | please. According to the Opportunity        |
| group loans, allowing  | International website, the loans have a 98% |
| clients to access      | return rate, therefore assuring donors that |
| larger loans as their  | their investment is indeed, a wise one.**   |
| businesses grow. The   |                                             |
| Trust Group,           | **However the funds do not just go to one   |
| Opportunity's core     | person, or business adventure, the funds    |
| group-lending          | are attributed to a Trust Group. These      |
| methodology, is        | Trust Groups, containing up to forty people |
| typically the first    | maximum, hold weekly meetings that provide  |
| point of entry,        | not only moral support, but they also       |
| bringing together 15   | provide help with business skills and       |
| to 40 poor             | leadership training.**                      |
| entrepreneurs who      |                                             |
| receive weekly         | **What is even more exciting is that        |
| business training from | Opportunity International has also          |
| loan officers.**       | discovered how to maximize the help it      |
|                        | receives from its donors. Even though the   |
|                        | loans receive a 98% return, the funds are   |
|                        | not returned back to the donor. On the      |
|                        | contrary the funds, once repaid, are then   |
|                        | transferred to another business adventure   |
|                        | and Trust Group.**                          |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Opportunity International may very well   |
|                        | be one of the world's best kept secrets. If |
|                        | you would like to learn more about the      |
|                        | organization or how you can become an       |
|                        | Opportunity Partner, [please click          |
|                        | here.](http                                 |
|                        | ://www.opportunity.org/Page.aspx?pid=566)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | ***Aurora Matias -                          |
|                        | Philippines***![](med                       |
|                        | ia/image8.jpeg){width="2.813888888888889in" |
|                        | height="1.8958333333333333in"}              |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **No one could afford to buy loaves of      |
|                        | bread and bars of soap in Aurora Matias\'   |
|                        | Manila neighborhood. So Aurora created a    |
|                        | small business by selling slices of bread   |
|                        | and slivers of soap through the window of   |
|                        | her home-not more than a shack, really. She |
|                        | could have sold more soap and bread, but    |
|                        | she couldn\'t afford to keep her shelves    |
|                        | stocked.**                                  |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Then Aurora\'s home burned. She and her   |
|                        | family moved into her sister\'s already     |
|                        | cramped quarters, where there was never     |
|                        | enough food for everyone.**                 |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **After hearing about Opportunity\'s        |
|                        | Trust Group program, Aurora was surprised   |
|                        | that someone in her circumstances would be  |
|                        | trusted with a loan. With a loan officer\'s |
|                        | help, she planned a business that could     |
|                        | support her family. Using a small loan she  |
|                        | purchased bottles, labels, large quantities |
|                        | of bleach, soy sauce and fish sauce. She    |
|                        | was able to sell to her neighbors again,    |
|                        | but this time she could make a profit by    |
|                        | buying in bulk.**                           |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **With Opportunity\'s help, Aurora          |
|                        | restructured her business. She now sells    |
|                        | her products to more than 50 stores and     |
|                        | employs two full-time and five part-time    |
|                        | workers. But more important than her        |
|                        | business is her rebuilt life-her family now |
|                        | lives in their own home.**                  |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **asdfffffff                                |
|                        | fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff |
|                        | fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff |
|                        | fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff** |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|                        | **Upcoming events**                         |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **Advisory Committee   | **PUBLIC MEETING: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM      |
| on Voluntary Foreign   | THE**                                       |
| Aid**                  |                                             |
|                        | **SUBCOMMITTEE ON PUBLIC OUTREACH**         |
| **ONLINE REGISTRATION  |                                             |
| AND INFORMATION:       | **You are cordially invited to attend the   |
| Pre-register for the   | Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign     |
| meeting and join the   | Aid's (ACVFA) public meeting. The meeting   |
| ACVFA list serve,      | is free and open to the public.**           |
| [click                 |                                             |
| her                    | **National Press Club Ballroom**            |
| e.](http://www.usaid.g |                                             |
| ov/about_usaid/acvfa ) | **529 14th Street, NW, 13th Floor,          |
| Participants will be   | Washington, DC 20045**                      |
| able to register on    |                                             |
| site; pre-registration | **The closest Metro stop is Metro Center.   |
| is**                   | Parking is available at garages in the      |
|                        | area.**                                     |
| **strongly             |                                             |
| encouraged.**          | **Thursday, October 2, 2008, 9:00 AM to     |
|                        | 1:00 PM (end time is approximate)**         |
| **Questions, please    |                                             |
| contact Jocelyn Rowe,  | **MEETING HIGHLIGHTS *(topics are subject   |
| ACVFA Executive        | to change and do not necessarily reflect    |
| Director, at**         | the order of the agenda)***                 |
|                        |                                             |
| **jrowe@usaid.gov or   | **Keynote: Henrietta H. Fore, USAID         |
| 202-712-4002.**        | Administrator and Director of United States |
|                        | Foreign Assistance, will speak on key       |
|                        | issues before USAID and the foreign         |
|                        | assistance community including outcomes     |
|                        | from the High Level Forum in Accra on Aid   |
|                        | Effectiveness and the United Nations        |
|                        | General Assembly. She will also address the |
|                        | draft recommendations of the ACVFA          |
|                        | Subcommittee on Public Outreach.**          |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **American Awareness of U.S. Foreign        |
|                        | Assistance: The ACVFA's Subcommittee on     |
|                        | Public Outreach will provide its draft      |
|                        | recommendations to the full Committee and   |
|                        | the general public. A respondent will       |
|                        | provide feedback regarding the draft.**     |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The ACVFA is an expert body that advises  |
|                        | USAID and other U.S. government agencies on |
|                        | international development and humanitarian  |
|                        | assistance issues. ACVFA members are        |
|                        | private citizens appointed by the USAID     |
|                        | Administrator and serve without             |
|                        | compensation. The committee's public        |
|                        | meetings, held three times per year, serve  |
|                        | as forums for consultation between the      |
|                        | public and private sectors on a broad range |
|                        | of foreign assistance matters.**            |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **[A Partnership       | **On October 3, 2008, the White House       |
| Summit to Advance      | Office of Faith-Based and Community         |
| Innovation and         | Initiatives and the Texas Governor's        |
| Community              | Faith-Based and Community Initiative, led   |
| Impact]{.smallcaps}**  | by OneStar Foundation, will host "****A     |
|                        | Partnership Summit to Advance Innovation    |
| ***[Hosted by The      | and Community Impact" in Dallas, Texas, to  |
| White House Office of  | highlight and strengthen the role of        |
| Faith-Based and        | faith-based and community organizations in  |
| Community              | meeting the needs of their communities.     |
| Initi                  | Providing new resources and partnership     |
| atives]{.smallcaps}*** | opportunities for participants, this event  |
|                        | will offer tools and training on a variety  |
| *                      | of topics including capacity building,      |
| **[and]{.smallcaps}*** | resource development and management, and    |
|                        | accessing State and Federal resources to    |
| ***[The State of       | address human need.**                       |
| Texas' OneStar         |                                             |
| Foun                   | ** **                                       |
| dation]{.smallcaps}*** |                                             |
|                        | **This will be the 40^th^ and final         |
| ** Friday, October     | conference hosted by President Bush's       |
| 3^rd^**                | Office of Faith-Based and Community         |
|                        | Initiatives. Each event, held across the    |
| **8:30 AM -- 5:00 PM** | country and around the world, has been      |
|                        | designed to strengthen the services offered |
| **The Westin Park      | by frontline service organizations and      |
| Central**              | expand government partnerships with them to |
|                        | serve the needy.  This Summit will          |
| **Highway 635 and Coit | celebrate the success of these              |
| Road**                 | partnerships-- and highlight ways they will |
|                        | continue to grow and impact in the years    |
| **12720 Merit Drive**  | ahead.  Breakout sessions will feature      |
|                        | information on State and Federal grants and |
| **Dallas, Texas        | practical guidance on the grant-writing     |
| 75251**                | process; opportunities for non-financial    |
|                        | collaboration between government and        |
| **(972) 385-3000**     | nonprofit programs; and successful          |
|                        | practices of effective human service        |
|                        | organizations. **                           |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | ** **                                       |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The conference is free, but               |
|                        | pre-registration is required.  Registration |
|                        | is granted on a first-come, first-served    |
|                        | basis.  Please register online at           |
|                        | [[www.f                                     |
|                        | bci.gov]{.underline}](http://www.fbci.gov/) |
|                        | by Tuesday, September 23^rd^. While online  |
|                        | registration is strongly encouraged, those  |
|                        | who are unable to register online may print |
|                        | and complete the attached form and fax it   |
|                        | to 703-299-4589.  If you are not able to    |
|                        | view this file, please call 202-456-6708 to |
|                        | have a form faxed to you.  To cancel a      |
|                        | registration, please send an email to       |
|                        | [[fbci@dti                                  |
|                        | hq.com]{.underline}](mailto:fbci@dtihq.com) |
|                        | or a fax to the number listed above so we   |
|                        | may accommodate as many people as           |
|                        | possible.**                                 |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | ** **                                       |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **For more information, please visit the    |
|                        | conference section of                       |
|                        | [www.fbci.gov](http://www.fbci.gov/) or     |
|                        | send an email to                            |
|                        | [fbci@dtihq.com]{.underline}.**             |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | ** **                                       |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **We very much hope you will be able to     |
|                        | join us in Dallas!**                        |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **[Introductory        | **The Overseas Security Advisory Council    |
| Security Management    | (OSAC) and InterAction invite the           |
| Workshop for           | designated security representatives of      |
| Humanitarian &         | humanitarian and faith-based organizations  |
| Faith-Based            | to attend a one-day introductory workshop   |
| Organi                 | on how to plan and implement security       |
| zations]{.smallcaps}** | management within your organizations.**     |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Form more information, please [click      |
|                        | here.](http://www.o                         |
|                        | sac.gov/Events/event.cfm?contentID=90099)** |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **For more information | ![](med                                     |
| on the conference      | ia/image9.jpeg){width="5.480555555555555in" |
| visit                  | height="1.2395833333333333in"}              |
| [http://child          |                                             |
| alone.gmu.edu](http:// | **The purpose of the conference is to help  |
| childalone.gmu.edu/)** | improve the timelines and effectiveness of  |
|                        | protection for unaccompanied and separated  |
|                        | children. Worldwide, more than 1.6 million  |
|                        | children are unaccompanied or separated     |
|                        | from their parents among populations of     |
|                        | refugees, the internally displaced,         |
|                        | stateless people, migrants, and asylum      |
|                        | seekers. In addition, some 1.2 million      |
|                        | children each year are victims of human     |
|                        | trafficking. Without protection by parents  |
|                        | or adult family members, these children are |
|                        | vulnerable to exploitation for sex, forced  |
|                        | labor, neglect of their needs, and denial   |
|                        | of their rights.**                          |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Timely, systematic, and effective         |
|                        | interventions are hindered by long delays   |
|                        | (sometimes years) in identifying            |
|                        | individuals, inadequate training of field   |
|                        | workers, ad hoc approaches to temporary     |
|                        | care, and insufficient collaboration among  |
|                        | service providers. The application of Best  |
|                        | Interest Determinations is limited in       |
|                        | scope, principally to refugee resettlement  |
|                        | cases.**                                    |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Last year, the Executive Committee of     |
|                        | UNHCR, in its Conclusion on Children at     |
|                        | Risk, identified being unaccompanied or     |
|                        | separated as a risk factor for child        |
|                        | exploitation, and called on States, UNHCR,  |
|                        | other partners to collaborate and adopt     |
|                        | measures to identify children at risk,      |
|                        | prevent their separation when possible,     |
|                        | facilitate family tracing and               |
|                        | re-unification, and put into place          |
|                        | mechanisms to give them care and priority   |
|                        | attention.**                                |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **The conference program is designed for    |
|                        | child welfare practitioners, researchers,   |
|                        | mental health service providers, managers   |
|                        | and policy makers from governments,         |
|                        | non-governmental humanitarian and social    |
|                        | service organizations, international        |
|                        | organizations, and academic institutions.   |
|                        | Specifically, the conference will:**        |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **Identify successful policies,         |
|                        |     practices, and forms of collaboration   |
|                        |     among states, international             |
|                        |     organizations, and NGOs:**              |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **Raise awareness of the issue and      |
|                        |     build relationships among practitioners |
|                        |     and researchers;**                      |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **Support the UNHCR Executive Committee |
|                        |     Conclusion on Children at Risk;**       |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **Strengthen capacities to undertake    |
|                        |     Best Interest Determinations.**         |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Conference sessions will address:**       |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **Identification and documentation**    |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **International law framework:          |
|                        |     Respective Jurisdictions and roles:     |
|                        |     governments, international              |
|                        |     organizations and NGOs**                |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **Family tracing and reunification**    |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **Protection in mixed migration flows** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **Safe repatriation**                   |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **Best Interest Determinations**        |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **Temporary and long term care**        |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **The role of interested adults as      |
|                        |     guardians and representatives**         |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **Legal remedies in immigration and     |
|                        |     asylum cases**                          |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **Psychosocial issues**                 |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | -   **Protection from labor and sexual      |
|                        |     exploitation**                          |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| **Forum on\            | **The Forum on Relief and Development will  |
| Relief & Development** | be held November 18-20, 2008 at the         |
|                        | beautiful Glen Eyrie campus in Colorado     |
|   -------------------- | Springs, Colorado. Hear the latest on vital |
| ---------------------- | topics such as: the Global Food Crisis and  |
|   ![](media/image10.   | engage in targeted conversation groups that |
| png){width="2.43125in" | encourage peer-to-peer learning, amongst    |
|   height=              | other activities.**                         |
| "4.052083333333333in"} |                                             |
|                        | ![](media                                   |
|   -------------------- | /image11.jpeg){width="2.8743055555555554in" |
| ---------------------- | height="1.0416666666666667in"}![](media     |
|                        | /image12.jpeg){width="1.6111111111111112in" |
|                        | height="1.0416666666666667in"}![](medi      |
|                        | a/image13.jpeg){width="1.304861111111111in" |
|                        | height="1.0416666666666667in"}              |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **To Register online, [click                |
|                        | here.](http://www.                          |
|                        | regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=649598)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **For more information, [click              |
|                        | here.](http://www.forumrd.com/)**           |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|                        | **GRANT OPPORTUNITIES**                     |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| USAID FUNDING          | **Kosovo USAID would like to make a special |
|                        | call for concept papers that relate to the  |
| (check out grants.gov  | health sector in Kosovo. Specifically,      |
| for the most           | USAID is seeking to partner with qualified  |
| up-to-date information | institutions willing to devote resources    |
| on grant and funding   | that will help improve the health of women  |
| opportunities as       | and children in Kosovo. As of August 15,    |
| information does       | 2008, the closing date of this announcement |
| change)                | is September 30, 2008. For more             |
|                        | information, [click                         |
|                        | here.](http://www.grants.gov/se             |
|                        | arch/search.do;jsessionid=LPpD4V72ZY9nzj2yz |
|                        | KypQhg8ht1R1MTTJjDGyXGTvWL8JnFkknly!1625162 |
|                        | 392?oppId=41161&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Iraq USAID-Baghdad is seeking             |
|                        | applications from qualified organizations   |
|                        | to implement the next phase of the Iraq     |
|                        | Community Action Program (CAP III). CAP     |
|                        | will promote diverse and representative     |
|                        | citizen participation throughout Iraq will  |
|                        | engage and assist local government in       |
|                        | articulating and acting on needs identified |
|                        | by communities and will assist innocent     |
|                        | victims of military operations.  As of      |
|                        | August 15, 2008, the closing date for this  |
|                        | announcement is Sep 30, 2008.  For more     |
|                        | information, [click                         |
|                        | here.](http://www.grants.gov/se             |
|                        | arch/search.do;jsessionid=LGWpNy6yVp9q8G6D5 |
|                        | yT0Jz51xvgJQlm5myygtMWkylLwQWLc5SPQ!-632057 |
|                        | 128?oppId=41845&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **USAID Office of Food for Peace (FFP)-     |
|                        | seeks information from potential grantees   |
|                        | or participants as to their interest,       |
|                        | priorities and capacities to participate in |
|                        | or undertake a Leader/Associates Award,     |
|                        | i.e., cooperative agreement, to increase    |
|                        | the effectiveness and efficiency of Title   |
|                        | II food aid programs. The purpose of the    |
|                        | cooperative agreement is to improve the FFP |
|                        | program technical and operational           |
|                        | procedures and to promote best practices    |
|                        | through coordination and delivery of        |
|                        | capacity building and technical assistance  |
|                        | for new and current Title II food aid       |
|                        | cooperating sponsors, prospective           |
|                        | cooperating sponsors and programs           |
|                        | worldwide. As of August 26, 2008, the       |
|                        | closing date for this announcement is       |
|                        | October 4, 2008. For more information,      |
|                        | [click                                      |
|                        | here.](http://www07.grants.gov/se           |
|                        | arch/search.do;jsessionid=L1hBZqRnCDFp3Qvx2 |
|                        | 3vQW3KQT2XLnhC1yNDybxhSjThMRpV8Tqxy!1868443 |
|                        | 283?oppId=42693&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **USAID, OFDA- In order to address the      |
|                        | impact of food price increases in the       |
|                        | Sahel, OFDA is targeting five countries for |
|                        | funding: Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania,    |
|                        | Niger and Senegal. Key points related to    |
|                        | program funding: • Programs can be short or |
|                        | medium term in length (up to three years).  |
|                        | • Programs should address the issues        |
|                        | related to food insecurity caused by        |
|                        | increasing food prices. • Programs can be   |
|                        | regional or country specific as             |
|                        | appropriate, as long as partner capacity    |
|                        | and assessed need are fully incorporated    |
|                        | into the decision. • OFDA will prioritize   |
|                        | interventions based on representative and   |
|                        | methodologically sound assessment data. •   |
|                        | OFDA will prioritize interventions that     |
|                        | align with the Comprehensive African        |
|                        | Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) and |
|                        | that focus on Pillar III . • OFDA will      |
|                        | prioritize interventions that link into     |
|                        | Development Assistance funded initiatives   |
|                        | where possible and practical. OFDA's        |
|                        | primary objective will be dual-fold: 1) to  |
|                        | address high levels of food insecurity and  |
|                        | malnutrition while 2) reducing the risk of  |
|                        | increased food insecurity, malnutrition and |
|                        | further deterioration of livelihoods. OFDA  |
|                        | realizes that the most affected households  |
|                        | may not be located in the same geographic   |
|                        | areas where potential partners are          |
|                        | currently operating. Populations that are   |
|                        | most vulnerable to market shocks and        |
|                        | subsequent rising food prices will be       |
|                        | prioritized for all interventions.          |
|                        | Specifically, OFDA will aim to 1) improve   |
|                        | the purchasing power of food insecure       |
|                        | populations; 2) improve access to markets   |
|                        | among rural, urban, and pastoral            |
|                        | populations; 3) increase productivity of    |
|                        | subsistence farmers and pastoralists; 4)    |
|                        | reduce current spikes in acute              |
|                        | malnutrition; and 5) reduce the risk of     |
|                        | increased acute malnutrition. As of August  |
|                        | 22, 2008, the closing date for application  |
|                        | is October 17, 2008. For more information,  |
|                        | [click                                      |
|                        | here.](http://www07.grants.gov/se           |
|                        | arch/search.do;jsessionid=L1hBZqRnCDFp3Qvx2 |
|                        | 3vQW3KQT2XLnhC1yNDybxhSjThMRpV8Tqxy!1868443 |
|                        | 283?oppId=42684&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Ghana USAID -- Accra-** **The purpose of  |
|                        | this Annual Program Statement (APS) is to   |
|                        | solicit applications for funding from       |
|                        | prospective partners to support the scaling |
|                        | up of HIV/AIDS prevention activities for    |
|                        | persons engaged in high-risk behaviors      |
|                        | (PEHRB) in Ghana. The United States         |
|                        | Government, through USAID/Ghana, is seeking |
|                        | from prospective partners, Concept Papers   |
|                        | to be followed by full applications (if     |
|                        | concept papers are selected) to implement   |
|                        | activities to scale up HIV/AIDS prevention  |
|                        | activities for persons engaged in high-risk |
|                        | behavior (PEHRB) in Ghana. The USAID/Ghana  |
|                        | anticipates awarding a limited number of    |
|                        | grants or cooperative agreements            |
|                        | (hereinafter called Agreements) for a       |
|                        | period of no less than one year and no more |
|                        | than three years. Meanwhile, depending on   |
|                        | the successful implementation, needs and    |
|                        | availability of funds, the period of        |
|                        | performance could be extended by one or two |
|                        | additional years. As of September 11, 2008, |
|                        | the closing date for APS submissions is     |
|                        | October 17, 2008. For more information      |
|                        | about this grant opportunity, [click        |
|                        | here.](http://www07.grants.gov/se           |
|                        | arch/search.do;jsessionid=LJnfpnYCtwGhM52cp |
|                        | Lhh8Qtt0pxkQhLJy1nzgvb2rM1kS5ZKjp2Q!-581377 |
|                        | 340?oppId=42833&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Ghana USAID -- Accra-** **The United      |
|                        | States Government, represented by the U.S.  |
|                        | Agency for International Development        |
|                        | (USAID/Ghana) is seeking applications from  |
|                        | qualified organizations to implement a      |
|                        | program to place 260 community teachers in  |
|                        | basic schools in the Millennium Development |
|                        | Authority (MiDA) operational areas of       |
|                        | Ghana. The authority for the RFA is found   |
|                        | in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as   |
|                        | amended. The objectives of the community    |
|                        | teacher program is to: 1) recruit, train,   |
|                        | and support community teachers for the MiDA |
|                        | and ODC schools; 2) build the capacity of   |
|                        | district education offices, head teachers,  |
|                        | SMCs/PTAs to support the community teachers |
|                        | as a means to addressing on-going teacher   |
|                        | shortages; 3) assist community teachers in  |
|                        | improving their teaching qualifications to  |
|                        | increase the chances that these teachers    |
|                        | are incorporated into the formal Ghana      |
|                        | Education Service (GES) professional        |
|                        | teaching cadre. As of September 11, 2008,   |
|                        | the closing date for this announcement is   |
|                        | October 17, 2008. For more information on   |
|                        | this grant opportunity,** [**click          |
|                        | here.**](http://www07.grants.gov            |
|                        | /search/search.do;jsessionid=LJnfpnYCtwGhM5 |
|                        | 2cpLhh8Qtt0pxkQhLJy1nzgvb2rM1kS5ZKjp2Q!-581 |
|                        | 377340?oppId=18351&flag2006=true&mode=VIEW) |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Thailand USAID-Bangkok is issuing this    |
|                        | Request for Applications to implement an    |
|                        | Alternative Development Program to increase |
|                        | licit and commercially viable               |
|                        | agricultural-based alternatives for rural   |
|                        | Afghans with the goal of significantly      |
|                        | reducing and ultimately eradicating poppy   |
|                        | production throughout Afghanistan. Subject  |
|                        | to the availability of funds, this          |
|                        | competitively awarded five year Cooperative |
|                        | Agreement shall focus across those          |
|                        | provinces within the north, east and west   |
|                        | of Afghanistan where poppy eradication has  |
|                        | been showing success, security issues are   |
|                        | comparatively reduced and opportunities are |
|                        | most abundant. Examples of current priority |
|                        | provinces are Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar    |
|                        | and Laghman, Badakhshan, and Takhar. The    |
|                        | Agreement shall be outcomes based focused   |
|                        | on results. Applicants shall compete with   |
|                        | proposed solutions that meet the            |
|                        | requirements of the RFA and are tailored to |
|                        | an optimal technical / business approach.   |
|                        | The goal is to contribute to the creation   |
|                        | of full and part-time and year-round and    |
|                        | seasonal jobs, increased sales,             |
|                        | strengthened associations, increased        |
|                        | exports and improved access to services to  |
|                        | promote licit economic growth and positive  |
|                        | alternatives to the illicit economy for     |
|                        | farmers and non-farmers alike. As of August |
|                        | 14, 2008, the closing date for applications |
|                        | is October 27, 2008. For more information,  |
|                        | [click                                      |
|                        | here.](http://www07.grants.gov/s            |
|                        | earch/search.do;jsessionid=LsQGm5WH16hWJCdJ |
|                        | PsnWHwbsjqTp7LD2x15QWZ9xmDCXNnF9X2Cn!-29491 |
|                        | 8046?oppId=18199&flag2006=true&mode=VIEW)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Jordan USAID -- Amman is currently        |
|                        | seeking to implement education activities   |
|                        | that support USAID/Jordan's Assistance      |
|                        | Agreement for Investing in People No. 13    |
|                        | (Strategic Objective No. 13) which is an    |
|                        | integrated program to improve the health,   |
|                        | education and life skills for all           |
|                        | Jordanians. USAID's education support shall |
|                        | "Improve and Expand Basic Education" and    |
|                        | provide "Greater Opportunities for Youth    |
|                        | through Expanded Work and Life Skills." As  |
|                        | of September 8, 2008, the closing date for  |
|                        | this announcement is October 31, 2008. For  |
|                        | more information about this grant           |
|                        | opportunity, [click                         |
|                        | here.](http://www07.grants.gov/se           |
|                        | arch/search.do;jsessionid=LJnfpnYCtwGhM52cp |
|                        | Lhh8Qtt0pxkQhLJy1nzgvb2rM1kS5ZKjp2Q!-581377 |
|                        | 340?oppId=42791&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Thailand USAID-Bangkok is currently       |
|                        | seeking concept papers from qualified       |
|                        | non-governmental organizations capable of   |
|                        | designing and implementing model projects   |
|                        | that will provide support to people with    |
|                        | disabilities in Danang and surrounding      |
|                        | areas. Programs and activities could        |
|                        | include, but are not limited to enhancing   |
|                        | earlier intervention for those who are      |
|                        | disabled, providing support to existing     |
|                        | rehabilitation clinics and services,        |
|                        | expanding access of people with             |
|                        | disabilities to essential health and        |
|                        | education services, initiating or           |
|                        | strengthening community based               |
|                        | rehabilitation services and support,        |
|                        | improving income generation and employment  |
|                        | opportunities, strengthening the capacity   |
|                        | of local organizations to provide services, |
|                        | improved community-based information around |
|                        | reducing risk exposure, and surveillance    |
|                        | and prevention of disability.  As of August |
|                        | 15, 2008, the closing date for this         |
|                        | announcement is Dec 04, 2008.  For more     |
|                        | information, [click                         |
|                        | here.](http://www.grants.gov/se             |
|                        | arch/search.do;jsessionid=LJzLdQ9Y9Q0Vy97Sf |
|                        | Qh6qBqy8F7TDL4Tp5JNhSvmTDlTlQ8h2ZnR!-762324 |
|                        | 583?oppId=41932&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Bangladesh USAID-Dhaka is requesting      |
|                        | applications to restore livelihoods and     |
|                        | provide increased and sustained livelihood  |
|                        | opportunities for the cyclone-affected      |
|                        | population in southern Bangladesh. As of    |
|                        | August 15, 2008, the closing date of this   |
|                        | announcement is January 15, 2009. For more  |
|                        | information,  [click                        |
|                        | here](http://www07.grants.gov/sear          |
|                        | ch/search.do;jsessionid=LQbX6LJL7tqh6cXhVB2 |
|                        | ZjvRqLSD11FFM4tPFDmV0J5lDz9QrQpvQ!-15921736 |
|                        | 31?oppId=42361&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW).** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **USAID is seeking applications for the     |
|                        | Develop Grants Program (DGP) Annual Program |
|                        | Statement (APS). The United States          |
|                        | Government, through USAID, seeks            |
|                        | applications from prospective U.S. Private  |
|                        | Voluntary Organizations (US PVOs) to        |
|                        | implement development activities in support |
|                        | of USAID programmatic goals in specified    |
|                        | countries with USAID Missions. The          |
|                        | authority for the DGP is found in Section   |
|                        | 674 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act  |
|                        | of 2008. In support of selected USAID       |
|                        | Missions' priority sectors of Environment,  |
|                        | Dairy, Micro enterprise, Women's            |
|                        | Empowerment, Water and Democracy and        |
|                        | Governance, the Office of Development       |
|                        | Partners in USAID/W is initiating a new     |
|                        | program, entitled the Development Grants    |
|                        | Program, to provide opportunities for       |
|                        | development organizations that have had     |
|                        | limited prior funding from USAID. This      |
|                        | program provides for a two-step procurement |
|                        | process. The first step is a request for    |
|                        | concept papers (RFCP). The second step is   |
|                        | the process in which USAID requests         |
|                        | organizations with the best concept papers  |
|                        | to submit a full application. USAID seeks   |
|                        | applications that are based on the          |
|                        | comparative advantage U.S. PVOs have in     |
|                        | certain technical or geographic areas that  |
|                        | would allow them to make effective          |
|                        | contributions to the priority**             |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **development sectors outlined in this APS. |
|                        | As of August 29, 2008, Concept papers       |
|                        | received no later than 5:00 pm Eastern      |
|                        | Standard Time on Wednesday, November 5,     |
|                        | 2008 will be considered for review. Concept |
|                        | Papers submitted late or after the November |
|                        | 5, 2008 deadline will be reviewed prior to  |
|                        | the expiration date of the APS (January 29, |
|                        | 2009). All applications received by the     |
|                        | deadline for the APS will be reviewed for   |
|                        | responsiveness to the specifications        |
|                        | outlined in these guidelines and the        |
|                        | application format. Applications that are   |
|                        | incomplete run the risk of not being        |
|                        | considered in the review process. For more  |
|                        | information, [click                         |
|                        | here.](http://www07.grants.gov/sea          |
|                        | rch/search.do;jsessionid=LQDSBqyR2n81TmlPxb |
|                        | nJ0G62qjHvN41lmKT5QLQYPbYV5qgcfjMx!-1142305 |
|                        | 195?oppId=42723&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **USAID invites applications from           |
|                        | indigenous Non-Governmental Organizations   |
|                        | (NGOs) interested in the newly established  |
|                        | Development Grants Program. The United      |
|                        | States Government, through USAID, will seek |
|                        | applications from prospective local NGO     |
|                        | partners to implement development           |
|                        | activities in support of USAID programmatic |
|                        | goals in specified countries. Selected      |
|                        | USAID Missions in Africa, Asia, Latin       |
|                        | America and Europe and Eurasia regions will |
|                        | participate. In support of selected USAID   |
|                        | Missions' priority sectors of Environment,  |
|                        | Dairy, Micro enterprise, Women's            |
|                        | Empowerment, Water and Democracy and        |
|                        | Governance, the Office of Development       |
|                        | Partners in USAID/W is initiating a new     |
|                        | program, entitled the Development Grants    |
|                        | Program, to provide opportunities to        |
|                        | development organizations that have had     |
|                        | limited prior funding from USAID. This      |
|                        | program provides for a two-step process.    |
|                        | The first step is a request for concept     |
|                        | papers. The second step is the process in   |
|                        | which USAID requests organizations with the |
|                        | best concept papers to submit a full        |
|                        | application. USAID seeks applications that  |
|                        | are based on the comparative advantage NGOs |
|                        | have in certain technical or geographic     |
|                        | areas that would allow them to make         |
|                        | effective contributions to the priority     |
|                        | development sectors outlined in this APS.   |
|                        | As of August 29, 2008, Concept papers       |
|                        | received no later than 5:00 pm Eastern      |
|                        | Standard Time on Wednesday, November 5,     |
|                        | 2008 will be considered for review. Concept |
|                        | Papers submitted late or after the November |
|                        | 5, 2008 deadline will be reviewed prior to  |
|                        | the expiration date of the APS (January 29, |
|                        | 2009). For more information, [click         |
|                        | here.](http://www07.grants.gov/se           |
|                        | arch/search.do;jsessionid=LQhTrlB7pc4y20hbv |
|                        | dQmrDhyLXnv6Qqsfx8bfwyLKX11b9l7xyyZ!1853977 |
|                        | 293?oppId=42722&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Nigeria USAID-Abuja has posted a          |
|                        | cooperative agreement for registered        |
|                        | Nigerian indigenous organizations, U.S. and |
|                        | non-U.S. non-governmental organizations     |
|                        | (NGO), faith-based organizations (FBO),     |
|                        | community-based organizations (CBO),        |
|                        | foundations, private organizations          |
|                        | affiliated with public academic             |
|                        | institutions, parastatals, professional     |
|                        | organizations, non-profit organizations,    |
|                        | and for-profit organizations willing to     |
|                        | forego profit. They are looking for         |
|                        | proposals to strengthen civil society to    |
|                        | combat HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. As of August    |
|                        | 15, 2008, the closing date for this         |
|                        | announcement is January 31, 2009.  For more |
|                        | information as well as contact information  |
|                        | for the acquisition specialist,** **[click  |
|                        | here](http://www.grants.gov/se              |
|                        | arch/search.do;jsessionid=H8GSqf1jQRnvngQvS |
|                        | j1nl0T0QQcJ14hGCJQGs7G8qQJyGRdN2Sw0!-429202 |
|                        | 47?oppId=40582&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW).** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Sudan USAID seeks observation             |
|                        | applications covering the entirety of the   |
|                        | electoral process, from establishment of    |
|                        | the National Election Commission through    |
|                        | resolution of post-polling disputes. As of  |
|                        | August 15, 2008, the closing date on this   |
|                        | announcement is February 16, 2009. For more |
|                        | information, [click                         |
|                        | here](http://www.grants.gov/sea             |
|                        | rch/search.do;jsessionid=LTgMr9hGqjn1NTsh3L |
|                        | kgb6Gf7M0Kjx3vrXhHdJklGVVsTTnY3Kvh!-7114324 |
|                        | 11?oppId=42488&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW).** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Kazakhstan USAID-Almaty This              |
|                        | USAID/Central Asian Republics (CAR) Annual  |
|                        | Program Statement (APS) solicits            |
|                        | applications from prospective partners to   |
|                        | implement maternal and child health         |
|                        | activities in Tajikistan. USAID expects     |
|                        | that the total level of funding available   |
|                        | under this APS for activities in Tajikistan |
|                        | would be up to \$3.5 million. Based on      |
|                        | these figures, funding requests are         |
|                        | expected to range from a minimum of         |
|                        | \$200,000 up to a maximum of \$3.5 million  |
|                        | (if activities are proposed to cover all    |
|                        | program objectives), for expenditure over a |
|                        | period of up to five years. Funding will    |
|                        | not exceed \$700,000 per year; awards for   |
|                        | projects of more than one year will be      |
|                        | funded incrementally. All awards are        |
|                        | subject to the availability of funding.  As |
|                        | of August 15, 2008, the closing date of     |
|                        | this announcement is June 24, 2009.  For    |
|                        | more information, [click                    |
|                        | here.](http://www07.grants.gov/s            |
|                        | earch/search.do;jsessionid=Ly1bSTg2QnH1XTvp |
|                        | 3WjxygJwfyJh5V0MbsYg24wG6tr0snLLMpBD!743351 |
|                        | 497?oppId=42125&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **USAID** is seeking applications from      |
|                        | eligible institution as described in        |
|                        | Sectio**n A.1.e., that promote democracy,   |
|                        | human rights, and the rule of law in Iran.  |
|                        | Applications should advance one or more of  |
|                        | the following objectives: strengthening     |
|                        | civil society organization and advocacy;    |
|                        | increasing awareness of and strengthening   |
|                        | the rule of law; and expanding freedom of   |
|                        | information. USAID intends to make several  |
|                        | awards under this APS for a total of up to  |
|                        | \$20 million. Applicants can request        |
|                        | \$100,000 to \$3,000,000 for expenditure    |
|                        | for a maximum of two years. Applications    |
|                        | will be reviewed on a rolling basis and all |
|                        | applications must be submitted by June 30,  |
|                        | 2009. USAID reserves the right to fund any  |
|                        | or none of the applications submitted. As   |
|                        | of August 15, 2008, the closing date for    |
|                        | this announcement is June 30, 2009. For     |
|                        | more information, [click                    |
|                        | here.](http://www07.grants.gov/se           |
|                        | arch/search.do;jsessionid=LPxPdfpv7qcN9V8h5 |
|                        | hk7y1pb9myR6ffThXgy1ny73z1bk52M5pJ8!1625162 |
|                        | 392?oppId=42479&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)** |
|                        |                                             |
|                        | **Ethiopia USAID-Addis Ababa - THIS IS NOT  |
|                        | A REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS. USAID/Ethiopia  |
|                        | announces its intention to invite comments  |
|                        | and suggestions on a draft Program          |
|                        | Description (PD) for the implementation of  |
|                        | a follow-on Cooperative Agreement           |
|                        | "Transportation Corridor Program" as part   |
|                        | of PEPFAR activities in Ethiopia. The goal  |
|                        | of this program is to implement a set of    |
|                        | activities designed to serve populations at |
|                        | risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV in   |
|                        | urban and peri-urban areas along designated |
|                        | transportation corridors. Anticipated       |
|                        | activities focus on preventing the sexual   |
|                        | transmission of sexually transmitted        |
|                        | infections including HIV and increasing     |
|                        | HIV/AIDS service utilization for            |
|                        | populations at risk of STI/HIV infection,   |
|                        | specifically HIV counseling and testing     |
|                        | (HCT), STI syndromic treatment and HIV care |
|                        | and treatment services. The final version   |
|                        | of the Request for Applications (RFA) is    |
|                        | planned for issue in late October or early  |
|                        | November 2008. USAID/Ethiopia invites       |
|                        | comments and suggestions on the attached    |
|                        | draft PD from firms and organizations and   |
|                        | other interested parties. Eligible          |
|                        | organizations are strongly encouraged to    |
|                        | review the document, provide comment, and   |
|                        | consider submitting proposals in response   |
|                        | to the resulting final RFA. The purpose of  |
|                        | posting this draft PD is to enhance the     |
|                        | quality of the RFA. Comments and            |
|                        | suggestions received may be considered as   |
|                        | the RFA is finalized. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST |
|                        | FOR APPLICATIONS. We are soliciting         |
|                        | comments and suggestions from interested    |
|                        | parties, in order to further refine the     |
|                        | draft PD. Comments will be appreciated and  |
|                        | considered as we finalize the RFA for the   |
|                        | proposed Cooperative Agreement however      |
|                        | comments may or may not be incorporated in  |
|                        | the PD. The period of performance is        |
|                        | expected to be five years starting April    |
|                        | 2009 or earlier. No information on pricing, |
|                        | competition, Instructions to Offerors or    |
|                        | Evaluation Criteria is available at this    |
|                        | time. Please refrain from submitting        |
|                        | questions or requests for clarifications in |
|                        | regards to these sections, as responses     |
|                        | will not be provided. Do not submit a       |
|                        | proposal in response to this draft. It will |
|                        | not be considered. Deadline for written     |
|                        | comments or suggestions in response to this |
|                        | draft is October 07, 2008, 1700 hours Addis |
|                        | Ababa time. For more information, [click    |
|                        | here](http://www07.grants.gov/sear          |
|                        | ch/search.do;jsessionid=LbrJGRLphS2TpYgGGFm |
|                        | Q9dQv2pGvkFnzTpJhCwSDCQTyF6f0yvZz!-16157831 |
|                        | 45?oppId=42907&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW).** |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT FUNDING**Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and
Labor- The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces
a Request for Proposals from organizations interested in submitting
proposals for projects that promote human rights, the rule of law, civil
society, media freedom and freedom of information in North Korea. As of
August 15, 2008, the closing date for this announcement is September 15,
2008. For more information about this grant opportunity, as well as
contact information for the acquisition specialist,** [**click
here.**](http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=LstRSL8YH8gvyJzy60SNXvLhvly0TGd8HGS7FHfgnJpQBp8fn9GG!1360329333?oppId=42638&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)

**Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor- DRL invites organizations
to submit proposals outlining program concepts and capacity to manage
projects in Cuba. U.S. assistance to Cuba seeks to accompany and support
Cubans on the island as they articulate and pursue their vision for
their own future. Priority will be placed on proposals that take a
holistic, complete approach to build and professionalize Cuban civil
society. Proposed projects should strengthen independent Cuban civil
society's ability to: Connect with one another, for example by forming
networks or coalitions, sharing information, and building trust; Define
problems and issues of common interest, and develop a shared vision of
positive change for the future; Conduct outreach, especially to the
provinces, using creative and engaging means to articulate that
vision/goals to the broader Cuban public; Recruit further support and
action among the Cuban public toward those goals; Carry out civil
society activities designed to advance those goals/vision; Disseminate
information about civil society activities back to the Cuban public;
Collect information/opinions from the Cuban public about the direction
and activities of independent civil society; and/or Adjust civil society
goals and actions based on such information. Proposals that involve
ongoing mentoring and coaching of civil society are encouraged. As of
September 8, 2008, the closing date for this announcement is October 6,
2008. For more information about this grant opportunity, [click
here.](http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=LJvL0JGTBmrqlzRR1fjHg97smwyGRvS26FG4WmkfCPvPG11QngLx!-581377340?oppId=42793&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)**

**Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration- Limited funding is
available to support the repatriation and reintegration of Burundi and
DRC refugees and/or necessary care and maintenance for refugees in
camps/settlements (Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda). Priority sectors
include: protection, shelter, health, water/sanitation, livelihood
promotion, primary education, and gender-based violence prevention and
response. Repatriation and reintegration proposals should focus on areas
of high refugee return where new refugee returnees make up at least 50%
of targeted beneficiaries. Proposals for care and maintenance activities
should reflect up to date changes in refugee population numbers due to
influx or return. Priority will be given to proposals from organizations
that can demonstrate: (1) a working relationship with UNHCR and
2008/2009 UNHCR funding and/or support for the proposed activities
and/or overall country program; (2) appropriate targeting of
beneficiaries in coordination with UNHCR and other relevant
organizations; (3) a proven track record in providing proposed
assistance to Burundi and DRC refugees and/or returnees and in the
specified sector; (4) evidence of coordination with host government and
other international and non-governmental organizations; (5) evidence of
coordination with development organizations and a well-developed
transition strategy; and (6) a concrete implementation plan with
well-conceived objectives and indicators. For more details on this
specific opportunity, please click the \"Full Announcement\" Grants.gov
link above. For PRM\'s general NGO guidelines, please click the
Grants.gov \"How to Apply\" link above. After you\'ve read both
documents, please contact Program Officer Wendy Henning
Henningwl@state.gov with any technical questions. Funding opportunity
announcements and PRM\'s general NGO guidelines are also on PRM\'s
website. As of September 8, 2008, the closing date for this announcement
is October 15, 2008. For more information about this grant opportunity,
[click
here.](http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=LJvL0JGTBmrqlzRR1fjHg97smwyGRvS26FG4WmkfCPvPG11QngLx!-581377340?oppId=42795&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)**

**Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration- Limited funding is
available to support NGOs working with UNHCR in Kenya. 1. Programs will
benefit refugees in Kenya. While PRM encourages activities that include
the local host population, NGOs should concentrate on care/maintenance
activities for refugees in a camp environment. At least 50% of
beneficiaries must be refugees. Proposals may focus on protection,
health, water, sanitation, shelter, education, community services,
psychosocial support, and livelihoods development and training. 2. PRM
will give priority to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate:
• a working relationship with UNHCR in country and UNHCR funding and/or
support for the proposed activities ; • a proven track record in
providing proposed refugee assistance in Kenya and in the sector; •
evidence of coordination with the host government and other
international and non-governmental organizations working in the area of
activity. \[Note: PRM will share budget and project activity information
with appropriate ministries, local officials, and other USG entities\]
As of September 8, 2008, the closing date for this announcement is
October 15, 2008. For more information about this grant opportunity,
[click
here.](http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=LJvL0JGTBmrqlzRR1fjHg97smwyGRvS26FG4WmkfCPvPG11QngLx!-581377340?oppId=42794&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)**

**Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration- (1) Proposed activities
should support Sudanese refugee repatriation and reintegration via
programs in return communities in Jonglei State, Eastern Equatoria
State, and Upper Nile State of southern Sudan. PRM will consider
activities supporting the following: protection, health, primary
education, water/sanitation, mine awareness education, gender-based
violence (GBV) prevention and response, and livelihoods training and
establishment. PRM will not support NGO projects in FY09 that focus on
information campaigns, civic education projects, "go and see" visits or
other activities to prepare refugees in countries of asylum for returns.
(2) Proposals should focus on areas of high refugee return where refugee
returnees make up at least 50% of targeted beneficiaries in communities
in Jonglei, Eastern Equatoria, and/or Upper Nile States. Proposals
should specify current and projected refugee returnee population numbers
in proposed locations as documented by the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Southern Sudan
Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC), and/or local authorities.
(3) PRM will accept proposals from any NGO that is able to satisfy these
guidelines although, given our budgetary constraints, priority will be
given to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate: (a) a
working relationship with UNHCR and 2008/2009 UNHCR funding and/or
support for the proposed activities and/or overall country program; (b)
a proven track record in providing assistance to Sudanese refugee
returnees in both the sector(s) and specified location(s) covered in the
submission; (c) evidence of coordination with and support from local
authorities for proposed project (please note that PRM will share budget
and project activity information with appropriate ministries and county
commissioners in southern Sudan and with other USG entities involved
with reconstruction efforts in southern Sudan); (d) evidence of
coordination with development organizations in the proposed region of
work and a well-developed transition strategy; and (e) appropriate
targeting of beneficiaries in coordination with UNHCR and other relevant
organizations supporting reintegration. For more details on this
specific opportunity, please click the \"Full Announcement\" Grants.gov
link above. For PRM\'s general NGO guidelines, please click the
Grants.gov \"How to Apply\" link above. After you\'ve read both
documents, please contact Program Officer Brennan Gilmore at
202-663-1712 (gilmorebm@state.gov) with any questions. Funding
opportunity announcements and PRM\'s general NGO guidelines are also on
PRM\'s website. As of September 8, 2008, the closing date on this
announcement is October 15, 2008. For more information on this grant
opportunity, [click
here.](http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=LJvL0JGTBmrqlzRR1fjHg97smwyGRvS26FG4WmkfCPvPG11QngLx!-581377340?oppId=42797&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)**

**Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration- The Department of
State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (hereinafter
referred to as the \"Bureau\") welcomes the submission of proposals for
the fiscal year 2009 Cultural Orientation (CO) Technical Assistance
Program overseen by the Bureau. The deadline for submission of proposals
is November 5, 2008. This program serves to complement the Reception and
Placement Program, the purpose of which is to promote the effective
resettlement of all persons who are admitted to the United States under
the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, including assisting refugees to
achieve economic self-sufficiency through employment as quickly as
possible. The goals of the CO Technical Assistance Program administered
by the Bureau are: (1) to strengthen linkages between overseas cultural
orientation programs and reception and placement activities; (2) to
provide information and materials to overseas cultural orientation
programs and to domestic refugee service providers; (3) to provide
support and technical assistance to overseas cultural orientation
programs on request; (4) with input from the Cultural Orientation
Working Group and guidance from the Bureau, to provide feedback to
overseas cultural orientation programs as needed; and (5) to provide
other technical assistance requested by the Bureau, subject to
availability of funds and adequate staffing levels to perform assigned
tasks. The Bureau intends to award one Cooperative Agreement to a
well-qualified non-profit organization with the required technical
expertise in cultural orientation for an initial period beginning
January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009 subject to the availability of
funds. Through the Cooperative Agreement, the Bureau will provide full
financial support to the selected organization, based on the proposal
submitted in response to this request. This financial support may be
renewable for up to two additional calendar years based upon annual
budget submissions, as long as there remains a need for the program, and
the organization operating the program provides satisfactory service,
and subject to the availability of funds. At the end of three years, the
Bureau will re-compete the program, and the recipient of this award may
participate in that process. As of September 3, 2008, the closing date
for this announcement is November 5, 2008. For more information, [click
here.](http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=L2BQJ2Zmr4KpNF6BVLCGLJPlLDPjfQWpK1znGG2QXnP9KJFYzYYM!-1899056646?oppId=42740&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW)**

(check out grants.gov for the most up-to-date information on grant and
funding opportunities as information does change)