Adapting democracy to the invasion — For more than three decades, USAID has supported parliaments and legislative bodies around the world in its work to promote government responsiveness and accountability. Despite important markers of progress, the last decade has brought a new wave of authoritarianism in countries all around the globe — a disturbing trend seen…

USAID is helping Dominican farmers increase rice yields while protecting the environment — Rice is a Dominican staple. It can be found on virtually every restaurant’s menu in the country, and most Dominicans eat it every day. “Rice is Dominicans’ favorite food,” says Juan García, a rice farmer from Montecristi. Rice is also part of a growing agricultural market in the Dominican Republic…

The “Forest Backpack” is helping Indigenous communities in Peru banish illegal logging from their lands and improve their living conditions — The manguaré sounds, which is the signal to summon the members of the Huitoto community of Pucaurquillo, located in Loreto, a region in the Peruvian Amazon. Today is a special day because it brings a visit from Teobaldo Vásquez from the Bora community of Brillo Nuevo. Pucaurquillo and Brillo Nuevo…

Lessons from USAID and Asia’s local heroes — COVID-19 has claimed the lives of over 1 million people in Asia. To make things worse, nearly five million families in Southeast Asia alone fell back into poverty and over nine million people faced unemployment due to the pandemic. Amid these challenges, USAID’s local partners are more important than ever…

How modern agricultural technologies grow new markets for Georgia — On a road outside of Tbilisi, I travel with a team from USAID’s Mission in Georgia. We are heading to the Gori municipality in the Shida Kartli region, about an hour and a half from the country’s capital. On the way, I look out the vehicle’s window, seeing a beautiful…

Vaccinating the elderly and underserved communities — Gladys Kahalwa, 79, and her husband Jonathan, 88, survived two waves of COVID-19 in Uganda. To avoid getting the disease, which can be severe in the elderly, the couple self-isolated at home for many months. “We were scared; because, at our age, if you are not vaccinated and you get…

5 highlights from Administrator Samantha Power’s speech to reimagine USAID’s approach to supporting democracy — For 16 years, democracy has been in a state of decline around the world. But now, we are at a critical moment to reverse this trend. …

How USAID is partnering with the private sector to create a plastic value chain — While walking through bustling Manila in the Philippines, it doesn’t take long to come across a sari-sari store. In Tagalog, sari-sari means “everything,” and these small, family-run convenience stores are found on almost every corner of the city. In Barangay 598, a neighborhood along the San Juan River, Aling Lorme…

3 USAID experts weigh in on the World Health Assembly —