#ShineBrighter: Looking Back at 2020

During a year marked by a global pandemic, USAID and our partners across the world rose above challenges to be a bright beacon of hope, progress, and prosperity.

The challenges of 2020 have created uncertainty, anxiety, and fear across the world. They have impacted work flows, disrupted daily routines, and compounded economic instability. Despite all this, USAID and our partners doubled down to continue important projects that have transformed individuals, communities, and countries — helping them to continue to thrive in the face of a global pandemic. We are working to #ShineBrighter to bridge the gaps created by COVID-19. Here’s a look at how we’ve continued to lift lives, build communities, and establish self-sufficiency this year.

#ShineBrighter through new skills

A couple and their young daughter in Dolakha, Nepal, share a happy moment in front of their new house built with support from USAID’s Baliyo Ghar (Strong House) Project. / Keshab Thoker for USAID

Communities in central Nepal were devastated by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake and scores of traditional stone-mud and brick-mud houses there could not withstand quakes and aftershocks. USAID trained Nepalis in masonry and construction techniques to build homes and structures that are earthquake safe. Krishna Bahadur Majhi and his wife Ramani were not only able to reconstruct their own damaged home, but dozens of others in their community. Now they are turning their new-found skills to help neighboring villages rebuild. USAID’s construction training has empowered Nepalis, and allows them to #ShineBrighter by ensuring families have safe homes for generations to come.

Rebuilding Homes, Communities, Families

#ShineBrighter with a more stable income

Saida Safarova poses proudly with the food stall made possible with USAID support. / Abdulfattoh Shafiev, International Organization for Migration Tajikistan

After Saida Safarova was banned from working in Russia, she returned to Tajikistan and had trouble getting back on her feet. USAID helped her with startup funding and equipment to open her own food stall. “My dreams have come true,” Saida says. “I have my own place to live, I have brought my children back to live with me, and I can educate them.” Saida can #ShineBrighter by helping to promote the vibrancy and prosperity of her own community — and brighten other people’s days with her sweet treats.

Saida’s Success

#ShineBrighter by overcoming obstacles

Tahmina Begum inspires women to be independent and resourceful in Birnagar, her village in northeast Bangladesh that is highly vulnerable to floods, landslides, and drought. / Habibul Haque for USAID

Tahmina Begum is an inspiration to her community. When her husband fell ill, she struck out to earn more income through sewing, raising poultry and cattle, and starting a roadside tea stall. She developed a business plan for a tailoring operation and used a grant to buy a new sewing machine. She’s now helping her neighbors find ways to start businesses. She is one of nearly 384,000 people in Bangladesh to receive financial support and training from USAID and CARE. She can #ShineBrighter by being an example of resilience and empowerment for her family, friends, and neighbors.

Overcoming Gender Barriers in the Flood-Prone Wetlands of Bangladesh

#ShineBrighter by investing in education

Moussa Konaré has created an informal learning community outside his home. Three times a week, children from the village visit his home to learn to read and write. / Aissata Cheick Sylla, USAID/Mali SIRA

In Mali, farmer Moussa Konaré invites young people to his home to help them practice their reading and writing. He’s helped build a network of parents who work with their childrens’ teachers to provide lessons that can be practiced at home. Investing in young people allows us to invest in the long-term security, stability, and growth of our future. When children have the freedom to thrive and #ShineBrighter, it has a transformational effect on our societies.

A Farmer Becomes a Dedicated Educator

#ShineBrighter on the front lines of COVID-19 response

Dr. Yoav Mintz is a surgeon at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. With the support of USAID, his team developed an open-source ventilator to save COVID-19 patients. / Courtesy of Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center

In nations across the world, USAID trains and supports healthcare workers so they are prepared to support their communities. This training is especially critical with a global pandemic. In Colombia, a USAID-provided tent enabled a hospital on the border with Venezuela to expand and treat more patients during the pandemic. In Egypt, USAID has helped fund scholarships for nurses who are now treating COVID-19 patients, and in India USAID training programs have prepared more than 40,000 health workers who have in turn benefitted 2.5 million residents in 12 states. With support and knowledge, these health professionals can #ShineBrighter and serve their communities.

Meet 6 Health Care Workers on the Frontlines of the COVID-19 Response

#ShineBrighter through conserving our communities

The rescued baby elephant was named ‘Sabuk,’ which means big or large in Maasai. / Big Life Foundation

USAID is pioneering community-driven conservation efforts, and that work has paid off in Kenya where combined efforts of the local community and volunteer rangers saved a vulnerable baby elephant that was roaming the savannah alone. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has contributed to increased poaching, but community members spotted this calf and rangers were able to airlift the baby elephant to a shelter. Conservation cooperations like this one developed through USAID partners are protecting ecosystems across the globe, and when our landscapes are able to #ShineBrighter, so can we.

Rescuing a Baby Elephant in Kenya

#ShineBrighter helping neighbors near and far

Samaritan’s Purse Respiratory Care Unit. / Samaritan’s Purse

Volunteers from North Carolina-based Samaritan’s Purse partnered with USAID to travel in March to the epicenter of a COVID-19 outbreak in Cremona, Italy. In just three days the group set up an emergency field hospital that was able to treat 281 patients and allowed an overtaxed hospital to get back on its feet again. The U.S. Government, through USAID, committed $50 million to Italy, one of the first European countries to be hit hardest by the pandemic. USAID support is helping Italy to respond to immediate health needs and the second order impacts of the virus while building resilience for the future. We #ShineBrighter by supporting public health around the world.

Read the story here: https://usaidpubs.exposure.co/loving-your-neighbor

#ShineBrighter and healthier

Dr. Eqab Al-Rawahna was the director of the Emergency Department at Al Bashir Hospital, Jordan’s largest public hospital, when COVID-19 arrived in the country. / Mohammad Magayda for USAID

At the height of the pandemic, USAID partnered with the UN and the Government of Jordan to build a new emergency room at the country’s largest public hospital. The expanded facility is almost 10 times the size of the facility it replaced, equipped with state of the art equipment to help doctors and nurses treat patients quickly and more effectively. The new emergency room will help some of the most vulnerable people in the region — not only low-income Jordanians, but also thousands of migrants and refugees from across the Middle East. Access to quality health care allows us to #ShineBrighter knowing we can live healthy and productive lives.

Building a Healthy Future for Jordan

#ShineBrighter by empowering others

“I will teach my children to vote, so that they have a better future,” Selma says. / Nessim Stevenson for USAID

After meeting a USAID-trained civic ambassador, Selma Sbissi became empowered to vote in Tunisia’s first free municipal elections. USAID reached over 7,000 rural women during voter registration and 27,000 rural women during the mobilization. Two-thirds of those women reached, including Selma, cast ballots. Now, Selma is inspiring other women to use their voice and vote in elections, as well. “I will teach my children to vote, so that they have a better future,” she says. Many of the women reached through this project have become civic leaders themselves and are helping others register for voting. Democratic institutions like free and fair elections allow us all to #ShineBrighter.

Selma Votes in Tunisia

#ShineBrighter with second chances

Kadian Lewis inspects the interior of one of her customer’s cars to ensure that it is properly cleaned. / Photo courtesy of Kadian Lewis

A USAID-funded project in Jamaica helped young people in detention centers find a new outlook on life by exploring entrepreneurship. Mentors helped craft ideas into money-making ventures that allowed young people to give back to their communities and earn a steady income. Participants presented their business ideas to a panel of judges who picked the best ideas and awarded grants to individual and group winners to set up microbusinesses. Kadian Lewis was one such participant, who received a grant when she left a remand center to start her own business. She launched a car wash and detailing operation as a 20-year-old and has already hired an employee to help. You can #ShineBrighter when you see a path to success in front of you.

From Remand Center To Renewed Hope

About the Author

Steven Norris is the Strategic Communications Intern in USAID’s Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs.