News - Improving U.S. Foreign Assistance: Putting Women at the Center

Improving U.S. Foreign Assistance: Putting Women at the Center

July 22, 2008—Global women’s leaders and development experts today called for a greater focus on women and girls to ensure sustainable international development at a standing-room only briefing before the U.S. Congress. (Pictured right: Nse Udoh, Community Partners for Development)

The U.S. Congress has been considering a number of proposals to update and streamline U.S. humanitarian and other aid to countries. Currently, U.S. aid to other countries is governed by the 1961 Foreign Assistance Act, and is delivered through 24 separate agencies across the government.

Many foreign policy experts and development agencies have argued for a major makeover that would increase the effectiveness of U.S. aid to other countries through better coordination and an increased focus on poverty and long-term sustainable development. Chief among these recommendations is the need to establish a new global development agency with overall oversight of U.S. foreign assistance.

Representatives Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) have introduced a Congressional resolution that recognizes the importance of modernizing U.S. foreign assistance and calls on Congress to address this issue. And, Representative Howard Berman (D-CA), who is Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has indicated that next year the committee will take up reauthorization of the 1961 Foreign Assistance Act.

InterAction’s Sam Worthington joined women leaders to call for a focus on women and girls in the new U.S. foreign assistance reforms.

Panelists at today’s briefing, “Improving Foreign Assistance: Putting Women at the Center,” argued that in the more than 40 years since the U.S. first created its foreign assistance framework, experience shows that investing in women and girls globally is one of the most effective ways of reducing poverty and improving community development.

Speakers at the briefing included international development leaders Yolonda Richardson of CEDPA and Sam Worthington of InterAction, and women leading education, health and conflict resolution programs in Angola, Egypt and Nigeria.

Sam Worthington highlighted guidelines issued by InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S. based humanitarian and development agencies, to improve U.S. development assistance. Chief among these are the need to focus on long-term results, and to build local capacity that promotes community ownership and leads to self-sufficiency.

“Often times foreign assistance consists of people deciding what a country needs. ‘This area needs a school, here is some money, let’s build it.’ We find it better to approach a community and ask them what they need,” he said.

Worthington brought attention to the fact that women are the ones most affected by poverty, health issues and conflict worldwide, and yet in the face of this adversity they are often the ones who are holding communities together. Foreign assistance programs often do not make women and girls a focus and that needs to change, he said.

Cesaltina Nunda, CEDPA Global Women in Management Participant

Cesaltina Nunda told her story of returning to Angola after more than thirty years of war.

“CEDPA is very aware of the importance of women as leaders in their communities,” echoed Yolonda Richardson, CEDPA President. “We have worked for 30 years to build leadership capacity among women so they can change their countries.”

Richardson and Worthington were joined by three global women leaders who highlighted the effectiveness of aid programs when they are designed and driven by community needs.

Cesaltina Nunda is a coordinator at Angola 2000, a peace-building group formed by Angolan youth displaced to South Africa by Angola’s three decade-long civil war. She noted that small groups like hers have been working extensively with women and youth to disarm the countryside, with much success. “I did not wait for the world to come to me,” she said, noting the lack of international funding for these efforts, “I went to the world.”

Nse Udoh explained how her group, Community Partners for Development, works to empower women of the Niger Delta region. The region’s women are greatly affected by the conflicts in southern Nigeria, yet assistance rarely reaches them. Nse’s organization works tirelessly to build the skills of women in her region so they can help themselves economically. Many of her programs are operated in partnership with international agencies.

Nancy Refki, CEDPA Global Women in Management Participant

Nancy Refki shared stories of how INJAZ is changing the lives of the youth in Egypt.

In Egypt, Nancy Refki’s organization INJAZ Egypt engages corporate partners to teach youth about entrepreneurship and create their own employment opportunities.

Panelists at the briefing urged Congress to make community needs, especially those of women and girls, at the center of any efforts to reform U.S. foreign assistance. Specific recommendations are also included in a recent report issued by the International Center for Research on Women and Women Thrive Worldwide, Value Added: Women and U.S. Foreign Assistance for the 21st Century.

The global women leaders who spoke at the July 22 Congressional briefing are in Washington, D.C. to participate in CEDPA’s month-long Global Women in Management Workshop. These women and 23 others from around the world have joined the program to strengthen program and financial management abilities as well as skills in communications, fundraising and leadership.

Now in its 30th year, CEDPA’s Global Women in Management program is sponsored by the ExxonMobil Foundation’s Educating Women and Girls’ Initiative.

Learn more about CEDPA’s training programs.

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