U.S. provides $105,000 grants to 16 community groups

The United States Ambassador to Liberia, Christine Elder Tuesday signed a grant agreement worth $105,000 to provide assistance to 16 community groups across Liberia.The funds originate from two sources, the Department of States Economic Support Funds (the Ambassador’s Special Self-help Fund) and the United African Development Foundation. 

The Self Help Fund provided $80,000 in grant money to support community development initiatives focused on income generation and skills development, while the United States African Development Foundation provides $ 25, 000 to support community-based food security projects.

Ambassador Elder said the U.S. Embassy is proud to support the work each of the 16 groups is doing for the betterment of their communities and the entire country, and looks forward to visiting some of the fields to see the impact from collective efforts thru the self-help grants and the projects they implement across the county.

The Ambassadors Special Self Help Fund was established in Togo in 1964 as an experimental and modest self help program for Africa, and is now one of the most successful assistance programs in Africa, covering the entire continent, she said.

According to the U.S. Envoy, since the program began in Liberia in 2004, it has funded 173 projects in all 15 counties, disbursing over $800,000 and impacting more than 264,000 Liberians.
She also noted that this year, she received over 100 proposals for small grants, but sixteen projects were selected, and twelve projects will be funded through the U.S. Department of States Economic Support Funds, while four will be funded from the ADF grants.

By Bridgett Milton-Editing by Jonathan Browne