US GOVT AWARDS US$65,000 GRANTS FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES
THE US Embassy in Zambia has awarded a sum of $65,000 (K1.2 million) in grants to non-profit organizations to improve the standard of living in communities in four provinces.
Three grants to Zambian community-based organizations through the U.S. Ambassador’s Special Self-Help small grant program will expand economic opportunities and support food security, education, and health.
A fourth grant has been awarded to Caritas Czech Republic through the Julia Taft Refugee Fund which will establish a sustainable and commercial tailoring operation for asylum seekers, refugees, and former refugees in Lusaka.
The Grants awarded through the U.S. Ambassador’s Special Self-Help small grant program will support the construction of a chicken house for a project with Tirane Women’s Club to improve women’s livelihoods in Katandala Village of Chasefu district in Eastern Province.
The grant will also support the establishment of a crop irrigation system project with Zambia Youth League to improve food security and household income for the community in Shangombo District, Western Province.
The Special Self-Help program delivers financial support directly to Zambian organizations with sustainable, innovative ideas to reach traditionally underserved areas or populations.
Since its initiation, the program has provided over $1.44 million (K27.5 million) to 142 community-based organizations throughout Zambia.
Separately, the grant awarded to Caritas Czech Republic through the Julia Taft Refugee Fund will enable the organization to leverage its existing expertise and infrastructure to promote linkages with the private sector to develop refugees’ entrepreneurial skills and create internship and job opportunities.
By equipping beneficiaries with important new skills in marketing and managing small businesses, this support will strengthen community livelihoods.
The Julia Taft Fund for Refugees is an initiative by the U.S. Department of State to respond to critical unmet needs of refugees. This is contained in a statement issued to the Daily Nation by the U.S Embassy in Lusaka.