U.S. Mission Marks 50th Anniversaries of USAID and Peace Corps

50th Anniversary

KAMPALA-- On September 15, the U.S. Mission Uganda marked the 50th anniversaries of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S. Peace Corps with a celebration of their accomplishments. Invited guests took a walk through history and experienced the achievements of the agencies through personal accounts of distinguished Ugandans.

Fifty years ago, President John F. Kennedy called for the creation of the United States Agency for International Development to bring peace, prosperity, and hope to the developing world.   At about the same time, he challenged young Americans to pledge their lives to the greater good, serve as bridges between societies, and nurture people-to-people diplomacy with the creation of Peace Corps.   These two U.S. agencies, born in the universal spirit of friendship, symbolize the commitment to improve the lives of people around the globe by helping them to help themselves.
 
USAID began operating in Uganda in 1962.  Today, USAID’s program is among the largest in sub-Saharan Africa and includes projects to support each of the U.S. Mission’s foreign policy objectives in peace and security, governing justly and democratically, health and education, economic growth, and humanitarian assistance.  USAID assistance to Uganda is approximately $320 million for 2011.

Since 1961, about 200,000 U.S. Peace Corps volunteers have answered the call to service across 140 nations.  The core mission of Peace Corps is to provide skills where they are needed, to educate other cultures about America, and to educate Americans about other cultures.  In Uganda, Peace Corps’ programs include education, economic development, and community health.  These projects aim to address the needs identified by the Government of Uganda in its efforts to reform the country’s educational system, develop the private sector, and improve public health.  About 200 Volunteers are serving in Uganda today.

In his remarks, Ambassador Jerry P. Lanier said: “Fifty years ago, President John F. Kennedy called for the creation of the United States Agency for International Development and Peace Corps.   These two U.S. agencies, born in the universal spirit of friendship, symbolize the commitment of the United States to improving the lives of people around the globe by helping them to help themselves.”