Projects

In recent years, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and DAI have helped Indonesia—the country that has suffered the most human deaths from H5N1 avian influenza—make great strides in reducing its vulnerability to the virus. The SAFE project was created by USAID/Indonesia’s Avian and Pandemic Influenza Program to further reduce the risk and potential impact of the virus on animals and humans. We operate in high-risk districts of Western and Central Java and Greater Jakarta, in close collaboration with government, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, service providers, community groups, and other stakeholders.

DAI’s Environmental Services Program  (2005–2010) provided 1 million Indonesians with greater access to clean water, built 140 sanitary and solid waste systems, and leveraged $21 million of outside funding. IUWASH, also funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is designed to make an even greater impact.

The marshlands of southern Iraq were once a major flyway for billions of birds, a source of fish and dairy products for much of Iraq, and a natural filter for the waters of the Persian Gulf. But the wetlands were heavily drained as retaliation for their inhabitants’ uprising against Saddam Hussein following the Gulf War. When Allied forces entered Iraq in 2003, the marshes were only 7 percent of their original size, and the area’s population had dwindled from 500,000 to 125,000.

By 2009, years of organic and poorly planned growth in the Kingdom of Jordan had produced a large and unwieldy government bureaucracy accounting for 13 percent of the national workforce. Institutions had confusing and overlapping mandates. Public spending was rising on services that did not necessarily fall under the mandate of the public sector. At the same time, citizens struggled to find the appropriate government agencies to address their everyday needs.

Improving Jordan’s productivity will be the key to sustainable economic growth, job creation, increased wages, and improved standards of living. While the private sector is key to stimulating and sustaining growth, it cannot do so alone. The government plays a critical role by creating an environment that fosters private sector excellence.

This programme was prompted by the post-election violence of 2007–2008 in Kenya, when implications of impunity, lack of accountability, and need for an overhaul of the constitutional, legislative, electoral, and judicial environment became critical. With DAP, the U.K. Department of International Development’s ultimate goal is to improve the Kenyan Government’s accountability to its citizens.

As the trade and financial hub for East Africa, Kenya has been a leader in developing a network of microfinance institutions that extend loans to small farms, businesses, and entrepreneurs. The Association of Microfinance Institutions (AMFI) was formed to serve the interests of these institutions by creating an enabling environment for microfinance, sharing best practices, and creating business connections between various regional firms.