On June 6, United State Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Bridget Brink, along with local government officials and regional medical professionals, visited the United States’ Embassy supported Hellenicare Hippocrates clinic and Mobile Medical Units (MMU). The MMU distribute valuable medical equipment and supplies to rural ambulatories allowing rural clinic doctors to better treat their patients living in rural areas with more limited access to care.

Lesotho’s HIV/AIDs prevalence of approximately 23 percent is one of the highest in the world. In 2003, the epidemic caused life expectancy for the average Basotho to drop to 44 years. Lesotho has made slow but steady progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS; according to the World Bank, life expectancy has been on the rise, now reaching 48 years.

Every child should grow up to be healthy, but that is not the reality for many children in Guatemala.

As a result of food insecurity and chronic undernutrition, too many children throughout Guatemala suffer from physical and mental disabilities that can last a lifetime.

But in Alta Verapaz, where food insecurity conditions are most severe, families in the region are eating a greater variety of more nutritious foods. With this more diverse diet, not only has the rate of child stunting decreased, but so has the rate of underweight children.

In parts of West Africa, the Peace Corps is expanding opportunities for its Volunteers to receive training in combating hunger and undernutrition.

Peace Corps Volunteers are closely integrated with the communities they serve, often supporting local community health workers or even providing counseling themselves to caregivers responsible for the health and nutrition of family members.

In the village of Muyumbana in Central Zambia, it is hard not to notice the maize. It is everywhere—towering six to seven feet high, taking up nearly every piece of open space, and crowding close to homes and schools. When the wind blows through the middle of the planted rows, it sounds like a gentle rainstorm.

Unfortunately, farmers can't always count on their crops getting enough real rain, and this year the maize in Muyumbana hasn't seen enough of it.

U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2014 budget proposal, which was announced today, includes reforms to how U.S. food aid is managed that will enable an estimated two to four million more hungry people to be fed every year with the same resources.

While maintaining a significant level of in-kind food aid procurements from the United States, U.S. food aid will be paired with a more expansive use of local and regional procurement and food vouchers.

In 2003, a group of women from a community living along the shores of Lake Kivu in western Rwanda started COOPAVI, the first women’s cooperative to undertake fishing in the lake. But most of the women had never fished before, and they did not own any boats or supplies that would support their efforts to generate income and better feed their families.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—March 27, 2013—The United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and the Government of Benin renewed a five year strategic partnership this week which will directly benefit 28,000 marginalized people in Benin.

2172 House Rayburn Office Building Washington, DC 20515 | Mar 20, 2013 9:45am

Opening Statement of the Honorable Ed Royce (R-CA)

House Committee on Foreign Affairs

Hearing on “Crisis in Syria: The U.S. Response”

March 20, 2013

(As Prepared for Delivery)

This hearing will come to order. We meet today to review the Syrian crisis.