[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 21, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1245-E1246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             INTRODUCTION OF AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 21, 2006

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I introduced the African Development 
Foundation Act of 2006.
  This legislation re-authorizes the African Development Foundation 
(ADF) and reaffirms the great work it does in Africa for entrepreneurs, 
small businesses and micro/credit community programs.
  For more than 20 years, the African Development Foundation has been a 
powerful example of both the compassion and the innovation of the 
American people as it has helped the poor across Africa.
  The Foundation is a unique and highly effective program. It is the 
only United States Government agency working directly at the 
grassroots, supporting African-designed and African-driven solutions to 
economic and social problems.
  The ADF enables individuals and groups to get out of poverty by 
putting their own ideas to work, not someone else's.
  In 2005, ADF's investments across Africa created more than 110,000 
jobs for poor Africans, generated $70 million in gross revenues for 
enterprises, and almost 65 percent of micro and small entrepreneurs 
assisted by ADF were women.
  ADF is demonstrating that African entrepreneurs and farmers can 
compete in the global marketplace. It is helping them improve quality 
to meet international standards and to increase quantity to meet 
demand.
  ADF-assisted groups had $35 million in export sales in 2005. For 
example thousands of poor, small farmers in Uganda have been taught how 
to grow vanilla. Moreover, they are getting significant value-added by 
curing and grading it for the international market, where it competes 
favorably with Madagascar and other producers.
  In Tanzania, ADF is helping several thousand small sugar cane 
producers improve their income. Mtibwa Sugar has increased its gross 
export revenues by 423 percent over the past 3 years, from US$1.188 
million during FY 2002 to US$5.034 million in FY 2005. In the Ruembe 
Outgrowers Association, sugar cane yields per hectare are up 30 percent 
and cumulative export sales stand at US$4.7 million.
  The number of participating cane farmers has increased by 50 percent 
since project inception and the income of the 1,440 growers has almost 
doubled as a consequence of ADF's investment.

[[Page E1246]]

  The Foundation's community enterprise investments are supporting 
grassroots solutions to local problems and empowering communities to 
take control of their own development.
  For example, over the past several years, ADF has empowered rural 
communities in Guinea to plan and undertake the construction of scores 
of health clinics, primary schools and wells.
  In Jigawa State, in northern Nigeria, ADF supported community 
construction of 400 low cost homes for families who had lost their 
traditional structures in floods.
  Mr. Speaker, I am personally impressed and inspired by the African 
Development Foundation's work with those living with HIV/AIDS.
  For example:
  In Swaziland, where almost 40 percent of adults are infected with the 
AIDS virus, ADF is improving nutrition and providing income-generating 
opportunities for widows and orphans affected by helping them produce 
and market vegetables.
  In Ghana, ADF funded the training of almost 1,500 youth who conducted 
peer counseling on HIV/AIDS to more than 200,000 young people.
  In Plateau State, Nigeria, ADF funded a pilot program to adapt and 
extend a faith-based life skills training program in the public 
secondary schools. About 500 teachers were trained in the new 
curriculum and more than 25,000 students received year-long training.
  In Tanzania, ADF has experimented with supporting schemes that extend 
micro-credit to people living with HIV/AIDS and enabling them to start 
informal businesses and undertake income-generating activities.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a very high demand for the African Development 
Foundation to expand their work. A dozen African governments and two 
private corporations are actually matching the U.S. Government's 
funding, dollar-for-dollar, for ADF to undertake projects in their 
countries. Demand for its services greatly exceeds resources. 
Currently, ADF has a total of $22.0 million in annual cash commitments 
and specific requests.
  Newly elected President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has requested USADF to 
help in rebuilding Liberia and restoring hope through creating small 
businesses and community enterprises that can provide meaningful jobs 
to ex-combatants, women and youth.
  Additionally, the Governments of Burundi and the Democratic Republic 
of the Congo have also requested USADF to assist in their post-crisis 
transition and development. Also, the Government of Burkina Faso has 
requested ADF assistance in community and enterprise development and is 
committed to matching USG funding with funds from the Islamic 
Development Bank.
  Mr. Speaker, the work of the African Development Foundation is a 
powerful example of the goodwill of the American people, and it is one 
of the most effective foreign assistance programs we have.
  I ask that my colleagues join me in supporting their efforts and co-
sponsor the African Development Foundation Act of 2006.

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