Building Resilience and Investing in Innovation in Response to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic

Creating Pathways to Prosperity Newsletter

View this email in your browser JULY–AUGUST 2020 PATHWAYS NEWSLETTER: COVID-19 EDITION Dear Friends of USADF, The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened the investments and progress USADF has made over the past 40 years in helping to start and scale African enterprises. In response, we rapidly developed and deployed a COVID-19 strategy to assist African enterprises in repurposing and reconfiguring their business models so they can withstand the short-term pressures of COVID-19 and thrive in the medium- to long-term. A key component of USADF's COVID-19 response is the Capital for African Resilience-building and Enterprises Support (C.A.R.E.S) Initiative, through which we have provided approximately $3.4 million to over 330 African enterprises to address immediate business continuity and liquidity issues.  Please take a minute to visit the USADF C.A.R.E.S page to learn more about how our COVID-19 response is building the resilience of African enterprises, institutions, and communities. Be sure to follow the #USADFCARES hashtag on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to stay informed of our response and be inspired by how the African enterprises and entrepreneurs USADF invests in are adapting, innovating, and giving back to their communities during these challenging times. LEARN MORE  ADVANCING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY IN KENYA DURING COVID-19 With an investment of $148,000 from USADF, Shining Hope for Communities will distribute 1.8 million liters of water to vulnerable community residents and provide 30 serviced handwashing stations in Kibera, Mathare, and Kawangware communities in Kenya. WATCH VIDEO MEETING THE ACUTE NEED FOR FACE MASKS IN GUINEA Through the USADF C.A.R.E.S Program, Guinée Confection, a uniform-producing company in Guinea, will produce 50,000 face masks and offer 20,000 free of charge to vulnerable communities. WATCH VIDEO #USADFCARES ON SOCIAL MEDIA Visit Our New USADF Website In July, USADF launched a new, more modern and engaging website that better demonstrates our unique development model and impact across Africa. Please explore at www.usadf.gov. View USADF's 2019 and Five-Year Impact Report At USADF, we embrace challenges and leverage our extensive development expertise to create pathways to prosperity. We know that unlocking the potential of smallholder farmers, women, youth, pastoralists, refugees, and those in conflict-affected environments takes time and requires a clear strategy. That is why we focus on three key pillars: Achieving Transformative Impact, Strengthening African Implementing Partners, and Expanding Innovative Partnerships. Check out USADF's 2019 and Five-Year (2015-2019) Impact Report to learn more.   UPCOMING EVENTS July 29, 2020 Around the world, the coronavirus has had an outsized impact on vulnerable populations in fragile countries, overtaxing healthcare infrastructure and government response systems while exacerbating external stressors on developing economies. At the same time, the pandemic has brought to the forefront the vital role local communities can play in responding to global shocks. As such, COVID-19 provides an opportunity to examine the effectiveness of capacity-building efforts at the grassroots level and identify what types of investments work best to promote long-term resilience, from the ground up. As part of an upcoming research project exploring this topic, Foreign Policy and the U.S. African Development Foundation will host a Virtual Dialogue focused on grassroots investment and sustainable growth in Africa and its effect in supporting COVID-19 recovery. Spotlighting pioneers in agriculture, off-grid energy and entrepreneurship, the discussion will showcase innovative projects that foster socio-economic resilience among vulnerable communities and ways in which targeted private sector investment has strengthened local capacity across the continent to weather this shock. Tune in and join the conversation online using #FPProfilesOfResilience   REGISTER HERE Copyright © *2020 U.S. African Development Foundation, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a part of USADF external communications. Our mailing address is: U.S. African Development Foundation  1400 I Street, Northwest Suite 1000 Washington, D.C. 20005 Add us to your address book. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.