Rosha Basnet/RSS
Lamahi (Dang), July 8: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) organized a variety of activities at Lamahi of Dang district in Lumbini Province recently in a bid to impart knowledge among public about the developmental activities, programs and projects supported by the USAID in Nepal over the past 63 years.
The cultural program was organized at the bus park with the engagement of the local community. Singer Afsar Ali, who hails from Lumbini Province, enthralled the audiences gathered in drove braving the monsoon’s rain while emcee Suman Shrestha engaged the curious onlookers and eager participants alike in fun games such as ‘spin the wheel’ and quizzes among others aimed at sensitizing public about the longstanding partnership between Nepal and the USAID.
Similar programs are being held in Kohalpur of Banke district on today and in Nepalgunj of the same district on Tuesday, according to the USAID.
USAID began its roadshow in Lumbini Province with its first event at Badganga, Jitpur in Rupandehi district last Friday, followed by a cultural show in Butwal of Rupandehi district on last Saturday. It is the Province where the 20 projects of national and local levels supported by the USAID are being implemented at present in the areas of health, education, economic growth, environment resilience, democracy, human rights and good governance, said the USAID.
Santoshi KC, a community health female worker, rightly responded to the quiz-about the modality of the USAID’s support to Nepal. She responded that the USAID provides support in the form of grant assistance not as a loan which she came to learn while running programs funded by the USAID as a community health female worker in her locality. Santoshi admitted that she has witnessed ‘small but significant’ improvements in the“ health and education of women and children due to various drives being run in her district in assistance of the USAID.
Hemanta Giri, first came to learn about the USAID in his school textbook (in social study course book) when he was in grade 9. The 22-year old gushed that he was enlightened about the same agency in details/at length through fun activities.
Sunita Gharti Magar along with her two year old girl child also grooved to the upbeat music played in the musical show. The lady who came to the bus park to board public bus did not hesitate to halt for a while and entertain herself and her kid whilst educating herself about the programmes implemented in her places surrounding woman like her and children like her toddler.
As she watched the programme, the resident of Amliya at Lamahi related that she could be one among the over a million of Nepali women who were directly benefitted by the programmes and social campaigns run in assistance of the USAID in 2023 alone or one among those 50 millions indirectly benefitted ones the same year.
Likewise, Kunwar Singh Thapa was agog to see small group of people jostling to participate in the ‘spin the wheel’ and earn gifts. The elderly’s attention was particularly caught by the 360 selfie and video booth, something he had never seen before. He gasped in awe after he saw his own video that captured him from all angles as he stood in the booth set against historical pictures of the USAID funded projects and their beneficiaries in Nepal.
The 72-year-old admitted that through this programme, he came to know about the notable milestone achieved in improving life expectancy and child mortality rates and increasing literacy rates in Nepal through various initiatives undertaken with the USD 1.5 billion fund provided by the American people through the USAID to Nepal since 2000.
The international development agency has also provided vaccines, preventive gears and technical assistance to Nepal during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was shared.
The USAID’s assistance remains significant in eradication of malaria from the southern Terai of the country besides its important role in facilitating peace and democracy, it was told.
