USAID back after nearly a decade

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) will reopen its office in Pakistan in July, a senior Pakistani official confirmed to IRIN on Tuesday, following a meeting between government and US officials in the capital, Islamabad. "There will be an initial funding of US $25 million and this figure is likely to be doubled in the future," the official, who wished to remain anonymous, said. The main areas to be covered by USAID would be education and health, he added. "We need to hammer out agreements on these areas and identify projects before we can begin implementing," he explained, adding that the authorities in Islamabad were looking forward to a long-term partnership with USAID, which had pulled out of the country in 1993 due to funding problems and sanctions. In the meantime, however, USAID continued to provide humanitarian assistance funds through two US NGOs operating in Pakistan, these being The Asia Foundation (TAF) and the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), which, in turn, worked with Pakistan NGO partners. Tuesday's announcement followed a meeting between the Pakistani Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz and USAID's Mark Ward, who will be officially appointed as the new country director for Pakistan in early July. Under the primary education programme, USAID assistance will be provided for education policy planning and training. At present there are roughly 350,000 government primary school teachers and 70,000 private primary school teachers in Pakistan. The country's literacy rates are extremely poor, with only about 59 percent of men and 35 percent of women being literate. This problem is exacerbated by low school-attendance figures. The average years of schooling for a male are 1.9 years while that of females is only 0.7 years. Even more astounding is the fact that 37 percent of boys and 55 percent of girls never enter school, and of those who do, 50 percent drop out within the first five years. With only 29 percent of children who make it to secondary school, there are concerns over the country's future development prospects. "Pakistan has some of the lowest social indicators in a region chronically poor by world standards and women and girls are particularly deprived," a USAID statement said. "Cultural restraints severely limit economic opportunities for women, and limit their ability to access social services," it added. The grave need for improved health services was also discussed. This need is highlighted by the fact that only 45 percent of the population has access to health facilities. Children are suffering the most, with malnourished youngsters comprising 38 percent of the total population, and the under-five mortality rate being 136 per 1,000 live births. In total, the agency plans to spend $624.5 million in Pakistan in the 2002 fiscal year, and is requesting $250 million for the following year. Long-term plans may also include projects on democracy and governance. USAID's mandate is to provide foreign assistance programmes in support of key US foreign policy interests, including sustained economic and social progress. The agency serves the development needs of three very distinct regions - the Middle East, South Asia, and South East Asia.