The U.S. government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), awarded grants worth USD $1.5 million to two organizations working to build the resilience of vulnerable populations in communities in Samoa.

These grants will support a wide range of activities at the community level ranging from disaster risk reduction preparedness and response, community development, climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Awardees include:

• Adventist Development and Relief Agency Samoa: ($532,608) Generating new livelihood opportunities, promoting women’s empowerment, and addressing disaster risk management needs in 20 rural Samoan villages, improving the lives of 14,000 people.
• Women in Business Development Inc. (WIBDI): ($997,564) Protecting small coconut tree farms in Samoa by managing the population of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetles using biological methods without the use of chemicals and pesticides. The project is expected to work with 2,000 households throughout the islands.

“The U.S. government is committed to strengthening the ability of the Pacific Island region’s most vulnerable communities to live healthy and secure lives, free from disaster-related disruptions through community-led, forward-thinking awards such as those we announced today,” said USAID Deputy Development Advisor Patrick Bowers. “We look forward to welcoming many more local grantees in the coming year.”

Launched in 2020, USAID’s Pacific American Fund awards grants on an open and competitive basis to qualifying local, national, and internationally operating civil society organizations, including private small-and-medium enterprises, non-governmental organizations and institutions, universities, and faith-based organizations.