USAID changing its role by going strategic: Powell

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is changing its role and is planning to start funding projects in a strategic way, US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell said today.
"After having a very long and expansive role in working with the government and NGOs in India, we are changing our role with USAID and looking at using the funds in very very strategic ways," Powell told a discussion on child and maternal health and nutrition in West Bengal organised by Child In Need Institute (CINI).
She said people who have been doing work which showed promise were being identified.

Stating that the Government of India could scale up such projects, she said "Or perhaps the Government of India and America can take it together and scale it up."
Public-private-partnership models were also being looked at hy the USAID, she said.
"We have been working in UP with groups that are setting up private hospitals that have a very innovative outreach to pregnant women, using ushers, volunteers, etc to bring women into maternity care and after care," Powell said.

After the United States came up with the global plan 'The Child Survival Call to Action', she said that the USA and other world leaders would come up with national plans to address the issue of child health.

Pointing out that even the USA had some issues with child survival and nutrition, she said the problems were not too different in many cases.
"Around the globe, if you look at all the children under five, a fifth of them are Indian citizens. When you look at the number of children who die under five, 20 per cent of them are also Indians," she said.
Powell said next month a strategic dialogue between senior leaders of the US and India would be held where the winners of the Millennium Alliance Fund would be announced.
"These are NGOs that have taken innovative approach. They are going to get funding and expertise from FICCI on how to grow their business or deal with social issues," the envoy added.