USAID Administrator Shah to Discuss Banking, Farming, Health and Housing During Travels to Haiti

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --  USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah will travel to Haiti September 15 to discuss USAID's long-term strategy for helping the nation recover from its devastating January 2010 earthquake.

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Administrator Shah plans to meet with Haiti President Michel Martelly during a visit to the Sustainable Rural Development Center, one of eight agricultural training centers built with U.S. Government funding.  Administrator Shah will also tour the five-acre campus and meet with local farmers.

During his remarks at the center, Administrator Shah will discuss agriculture and food security. He will also highlight the U.S. Government's commitment to supporting the Government of Haiti and international community in removing rubble, immunizing more than a million Haitians against highly contagious diseases like polio and diphtheria and constructing more than 89,700 transitional shelters – enough to house nearly 450,000 Haitians displaced by the massive earthquake.  

Following a meeting with staff at USAID's Haiti Mission in Port-au-Prince, Administrator Shah will participate in a panel discussion on mobile banking. Last year, USAID created the Haiti Mobile Money Initiative (HMMI) in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Since its launch, HMMI has successfully provided crucial banking options to Haitians and has used monetary incentives to encourage mobile providers to adopt mobile banking. The initiative lays the foundation for advanced banking services that could help lift millions of Haitians out of extreme poverty.  

Administrator Shah will be joined by USAID Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean Mark Feierstein and Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean Liliana Ayalde.

For press inquiries regarding the Administrator's travel, please contact Drew Bailey at [email protected].  

For more information about USAID, please visit www.usaid.gov.  

SOURCE U.S. Agency for International Development