USADF represents a vital element in U.S. government response to Africa’s most pressing challenges — one that has its roots in the reexamination of foreign assistance that has focused on the greater efficacy of small-scale development projects based on indigenous initiative and participation at the local community or village level.
A basic assumption of this approach is that it is the African people at the local community level who are best able to determine their needs and priorities and have the will to tackle their own problems, if given the means.
The existence of this local initiative as the engine for development is reflected in the volume of inquiries and requests for assistance from indigenous groups that USADF received in less than a year of establishing operations in 1980.
Three of USADF’s initial set of eleven grant awards, made in 1984, came from Lesotho. USADF awarded the Morija Chapter of the Lesotho National Council of Women $42,800 for the Morija Vocational School. The school was a skills training center that provided instruction in typing and handicrafts to young women and girls. The funds primarily were used for further identification of job training needs, equipment, instructors to add machine sewing to the program, and to develop a small garment production unit which enabled the training program to become financially self-sufficient.
USADF also awarded $25,700 to Ramoseba Village Cooperative and $17,500 to Ha Sematle Village Cooperative to establish revolving Village Development Funds. In each village, the initial disbursement of project loan funds went to cooperative members for start-up costs to establish individual egg production enterprises. Although the egg production units were individually owned and managed by cooperative members, the procurement of inputs (chicken, feed, etc.), transportation, and marketing were organized cooperatively.