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Map of Africa highlighting country location.

FAQs en Français

1.  How can my organization receive funding from USAID?

2.  How do I find out about employment with USAID?

3.  How can I intern or volunteer at USAID?

4.  Does USAID provide scholarships to students?

5.  Where is USAID working in Africa?

6.  Where can I find information on USAID’s work in Africa?

7.  Where can I find publications about USAID in Africa?

Additional information is available at USAID's FAQs.

1.  How can my organization receive funding from USAID?

Organizations interested in partnering with USAID can obtain information on current business opportunities on the USAID Solicitations website.

For grant opportunities available to U.S.-based private voluntary organizations (PVOs), visit the USAID Office of Private Voluntary Cooperation. For general information on PVO collaboration with USAID and funding opportunities, the Resource Guide for PVOs may be helpful.

Local PVOs and nongovernmental organizations seeking USAID funding for activities in a specific country should contact the USAID mission in their country for information about available funding and the proposal process. Contact information for USAID missions in Africa, including postal addresses, fax, and telephone numbers, is available on each country/regional program page located at the Africa Country and Regional Programs page. A list of USAID missions that have their own web sites is also available.

USAID accepts unsolicited proposals that contribute new ideas consistent with and contributing to the accomplishment of the Agency’s objectives in the countries in which it operates. However, the requirements for obtaining supplemental USAID mission resources are program specific and must be responsive to host country needs. Before preparing and submitting a formal unsolicited proposal, applicants are encouraged to become familiar with individual USAID country or regional objectives to determine if a proposal matches the requirements of that country’s or region’s programs. For guidelines on submitting unsolicited proposals, refer to USAID Contract Information Bulletin No. 99-18.

To view a list of countries where USAID operates and obtain information on individual country and regional programs, refer to the most recent Congressional Budget Justification reports. The Budget Justifications outline USAID’s current objectives and activities for individual countries and regional activities. If you are interested in working in a country where USAID does not have a program, you can contact the appropriate regional program office, located in Nairobi (East Africa), Gaborone (Southern Africa), and Bamako (West Africa).

In addition to USAID funding, some U.S. embassies maintain “self help” or other small project funds, which local community groups can apply for. To find the address of a U.S. embassy visit Department of State - U.S. Embassies and Consulates.

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2.  How do I find out about employment with USAID?

USAID posts vacancies and employment information on the Employment Opportunities at USAID. Most of these positions require U.S. citizenship.

For locally-hired employment in USAID missions overseas, potential applicants must apply directly to the mission in that country. Many USAID missions post information about current local openings on their websites. USAID mission websites, addresses, and other contact information is available on each country/regional program page located at the Africa Country and Regional Programs page.

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3.  How can I intern or volunteer at USAID?

Internships

Information on Summer 2005 Internships with USAID Missions in Africa and the USAID Bureau for Africa will be posted in November.

General Information on internships with USAID is available at the Volunteer Student Interns page.

Volunteering

USAID does not recruit volunteers to implement its activities. All projects are implemented through grants and agreements with USAID’s development partners.

Volunteers for Prosperity is a new program announced by President Bush on May 21, 2003. This program will place highly skilled volunteers in assignments of flexible duration, from as little as two weeks to as long as several years. The President's White House volunteerism council, USA Freedom Corps, and USAID are working to implement the President’s Volunteers for Prosperity initiative.

Many other organizations seek volunteers to work throughout the world. Some web sites that offer information about volunteer opportunities can be found at:

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4.  Does USAID provide scholarships to students?

USAID does not provide scholarships for undergraduates seeking to study in the United States or overseas. Some USAID missions offer limited funding for post-graduate training and education. Please contact the USAID office in your home country for information.

Contact information for USAID missions in Africa, including postal address, fax, and telephone number is available on each country/regional program page located at the Africa Country and Regional Programs page. A list of USAID missions that have web sites is also available.

USAID has eight fellowship programs to provide individuals with practical work experience in the areas of humanitarian assistance and economic and social development.

For additional information and a list of organizations with scholarship programs, refer to the USAID Scholarship Information page.

In addition, there are many other websites that provide information about scholarship/fellowship opportunities for international students:

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5.  Where is USAID working in Africa?

USAID maintains missions in 22 sub-Saharan African countries as well as three regional African offices, which support programs in additional countries. To view a list of countries where USAID operates and obtain information on each country’s program, visit the Africa Country and Regional Programs page. The annual Congressional Budget Justification outlines the current objectives and activities in each country where USAID has a presence.

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6.  Where can I find information on USAID’s work in Africa?

For information on USAID activities in a specific country, visit the Africa Country and Regional Programs page. All USAID presence countries have an annual Congressional Budget Justification, which outlines current USAID activities in that country. For nonpresence countries, the regional program reports may provided information about targeted support in these countries.

For information about USAID work in a specific sector, visit the Africa Bureau's sector pages. These pages provide sector information and links to current USAID activities, strategies, and resources related to Africa and elsewhere. The main USAID home page provides links to sector information for all regions of the world. In addition, USAID’s Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) contains more than 119,000 USAID documents that can be searched by sector and country.

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7.  Where can I find publications about USAID in Africa?

USAID publishes many documents about Africa. Most are available for downloading online in full-text. The Africa Bureau's publications pages list selected current publications. In addition, USAID’s Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) contains more than 119,000 USAID documents, which can be searched by title, sector, and/or country. Many of the documents can be downloaded in PDF format; all others can be ordered in hard copy.

If your question was not answered in our FAQs, please e-mail the webmaster.

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