to the United States for sub-Saharan enterprises and organizations, including for USADF grantees that are increasingly export-ready and landing deals with major retailers such as Costco (cashews), Macy's (handicrafts), Target (shea butter cosmetics), and Whole Foods (textiles). 2004 - President George W. Bush appointed Dr. Ephraim Batambuze and Jack Leslie to the USADF Board of Directors after the U.S. Senate confirmed their nominations. The two joined ADF's leadership as the Foundation implemented new strategic initiatives to expand trade and investment opportunities between Africa and the United States and to provide African communities with resources to prevent HIV/AIDS and mitigate its social and economic impact. 2006 - Throughout the 2000s, USADF supported critical agriculture commodities, including paprika in Zimbabwe, red onions in Niger, vanilla in Uganda, sesame in Burkina Faso, shea in West Africa, and coffee across East Africa. USADF support of coffee cooperatives has facilitated several of them exporting premium coffee to the United States and Europe. 2011 - USADF launched the Turkana Food Security Program in March 2011 with the strategic goal of boosting food security and reducing dependence on food aid in Turkana County, a highly marginalized, arid, and cattle raid-prone region of Kenya. USADF pledged $10 million in development grants and technical assistance; USADF met this goal, having awarded slightly more than USD $10 million to 53 agriculture and energy grantees in Turkana focused on mostly fishing, irrigated agriculture, and livestock. These projects have directly impacted more than 17,000 people (58% of whom were women) and indirectly benefitted more than 88,000 people. 2012 - In Somalia, where nearly 70 percent of youth are unemployed, USADF is filling a skills gap by providing vocational training and job placement for youth between the ages of 15 and 35. USADF provides funding to local Somali NGOs to train unemployed youth and work with local businesses to set up five-month training and apprenticeship programs for the youth. Since 2012, USADF funding has facilitated placement for 6,000 youth. Dahabshiil Bank has provided funding alongside USADF that has facilitated 200 placements. Many of the youth participating in the training reported their income jumped from $50 a month to $300 a month. In 2020, USADF expanded youth training and apprenticeship to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lagos State in Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, and Uganda. 2013 - The U.S. government’s Power Africa initiative was launched in 2013, bringing together technical and legal experts,