what is the united states agency for international development usaid 
the term united states agency for international development usaid refers to an international development agency run by the united states government the organization provides international development and humanitarian assistance in a number of areas to developing nations while promoting american interests u s national security and economic prosperity abroad 12 usaid was established in 1961 and works in more than 100 countries 1understanding the united states agency for international development usaid the united states agency for international development was developed in 1961 by president john f kennedy he created the agency after signing an executive order to advance american interests abroad through development efforts and humanitarian aid 1 with the global economy still relatively fragile less than two decades after the end of world war ii it was essential for the u s s own prosperity to promote growth in developing countries and to help nations maintain their independence and freedom usaid works in more than 100 developing countries spanning the globe in areas such as sub saharan africa asia the middle east latin america the caribbean europe and eurasia 3 the agency which has field offices in the areas noted above is headquartered in washington d c with organizational units that are called bureaus those working in each unit are responsible for programs and activities in a specific country 4the agency s mission and objectives remain the same today according to the website usaid s mission is to boost democratic values across the world helping nations become self reliant as they progress in their own development 5 while promoting development and reducing poverty are among its aims it also promotes democratic governance in recipient nations and helps counteract the drivers of violence instability transnational crime and other security threats the international agency works in a number of different sectors including development assistance is not simply the act of giving aid but of supporting development efforts so that recipient countries become self reliant some examples of the type of assistance usaid provides in reaching these goals are small enterprise loans technical assistance food and disaster relief and training and scholarships the u s agency for international development usaid is a taxpayer funded agency which means it must report to the american government special considerationsthe agency reports directly to the united states congress on certain important matters this is done through regular reports that the agency submits these reports are also available on the agency s website in order to remain transparent to the general public 6the budget for the united states agency for international development and the u s state department is recommended by the american president for each fiscal year the request for the 2022 fiscal year was 58 5 billion this amount included 27 7 billion managed in part or in full by the agency itself the request furthers the u s s aid to help its partners pursue self reliance and renew their economic growth in addition the budget helps the u s protect its interests abroad among other things 7