Programs and Events

Ambassador's  Special Self Help Program  (SSH)

PURPOSE

The overall purpose of the Special Self-Help Program is to assist local communities in Africa. 

In the countries where direct government-to-government bilateral assistance programs do not exist, the Special Self-Help Program is a viable alternative assistance program. In countries where direct bilateral assistance programs exist, the Special Self-Help Program benefits local communities with small-scale projects, for which there would not be room within a larger, structured assistance program.

The program is intended to be flexible and allow the Ambassador to respond quickly and directly to requests from local communities for assistance with small community projects that have immediate impact.  The Special Self-Help Program is structured to encourage communities to be self-reliant and undertake similar activities on their own in the future.

All Special Self-Help projects are community-based, initiated locally, administered at the local level, and involve significant community contributions in cash, labor or materials.  The implementation period for individual self-help projects is less than one year, and projects are small – ranging in cost from $1,000 to $25,000.