USAID AWARDS US$997,564 TO WIBDI
USAID Deputy Director Ms Betty Chung presents the award to President of WIBDI, Ms. Peseta Arasi Tiotio.
Photo: US Embassy
For better management and control of the invasive Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB), which affects over 2,000 smallholder coconut producers in Samoa, the U.S. government has given Women in Business Development Inc/WIBDI a US$997,564 grant through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Utilizing pheromone traps and natural biological agents, WIBDI will be able to undertake an integrated pest control program throughout the affected villages with the assistance of a grant from the Pacific American Fund administered by USAID.
The WIBDI project's opening was celebrated in Apia, Samoa by USAID's Deputy Mission Director Betty Chung, who noted that the initiative will not only deal with the pressing problem of CRB infestation, but would also do so without the use of hazardous chemicals and pesticides.
The Pacific American Fund of the United States Agency for International Development is a five-year grant facility that addresses significant development issues in 12 Pacific Island Countries, including the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
PAF seeks to enhance the standard of living in at-risk areas and to broaden regional access to crucial services. The Fund's primary grant-making facility and related capacity-building programs are the main ways it supports PICs.