Federal Independent Agencies
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from federal independent agencies.
Featured Stories
USAID and Republic of Korea Partner to Support Ukrainian Agriculture
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2023:
Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Republic of Korea announced their partnership to support Ukraine's agricultural sector through the Agriculture Resilience Initiative-Ukraine (AGRI-Ukraine).
Under AGRI-Ukraine, the United States and the Republic of Korea partnered to deliver $5 million in fertilizer donated by the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support Ukrainian farmers and complement agricultural supplies already contributed
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2023:
Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Republic of Korea announced their partnership to support Ukraine's agricultural sector through the Agriculture Resilience Initiative-Ukraine (AGRI-Ukraine).
Under AGRI-Ukraine, the United States and the Republic of Korea partnered to deliver $5 million in fertilizer donated by the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support Ukrainian farmers and complement agricultural supplies already contributedby USAID.
This generous contribution underscores the Republic of Korea's support for the Ukrainian people and our continuing commitment to helping Ukraine withstand Putin's aggression. USAID is proud to partner with the Republic of Korea through AGRI-Ukraine, and looks forward to our continued collaboration.
In July, Administrator Samantha Power traveled to Odesa and announced an additional $250 million in USAID support for AGRI-Ukraine, bringing the USAID contribution to $350 million, while also mobilizing an additional $250 million for the Initiative from fellow donors, the private sector, international institutions and foundations. For additional information on AGRI-Ukraine, please visit http://www.usaid.gov/ukraine/agriculture-resilience-initiative-agri-ukraine.
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Original text here: https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/sep-29-2023-usaid-and-republic-korea-partner-support-ukrainian-agriculture
USAID and Humanitarian Forum Indonesia Boost Disaster Management Capacity in Indonesia
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sept. 30 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development issued the following news:
The United States, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Humanitarian Forum Indonesia have launched the USAID-HFI Strengthening Disaster Management Capacity and Accompaniment of CSOs in Emergency Response, Coordination, and Advocacy (USAID-HFI STEADY) program in a significant step toward enhancing disaster management capabilities and fostering coordination among Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Indonesia.
USAID-HFI STEADY will establish humanitarian
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JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sept. 30 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development issued the following news:
The United States, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Humanitarian Forum Indonesia have launched the USAID-HFI Strengthening Disaster Management Capacity and Accompaniment of CSOs in Emergency Response, Coordination, and Advocacy (USAID-HFI STEADY) program in a significant step toward enhancing disaster management capabilities and fostering coordination among Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Indonesia.
USAID-HFI STEADY will establish humanitarianhubs in North Sumatera, DKI Jakarta, West Kalimantan, South Sulawesi and East Nusa Tenggara to improve disaster response coordination at the provincial level. The program will be implemented in the next two years with funding of over USD 500,000 (over IDR 7,500,000,000).
The USAID-HFI STEADY program will bolster the organizational capacity and disaster management skills of local CSOs and align with international humanitarian standards. The program also seeks to strengthen interfaith collaboration in humanitarian response and building disaster-resilient places of worship.
"USAID believes that partnering, supporting, and enabling local partners to lead disaster preparedness and response systems are crucial steps to advance more effective and timely response in meeting the critical needs of communities in times of disasters," said Yusak Oppusunggu, USAID Indonesia Environment Specialist.
Humanitarian Forum Indonesia (HFI) is a consortium of 19 diverse local faith-based civil society and social welfare organizations dedicated to improving collaboration among humanitarian actors. "By enhancing the capacity of local institutions and organizations we aim to strengthen CSOs' role and leadership in disaster preparedness, response, and coordination," said Surya Rahman Muhammad, Executive Director of HFI.
USAID-HFI STEADY program is one of the U.S. government's partnership initiatives in Indonesia that demonstrates USAID's commitment to supporting Indonesia in achieving shared development goals.
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Original text here: https://www.usaid.gov/indonesia/press-releases/sep-29-2023-usaid-and-humanitarian-forum-indonesia-boost-disaster-management-capacity-indonesia
Twenty-Seven Years Later, RFA's Incisive Brand of Journalism and Storytelling is as Essential as Ever
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The Radio Free Asia, a subsidiary of Broadcasting Board of Governors, issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2023:
Today marks the 27th anniversary of Radio Free Asia (RFA), when our first broadcast of uncensored, accurate news reached listeners in China on the airwaves. Nearly three decades later, RFA has grown into a full-fledged, 21st century media company serving millions who lack access to a free press or are subject to authoritarian malign influence in Asia and around the world. RFA President Bay Fang highlighted RFA's unique role and the power of storytelling.
"RFA's
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The Radio Free Asia, a subsidiary of Broadcasting Board of Governors, issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2023:
Today marks the 27th anniversary of Radio Free Asia (RFA), when our first broadcast of uncensored, accurate news reached listeners in China on the airwaves. Nearly three decades later, RFA has grown into a full-fledged, 21st century media company serving millions who lack access to a free press or are subject to authoritarian malign influence in Asia and around the world. RFA President Bay Fang highlighted RFA's unique role and the power of storytelling.
"RFA'sincisive journalism brings to light crucial stories that would otherwise never be told. Our work empowers audiences with accurate and timely information, while also lifting those voices that would otherwise be silenced or lost," Fang said. "Over the past 27 years regimes like China's have evolved, erecting new information barriers and investing heavily in operations to spin false narratives for their own citizenry and beyond their borders.
"It is for this reason that RFA endures and grows. It is also why nearly 60 million people on a weekly basis in Asia and around the world access RFA's reports, content, and programming.
"As we mark RFA's anniversary, let's recognize that this milestone isn't about our past, but our future."
This past year, RFA has remained on the forefront of reporting on some of the most consequential news stories of the past year. Most notably, RFA's Chinese services played a critical role reporting on the anti-lockdown "White Paper" protests in late 2022, which generated record-breaking digital engagement across RFA Mandarin's social media platforms. Moreover, RFA Burmese in collaboration with RFA Lao and RFA's Investigative team produced an explosive report on the human trafficking of Lao teens, who are kidnapped, abused and forced to work in cyber-scamming sites along the chaotic Thailand-Myanmar border. RFA's Investigative Team also published a deep dive into the secretive world of the Chinese Communist Party's influence campaign on US soil. Other highlights include RFA Korean's reporting on the special treatment of Kim Jong Un's daughter Kim Ju Ae, RFA Uyghur's coverage of the ongoing Uyghur genocide, and, through its Southeast Asian brand BenarNews, territorial tensions and big-power rivalry in the South China Sea and Pacific, among other key stories.
In 2023, the content and programming of RFA and its online brands WHYNOT and BenarNews earned widespread acclaim, winning over 30 prominent prizes including a National Murrow Award, a Gracie Award, a Hong Kong Human Rights Press Award, 22 Tellys and five New York Festivals awards, among others. RFA reporting was also frequently cited in news outlets including The Guardian, BBC, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, the latter of which heavily cited RFA Burmese's coverage in a piece on the military junta's use of Telegram as it pursues a crackdown on dissent in Burma.
Due to the increasingly harsh media environments in which RFA operates and the sensitivity of its work, RFA journalists and contributors face serious risks. This year, an RFA Vietnamese contributor was sentenced to six years in prison, joining three other RFA Vietnamese journalists currently serving lengthy sentences. Two RFA Khmer contributors remain stuck in legal limbo in Cambodia. Meanwhile, dozens of family members of RFA's Uyghur staff in China are incommunicado, detained, or imprisoned. Su Yutong, an RFA contributor and former human rights activist based in Germany, has been the target of a relentless campaign of suspected transnational repression.
Last week, commemorating its 27th anniversary, RFA hosted an event at the National Press Club of Washington, D.C. titled "The Power of Storytelling: Uyghur Tales of Survival," premiering a docu-series that profiles Uyghurs living in exile. The series documents the resilience of individuals in the Uyghur diaspora who have escaped persecution to rebuild their lives far from their homeland - where, were it not for this project, their personal journeys would likely be unknown. This powerful storytelling taps into one of RFA's guiding principles, as enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers."
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Original text here: https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/twenty-seven-years-later-rfa2019s-incisive-brand-of-journalism-and-storytelling-is-as-essential-than-ever
Smithsonian's Center for Environmental Justice at the Anacostia Community Museum Appoints Director
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release:
The Smithsonian's Center for Environmental Justice at the Anacostia Community Museum has announced the appointment of Lisa McClure as its founding director. McClure began her appointment Aug. 10, following over 10 years in the environmental non-profit space.
"Environmental justice is critical to creating equitable environmental solutions," said Ellen Stofan, the Smithsonian's Under Secretary for Science and Research. "I look forward to Lisa's leadership as the Center for Environmental Justice continues the
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release:
The Smithsonian's Center for Environmental Justice at the Anacostia Community Museum has announced the appointment of Lisa McClure as its founding director. McClure began her appointment Aug. 10, following over 10 years in the environmental non-profit space.
"Environmental justice is critical to creating equitable environmental solutions," said Ellen Stofan, the Smithsonian's Under Secretary for Science and Research. "I look forward to Lisa's leadership as the Center for Environmental Justice continues theincredible work the Anacostia Community Museum does best: highlighting stories and creating impact as we work to create a more sustainable life for everyone."
McClure comes to the Anacostia Community Museum from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, where she served as the compliance manager. She previously held positions in program development, events management and education at the National Park Foundation, the Society for Science and the Public, and the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland.
"Lisa is a creative, knowledgeable and enthusiastic leader," said Melanie Adams, the Roger Ferguson and Annette Nazareth Director of the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum. "She has a proven record of success in her previous community-minded roles, and we know she will be an asset for the Center for Environmental Justice."
"I'm incredibly excited and lucky to be joining the Center for Environmental Justice and the Anacostia Community Museum," McClure said. "This community-and the history of the people-is centered around a resiliency. I hope to be able to highlight this resilience through the eyes of the environmental justice movement and the connection of this land to its people."
McClure holds a master's degree in secondary science education from Western Carolina University; she earned bachelor's degrees in environmental science and biology from Florida State University.
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About the Center for Environmental Justice
The Smithsonian's Center for Environmental Justice at the Anacostia Community Museum seeks to create a future in which environmentalism is a cornerstone of civic engagement through which residents contribute to the development of healthy, equitable communities. The center encourages a humanities-led framework that places traditional scientific research and data in the context of daily life. Center staff will organize symposiums, panels, fellowships, an Environmental Justice Academy that will engage young people living in the region, as well as continue the work of well-known programs like "Growing Community," the long-standing community gardening program.
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About the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum
The Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum aspires to illuminate and share the untold and often overlooked stories of people furthest from opportunity in the greater Washington, D.C., region. Our mission is to tell stories of everyday people making impactful changes, who use their collective power to tackle complex issues and advance a more equitable future for all. While local in nature, these stories are relevant to people and communities across our nation.
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Original text here: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/smithsonians-center-environmental-justice-anacostia-community-museum-appoints
SEC, MSRB, FINRA to Hold Virtual Compliance Outreach Program
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2023:
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) today announced that registration is open for a virtual Compliance Outreach Program for municipal market professionals. The free webcast is open to the public and will take place on Thursday, December 7, 2023, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.
The program will provide municipal market participants an opportunity to hear from SEC, MSRB
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2023:
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) today announced that registration is open for a virtual Compliance Outreach Program for municipal market professionals. The free webcast is open to the public and will take place on Thursday, December 7, 2023, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.
The program will provide municipal market participants an opportunity to hear from SEC, MSRBand FINRA staff on timely regulatory and compliance matters for municipal advisors and dealers. Panel topics will include a discussion of compliance concerns of small dealer and municipal advisor firms; credit rating agency compliance concerns including rules of the road for municipal market participants; unregistered municipal advisory and dealer activity; pricing compliance; and a forward look at regulatory and enforcement priorities.
"This year marks the 10th anniversary of the final municipal advisor registration rule and the 13th year since the passage of Dodd-Frank, and I think it is a great opportunity for the SEC, MSRB, and FINRA to expand the compliance conference to all municipal market participants," said Dave Sanchez, Director of the SEC's Office of Municipal Securities. "The conference allows the SEC, MSRB, and FINRA a chance to speak jointly to the municipal market on where the examination, enforcement, and regulatory framework currently stands and where we see it going in the future. It will be a great program, and I am really looking forward to the new expanded scope."
MSRB Chief Regulatory and Policy Officer Ernesto Lanza said, "Open dialogue among regulators and market professionals is critical to achieving a shared understanding of the rules in place to protect municipal securities investors and issuers. We are pleased to coordinate with the SEC and FINRA to create this opportunity for municipal advisors and dealers to hear directly from regulators about matters top of mind. Importantly, our program this year devotes time to the unique compliance concerns of small firms, which is a priority for the MSRB following a series of discussions the MSRB and FINRA held with minority-and-women owned and veteran-owned firms in the municipal market."
Yolanda Trottman-Adewumi, FINRA Vice President of Specialist Programs and Exams said, "We are pleased to partner with the SEC and the MSRB to offer this substantive program designed to help market participants better understand their compliance obligations."
Registration is being administered by FINRA and is available here: Personal Information - 2023 Compliance Outreach Program For Municipal Advisors | VIRTUAL (cvent.com). The program is free and open to all. For those who cannot attend the live virtual program, the recording will be archived on the SEC's Office of Municipal Securities' webpage at https://www.sec.gov/municipal/municipal-sec-conferences, for later viewing. To submit questions in advance of the event, please email: gergana.sellers@finra.org.
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Original text here: https://www.finra.org/media-center/newsreleases/2023/sec-msrb-finra-hold-virtual-compliance-outreach-program
[Category: Financial Services]
Railroad Retirement Board: Q&A - Dual Benefit Payments
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The Railroad Retirement Board issued the following news release dated Oct. 1, 2023:
The payment of a railroad retirement annuity can be affected by entitlement to social security benefits, as well as certain other government benefits. Such dual entitlement, if not reported to the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), can result in annuity overpayments which have to be repaid, sometimes with interest and penalties. The following questions and answers describe how the RRB adjusts the railroad retirement annuities of individuals who are also eligible for social security benefits
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The Railroad Retirement Board issued the following news release dated Oct. 1, 2023:
The payment of a railroad retirement annuity can be affected by entitlement to social security benefits, as well as certain other government benefits. Such dual entitlement, if not reported to the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), can result in annuity overpayments which have to be repaid, sometimes with interest and penalties. The following questions and answers describe how the RRB adjusts the railroad retirement annuities of individuals who are also eligible for social security benefitsand/or other benefit payments.
1. How are dual benefits paid to a person entitled to both a railroad retirement annuity and a social security benefit?
If a railroad retirement annuitant is also awarded a social security benefit, the Social Security Administration determines the amount of the social security benefit due, but a combined monthly dual benefit payment should, in most cases, be issued by the RRB after the railroad retirement annuity has been reduced by the amount of the social security benefit.
2. Why is a railroad retirement annuity reduced when a social security benefit is also payable?
The tier I portion of a railroad retirement annuity is based on both the railroad retirement and social security earnings acquired by an employee and computed under social security formulas. It approximates what social security would pay if railroad work were covered by social security. The tier I portion is, therefore, reduced by the amount of any actual social security benefit paid on the basis of nonrailroad employment, in order to prevent a duplication of benefits based on social security-covered earnings.
In addition, following principles of social security law which limit payment to the higher of any two or more benefits payable to an individual at one time, the tier I social security benefit reduction applies to an annuity even if the social security benefit is based on the earnings record of someone other than the railroad employee, such as a spouse or former spouse. An annuitant is required to advise the RRB if any benefits are received directly from the Social Security Administration or if those benefits increase (other than for a cost-of-living increase) to avoid a railroad retirement annuity overpayment.
The tier II portion of a railroad retirement annuity is based on the railroad employee's railroad service and earnings alone and is computed under a separate formula. It is not reduced for entitlement to a social security benefit.
3. Are there any exceptions to the railroad retirement annuity reduction for social security benefits?
No. There are no exceptions to the railroad retirement annuity reduction for social security benefits.
4. Can Federal, State, or local government pensions also result in dual benefit reductions in an employee's railroad retirement annuity?
Yes. The tier I portion of a railroad retirement annuity for employees first eligible for a railroad retirement annuity and a Federal, State, or local government pension after 1985 may be reduced for receipt of a public pension based, in part or in whole, on employment not covered by social security or railroad retirement after 1956. This may also apply to certain other payments not covered by railroad retirement or social security, such as payments from a non-profit organization or a foreign government or a foreign employer. Usually, the tier I portion of an employee's annuity will not be reduced by more than 1/2 of his or her pension from noncovered employment. However, if the employee is under age 65 and receiving a railroad retirement disability annuity, the tier I portion may be reduced by an added amount if the pension from noncovered employment is a public disability benefit.
Military service pensions, payments by the Department of Veterans Affairs, or certain benefits payable by a foreign government as a result of a totalization agreement between that government and the United States will not cause a reduction.
5. Can the public service pension reduction apply to a railroad retirement spouse or widow(er)s' annuity?
Yes. The tier I portion of a spouse's or widow(er)'s railroad retirement annuity may be reduced for receipt of any Federal, State, or local government pension separately payable to the spouse or widow(er) based on her or his own earnings. For spouses and widow(er)s subject to a public service pension reduction, the tier I reduction is equal to 2/3 of the amount of the public service pension.
The reduction generally does not apply if the employment on which the public service pension is based was covered under the Social Security Act throughout the last 60 months of public employment. Most military service pensions and payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs will not cause a reduction. Pensions paid by a foreign government or interstate instrumentality will also not cause a reduction.
6. What dual benefit restrictions apply when both persons in a marriage are railroad employees entitled to railroad retirement annuities?
If both parties started railroad employment after 1974, the amount of any spouse or divorced spouse annuity is reduced by the amount of the employee annuity to which the spouse or divorced spouse is also entitled.
If either party had some railroad service before 1975, the spouse or divorced spouse tier I amount is reduced by the amount of the railroad employee tier I to which the spouse or divorced spouse is entitled. The spouse or divorced spouse tier I amount cannot be reduced below zero. The initial reduction is restored in the spouse tier II amount. Divorced spouses are not entitled to a tier II component and are not eligible to have the reduction restored.
In survivor cases, if the widow(er) is entitled to a railroad retirement employee annuity and neither the widow(er) nor the deceased employee had any railroad service before 1975, the survivor annuity (tier I and tier II) payable to the widow(er) is reduced by the total amount of the widow(er)'s own employee annuity.
If either the deceased employee or the widow(er) had some railroad service before 1975 but less than 120 months of service, the widow(er)'s own employee annuity and the tier II portion of the survivor annuity would be payable to the widow(er). The tier I portion of the survivor annuity would be payable only to the extent that it exceeds the tier I portion of the widow(er)'s own employee annuity.
If a widow or dependent widower is also a railroad employee annuitant, and either the widow(er) or the deceased employee had 120 months of railroad service before 1975, the tier I reduction may be partially restored in the survivor tier II amount.
7. Can receipt of workers' compensation or public disability benefits affect railroad retirement annuities?
If an employee is receiving a railroad retirement disability annuity, the tier I portions of the employee and spouse annuities may, under certain circumstances, be reduced for receipt of workers' compensation or public disability benefits.
8. How can an annuitant find out if the receipt of dual benefits affects his or her railroad retirement annuity?
If an annuitant becomes entitled to any of the dual benefit payments discussed above, or if there is any question as to whether a dual benefit payment requires a reduction in a railroad retirement annuity, he or she can call an RRB field office toll-free at 1-877-772-5772. Agency field offices also offer in-person service. While persons seeking in-office assistance are encouraged to schedule an appointment with their local field office by calling the agency's toll-free number, individuals without appointments will not be refused service. However, those without an appointment may be asked to schedule an appointment for a later time if there is no immediate availability. Individuals should bring a photo ID when visiting a field office. Field office addresses can be found by clicking on Field Office Locator or by calling 1-877-772-5772. RRB field offices are generally open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., except for Federal holidays.
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Original text here: https://www.rrb.gov/Newsroom/NewsReleases/DualBenefitPayments
Inter-American Foundation: From the Barrio to the World
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The Inter-American Foundation issued the following story:
Argentina-based nonprofit organization Fundacion Futbol para el Desarrollo (FUDE) has community development at its core. But it was also designed to grow and transcend boundaries. The IAF rarely supports organizations that work in more than one country. When we do, it's because they offer possibilities for expanding and catalyzing successful grassroots models. FUDE is a great example of an organization that has taken its model across borders without losing its emphasis on grassroots leadership.
Spinning Off of
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The Inter-American Foundation issued the following story:
Argentina-based nonprofit organization Fundacion Futbol para el Desarrollo (FUDE) has community development at its core. But it was also designed to grow and transcend boundaries. The IAF rarely supports organizations that work in more than one country. When we do, it's because they offer possibilities for expanding and catalyzing successful grassroots models. FUDE is a great example of an organization that has taken its model across borders without losing its emphasis on grassroots leadership.
Spinning Off ofa Successful Grassroots IAF Grantee>
The director of FUDE, Rebeca Thompson Cortese, used to work helping children and young people leaving juvenile detention reintegrate into society. Many of them came from the city of Moreno, Argentina. Interested in learning more about this difficult environment and organizations based there, she connected with a former IAF grantee, Fundacion Defensores del Chaco, that was transforming daily life within its low-income neighborhood in Moreno.
When Rebeca first visited Defensores del Chaco in 2007, she was struck by how its simple but beautiful building sent the message that its young participants deserved a pleasant space. The organization saw young people not as delinquents or lost causes but as future community leaders. Under the charismatic leadership of a young Moreno native who had played professional soccer, Fabian Ferraro, Defensores imagined a different reality. In one emblematic photo from its early days, its team stood in front of a garbage dump holding a sign that read "Coming soon: sports center." Thanks to Defensores, this neighborhood now has a school and a legal center and residents engage actively in participatory budgeting processes.
Defensores started setting its sights on the global stage, including organizing a World Cup of street soccer in Germany on the sidelines of the official World Cup in 2006. The leaders of Defensores designed and launched FUDE in 2008, with Rebeca in the lead, to seed Defensores' community-led model in other places. They started in Argentina but aimed to scale locally, nationally, and regionally.
Expanding to More Soccer Clubs in Moreno
FUDE started small, working with 18 soccer clubs within their home turf of Moreno. For the first five years, FUDE focused on changing the culture of these soccer clubs and by extension, their surrounding communities. Their first move was prohibiting alcohol sales, which had historically funded the soccer clubs. However, in these low-income areas, alcohol also fueled domestic violence and kept young families and children away from the soccer fields. FUDE team members went from field to field on game days, disciplining clubs that were selling alcohol and introducing food sales as a new source of funding.
With rising income from families dining at the soccer field, clubs started investing in bathrooms and other amenities. The improved facilities made it possible to start charging participants. As Rebeca notes, "This middle-class notion of paying to belong to community institutions was a real culture shift. Of course people had to pay an amount they could afford, but just the act of paying generated a sense of ownership. If I paid for the wire fence to be put up, I'm going to protect it from people cutting it. And I certainly won't cut it myself." In areas without parks or community centers, the soccer fields started filling those gaps. FUDE worked with the soccer clubs to become registered local institutions that owned the land they were improving and developing into community gathering spaces.
Generating a sense of ownership over a community space can transform people's attitudes towards their participation in society as a whole. In Rebeca's words, "In many of these places, people see public or commonly-held goods as belonging to others, belonging to the state perhaps--but what is public is ours, and the state is ours too." While these organizations have spurred social cohesion and positive youth development, in Rebeca's opinion, they haven't quite fulfilled the initial vision of becoming "new Defensores del Chaco." Instead, each has had a unique journey to meet its own community's needs.
Going Regional
During these early years, FUDE honed and documented its approach. As its reputation grew internationally, people from countries like Peru, Colombia, Uruguay, and Paraguay asked FUDE to explain its methodology to help them improve their own local soccer clubs.
FUDE now boasts member organizations dedicated to street soccer, which help to make it financially self-sustaining, as well as affiliates that participate in its larger convenings and soccer championships. Members and affiliates alike need to agree to its statement of values and principles, which emphasizes street soccer's role in fostering learning, social inclusion, leadership, and community transformation.
With its IAF funding, FUDE has been developing a regional youth mediator school. Youth mediators act as referees in street soccer, in part because enforcing the rules of soccer matches in complex social situations requires skills that go beyond standard refereeing.
Expanding to other countries has brought new challenges. For example, in Uruguay, FUDE joined forces with IAF grantee Mundo Afro to combat racial discrimination on the soccer field. In Ecuador, FUDE worked with soccer clubs in gang-dominated territories, tailoring its street soccer to help gang-involved youth have positive leadership experiences.
To navigate different cultural contexts effectively, Rebeca notes that FUDE's team has learned to embrace diverse perspectives and improve its ability to listen and trust local leaders. At the IAF, we've always found that to be the secret to supporting grassroots development as well. We look forward to seeing where they can bring their transformative youth leadership next!
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Original text here: https://www.iaf.gov/content/story/from-the-barrio-to-the-world/
