U.S. Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund, U.S Embassy Lilongwe

The Ambassador’s Special Self-Help (SSH) program is a grass-roots assistance program that allows U.S. embassies to respond quickly to local requests for small community-based development projects. The purpose of the Special Self-Help program is to fund small development activities that generate public awareness of U.S. foreign assistance efforts but that fall outside the structure of established USAID projects. 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 and further Mission policies and objectives. Equally important, 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 include significant community contributions in labor or materials