,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #fdi  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,october #ba1       
#bjai,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey 7for   
himself and ,mr4 ,sires7 submitted the  
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs 
,,resolution  ,expressing the support of
 the ,united ,states for the grassroots 
development programs the                
,inter-,american ,foundation has        
undertaken for the past #ej years4      
,whereas the ,inter-,american           
,foundation 7,,iaf7 was created under   
section #dja of the ,foreign ,assistance
 ,act of #aifi 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bij;f7 to
 achieve conditions in the ,western     
,hemisphere under which the dignity and 
the worth of each human person will be  
respected and under which all men will  
be afforded the opportunity to develop  
their potential1 to seek through gainful
 and productive work the fulfillment of 
their aspirations for a better life1 and
 to live in justice and peace2 ,whereas 

the ,,iaf invests in effective          
grassroots solutions that promote       
prosperity and peace and advance the    
growth of democratic institutions2      
,whereas the development model of the   
,,iaf1 applied through more than #e1jjj 
community-led grants1 has empowered     
millions of marginalized and underserved
 people in the ,americas to achieve     
dignified livelihoods1 effective civil  
engagement1 and safer1 more peaceful1   
and more just communities2 ,whereas the 
,,iaf's model-- 7#a7 has demonstrated   
that making direct grants to grassroots 
groups and civil society organizations  
in underserved and vulnerable           
communities is cost effective2  7#b7    
fosters self-reliance by requiring      
grantees to mobilize local resources for
 their own projects and by connecting   
them to networks of new partners2  7#c7 
leverages additional resources from     
private and community partners2 and     
7#d7 incentivizes broad civic engagement
 and local ownership of community       

development2  ,whereas the ,,iaf1 by    
investing in grassroots initiatives that
 create businesses1 jobs1 and leadership
 opportunities in communities1          
reinforces the commitment of individuals
 to strengthening their own communities2
 ,whereas rather than going through     
contractors or foreign governments1 the 
,,iaf provides direct funding to civil  
society organizations that support      
alternatives to migration1 the drug     
trade1 crime1 unemployment1 poverty1 and
 exclusion2 ,whereas the ,,iaf addresses
 the root causes of migration from the  
,northern ,triangle by supporting unique
 community-led projects1 such as the    
,organization for ,youth ,empowerment   
program in ,el ,progreso1 ,honduras1 a  
program that supports #b1cjj at-risk    
youth with technical training1 team     
building1 and microscholarships to      
complete secondary school2 ,whereas the 
,,iaf has invested more than #e1jjj1jjj 
since #bjag in #de projects focused on  
creating economic alternatives to coca  

production1 building a resilient civil  
society to contribute to a stable       
,colombia in the wake of the country's  
peace agreement2 ,whereas listening and 
responding to the priorities of         
communities has allowed the ,,iaf to    
foster trust and goodwill with the      
people of ,latin ,america and the       
,caribbean2 and ,whereas the ,,iaf's    
ability to harness private sector and   
local resources1 yielding a commitment  
of #a4ca in counterpart funds for every 
#a invested by the ,,iaf in the last #e 
years1 effectively leverages foreign    
assistance resources and improves the   
sustainability of its investments3 ,now1
 therefore1 be it  ,that the ,house of  
,representatives-- 7#a7 commends the    
,inter-,american ,foundation for its    
exemplary contributions in promoting    
economic and social development1        
democracy1 and peace in ,latin ,america 
and the ,caribbean2  7#b7 recognizes    
that the ,,iaf's unique1 bottom-up      
approach empowers individuals in        

marginalized and underserved communities
 to be leaders1 entrepreneurs1          
innovators1 and change makers in their  
countries and communities2  7#c7 affirms
 the importance of the ,,iaf1 more than 
#ej years after its founding1 as the    
,united ,states seeks to continue       
engagement in a complex region of the   
world2 and  7#d7 commits to continue to 
support the vital work of the ,,iaf as  
an independent agency4