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BUREAU FOR DEVELOPMENT, DEMOCRACY, AND INNOVATION
LOCAL, FAITH, AND TRANSFORMATIVE PARTNERSHIPS HUB
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Limited Excess Property Program |
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February 2023
The Limited Excess Property Program (LEPP) provides Private Voluntary Organizations (PVOs) access to federal surplus property to support their humanitarian and development projects abroad. LEPP utilizes an innovative model of recovery and reuse to support a variety of development projects that promote sustainability in developing countries. LEPP is managed by USAID's American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) Initiative, which is part of the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation's Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships (LFT) Hub.
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FIRST QUARTER LEPP PROPERTY TRANSFER HIGHLIGHTS |
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A variety of items valued at $6,761,452 were requisitioned and processed through LEPP in the first quarter of fiscal year 2023. Most of the property was earmarked for regional hospitals and health care centers that serve remote populations in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
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St. Luke’s Health Care, in partnership with LEPP, accessed three automated external defibrillators (AEDs) worth $95,682 that will ship to Ethiopia. The AEDs are currently being inspected at a biomedical company in the United States and are slated to ship to the Soddo Christian Hospital (SCH) in April. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), AEDs are an important lifesaving technology and have a role to play in treating cardiac arrests. Currently, the 140-bed SCH has two AEDs. The LEPP donation will help improve SCH’s readiness should a cardiac event occur.
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The Luke Commission (TLC), in partnership with LEPP, accessed two hemodialysis systems worth $117,900 that will ship to Eswatini. Hemodialysis is one way to treat advanced kidney failure. Currently kidney dialysis services are limited in Eswatini. Dialysis services at other facilities do not cater to patients who are COVID positive or patients who have multidrug-resistant (MDR) or extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB). TLC’s national referral hospital on the Miracle Campus is well positioned to serve kidney dialysis patients from across Eswatini, including COVID positive and MDR/XDR TB patients. TLC is on track to serve 275,000 patients in 2023.
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Mission Without Borders, in partnership with LEPP, shipped $158,034 worth of clothing, boots, shoes, gloves, sleeping beds/mats, cushions/pillows, and benches to Ukraine in late November. The items are targeted to address humanitarian needs resulting from Russia’s war against Ukraine. The infrastructures of many cities in Ukraine have been destroyed and the harsh winter has made conditions even more difficult for the most vulnerable. The items accessed through LEPP will help many victims of the war who lack cold weather clothing, shoes, and bedding necessities. Mission Without Borders has operated as a charity organization in Ukraine for 33 years.
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United Ukrainian American Relief Committee (UUARC), in partnership with LEPP, acquired $1,537,926 worth of cold weather clothing, which was shipped to Ukraine. Items included over 6,000 jackets and parkas; 5,000 cold weather undergarments; gloves, mittens, and sleeping bags. The acute humanitarian need for cold weather clothing became more urgent due to Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure in Ukraine and the resultant lack of heat and water throughout the country. In response to requests from internally dislocated refugees, a large amount of men’s underwear was also sent. Because of the war in Ukraine, actual delivery sites were determined based on the need and conditions on the ground. UUARC is grateful to the Defense Logistics Agency’s Disposition Services officials in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Susquehanna, Pennsylvania for identifying federal surplus property through LEPP and facilitating the transfers.
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LEPP CONDUCTS OUTREACH AND M&E SITE VISITS IN FY 22
CURE INTERNATIONAL
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 PHOTO CREDIT: CURE INTL. LEFT TO RIGHT: CHIBALE WILLS, LEPP PROJECT MGR.;
JIM LOEFFLER, SR. BIOMED TECH. ADVISOR; JASON LIVINGSTON, BIOMED TECH. II; AMY HEWITT, GRANTS COORDINATOR; AND GLEA TAPLAH, BIOMED TECH.
In fiscal year 22 (FY 22), the LEPP team conducted outreach and monitoring & evaluation (M&E) site visits to PVO Partners CURE International and OneWorld Health. LEPP is placing a greater emphasis on M&E given the Do No Harm requirement that was implemented for the program in FY 20. The visits to Partner and in-country partner sites allowed the team to review Partners’ processes for managing equipment transferred through LEPP to ensure the property reaches its destination country in good condition. The site visits also provided an opportunity for the team to get updates on how property transferred through LEPP is being used to support communities in need.
For 25 years, CURE International (CURE) has operated a global network of pediatric surgical teaching hospitals that provide compassionate, world-class medical care for one of the world’s most vulnerable and marginalized populations—children living with disabilities. Since opening its first hospital in 1998, CURE has ministered to the needs of patients and their families through more than 5.3 million patient visits and more than 323,000 surgical procedures. All surgeries and medical treatment are free.
 PHOTO CREDIT: CURE INTL. CURE SHELVING STORAGE AREA.
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In September 2022, the LEPP Team visited CURE’s distribution center in Spring Lake, Michigan. During the site visit, LEPP evaluated CURE’s processes for managing, tracking, decontaminating, and shipping equipment.
CURE’s well-organized distribution center uses shelving to separate equipment by destination country. Equipment is brought into the center’s receiving area where it is tagged; if the equipment needs to be tested, it is moved to a designated testing area where it will be routed to CURE’s state-of-the-art biomedical (biomed) testing lab. The biomed testing lab has a variety of diagnostic machines to test and calibrate equipment. This includes converters that can adjust the voltage of electronic equipment so that the equipment can work within the destination country’s electrical grid.
 PHOTO CREDIT: CURE INTL. CURE BIOMED TESTING LAB.
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Additionally, the distribution center has a designated area where staff clean and disinfect equipment before it is packaged for shipment. A team of volunteers builds custom crates to ship each piece of equipment to ensure the property arrives at its destination in good condition. Finally, CURE uses heat-treated shipping pallets to safeguard against pests so that pests are not inadvertently transported into the destination country. |
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LEPP CONDUCTS OUTREACH AND M&E SITE VISITS IN FY 22
CURE, ZAMBIA
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 PHOTO CREDIT: CURE INTL. CURE ZAMBIA PATIENTS AWAITING CLUBFOOT TREATMENT.
In addition, the LEPP Team participated in a virtual site visit with CURE Children’s Hospital in Zambia (CURE Zambia).
The CURE Zambia team gave a tour of their operating rooms which have expanded to two within the last five years and are anticipated to increase to three by the beginning of 2023. As CURE Zambia expands, LEPP donations will be instrumental in helping to increase access to surgical care for children with disabilities, allowing the hospital to serve double the number of pediatric patients within the next few years.
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 PHOTO CREDIT: CURE INTL. CURE ZAMBIA STAFF
OBSERVE IMAGES ON THE LEPP-DONATED C-ARM MONITOR.
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CURE Zambia provides orthopedic surgeries, including surgeries to correct congenital malformations; ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeries; and surgeries to treat burn injuries. By the end of 2023, the hospital will also be able to provide plastic surgery. CURE Zambia treats patients 0 to 18 years old, and all treatment and surgeries are free. |
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Essential equipment CURE Zambia received through LEPP includes a mobile C-Arm X-ray machine. The C-Arm allows surgeons to check the position of bones and implants during surgery and control the precision and accuracy of their work. Prior to the LEPP donation, CURE Zambia had only one C-Arm, which meant they would sometimes have to reschedule surgeries when that C-Arm was scheduled for service. Thanks to the LEPP donation, when one C-Arm is being serviced, the hospital now has another C-Arm they can rely on. |
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 PHOTO CREDIT: CURE INTL. CURE ZAMBIA MEDICAL DIRECTOR
AND ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON DR. GIORGIO LASTRONI PERFORMS A PROCEDURE IN THE OR.
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Dr. Giorgio Lastroni, Medical Director, CURE Zambia, expressed his appreciation for the C-Arm:
“Without the C-Arm, some procedures would be impossible or extremely complicated. The C-Arm allows us to achieve precise and controlled correction which is essential for high-quality surgical care in orthopedics. C-Arms are available in very few hospitals across Zambia and having this ability allows us to expose our trainees to the highest standard of surgical practice.”
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 PHOTO CREDIT: CURE INTL. CURE ZAMBIA
STAFF USING A LEPP-DONATED VITAL SIGNS MONITOR TO TREAT A PATIENT.
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CURE Zambia also received Glidescopes, vital signs monitors, and ventilators through LEPP. Glidescopes are used for airway management in patients, allowing doctors to provide safer anesthesia with fewer side effects and faster recovery. Vital signs monitors and ventilators are being used in the High Dependency Units of the Children’s Ward where they monitor and care for critically ill patients who cannot be treated in regular units. |
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All donated equipment goes through a rigorous process of testing and certification before installation. CURE Zambia also complies with country regulations for decommissioning and recycling donated equipment. |
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LEPP CONDUCTS OUTREACH AND M&E SITE VISITS IN FY 22
ONEWORLD HEALTH
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 PHOTO CREDIT: ONEWORLD HEALTH. DR. IVETH PROVIDING A TELECONSULT TO A PATIENT AT THE PORTRERILLOS TELECLINIC IN HONDURAS.
OneWorld Health partners with communities in developing countries to bring permanent, sustainable health care to the chronically underserved. The organization builds health care facilities that provide a full scope of affordable and accessible medical services. Local physicians are identified and provided ongoing training from OneWorld Health’s team of U.S. board-certified physicians. OneWorld Health has provided care to more than 720,000 patients, since it was founded in 2010. Its medical centers are designed to be operationally self-sustaining within 18 to 24 months.
In September 2022, the LEPP team organized a virtual site visit with OneWorld Health’s Nicaraguan, Honduran, and U.S. teams.
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 PHOTO CREDIT: ONE WORLD HEALTH. PATIENTS WAITING TO BE
SEEN FOR A TELECONSULT AT THE PORTRERILLOS TELECLINIC IN HONDURAS
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The Honduran team provided a tour of one of OneWorld Health’s newest facilities, the Portrerillos Teleclinic located in Portrerillos, Honduras. The Teleclinic utilizes a unique telehealth model in which patients receive medical care from a telehealth doctor while benefiting from the care of an on-site nurse. Honduras received 6,000 donated masks through LEPP in September 2021. The masks are being used at the Portrerillos Teleclinic as well as at OneWorld Health’s facility in Siguatepeque. |
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Honduras continues to mandate the use of masks in all public settings. Having a consistent stock of masks has ensured that OneWorld Health team members are well protected and that patients who arrive without a mask are immediately provided one. |
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 PHOTO CREDIT: ONEWORLD HEALTH. THE FRONT OF THE
NEW CENTRAL DIAGNOSTIC CENTER IN MANAGUA, NICARAGUA BUILT WITH THE SUPPORT
OF ASHA FUNDING.
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The Nicaraguan team gave a tour of the Central Diagnostic Center in Managua, which was built with the support of a 2019 ASHA grant. The Center contains an audiology space; ultrasound, X-ray, and mammography rooms; and space for training, health events, and other services. The Center opened to the public in November 2022. |
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The Central Diagnostic Center was one of OneWorld Health’s Nicaraguan facilities that received a dozen iPhones through LEPP in June 2021. The iPhones will be used to capture high-quality videos and photos for project monitoring and donor reporting as well as in the Center’s marketing and social media efforts. The Center’s administrative, executive, and clinic management teams will also use the iPhones in addition to its inventory and purchasing departments. As OneWorld Health’s in-country team members travel frequently for work, having a reliable communication tool that provides easy access to work files and email is a significant benefit. |
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 PHOTO CREDIT: ONEWORLD HEALTH.
MARKETING COORDINATOR USING A LEPP-DONATED IPHONE
TO CAPTURE PHOTOS OF THE ONEWORLD HEALTH FACILITY IN EL VIEJO.
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Danelia Jiron, Director of Operations, Nicaragua expressed her appreciation for the iPhones:
“The first thing I thought when they told me I was going to get an iPhone was, ‘Is it going to be for me?’ I have used [the iPhones] for storing images of local staff and even patients. I’m happy with the high definition of the pictures and videos. …The iPhones have been wonderful tools to work with. Thank you very much.”
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The FY 22 site visits demonstrated how authentic and mutual LEPP partnerships are helping to strengthen local capacity and promote sustainable development in USAID partner countries. The LEPP Team will continue to conduct site visits to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the program in FY 23. |
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USAID Localization Web Page. USAID is redoubling its commitment to ensure the Agency’s work puts local actors in the lead, strengthens local systems, and is responsive to local communities. Informed by over a decade of experience, the Agency is advancing localization—a set of internal reforms, actions, and behavior changes—to shift more leadership for priority setting, project design, implementation, and measuring results to the people and institutions with the capabilities and credibility to drive change in their own countries and communities. To inform the public about USAID’s localization goals and the Agency’s efforts to advance locally led development, USAID has established a new webpage at USAID.gov/localization.
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According to USAID, monetary donations to aid groups on the ground are the best way to help Ukraine. Cash donations are flexible and efficient, and don’t compete with priority relief items like material donations. The State Department partnered with GoFundMe to direct funds to organizations that are helping address the humanitarian needs of those impacted by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
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GoFundMe.org has partnered with USAID to direct funds to organizations that are helping to address the global food security crisis by providing immediate humanitarian relief to the most vulnerable populations. You can donate at the GoFundMe Global Food Fund.
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The Limited Excess Property Program is part of the Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships (LFT) Hub.
The LFT Hub focuses on strengthening USAID’s ability to partner with non-traditional and diverse actors including local, faith-based, and community organizations; schools and hospitals; foundations; diaspora communities; cooperatives; and volunteer organizations. Learn more about how LFT is harnessing the power of partnerships through the following:
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Your stories, photos, videos, and news releases are always welcome. Help us spread the good news about your work and partnership with LEPP. Also, LEPP PVOs and Missions, please notify us of your upcoming LEPP-related public diplomacy events. Please send information to LEPP@USAID.gov.
For further information on the LEPP program, please email: LEPP@USAID.gov.
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