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BUREAU FOR INCLUSIVE GROWTH, PARTNERSHIPS, AND INNOVATION (IPI)

LOCAL, FAITH, AND TRANSFORMATIVE PARTNERSHIPS HUB

Limited Excess Property Program

January 2024

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 Inclusive Growth, Partnerships, and Innovation's Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships (LFT) Hub.

FOURTH QUARTER LEPP PROPERTY TRANSFER HIGHLIGHTS

A variety of items valued at $1,572,206 were requisitioned and processed through LEPP in the fourth 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.

• CharityVision, in partnership with LEPP, accessed optical coherence tomography (OCT) equipment worth $97,912 that will ship to Ghana. The equipment will be donated to the Takoradi Clinic which is part of the network of charity clinics operated by CharityVision’s in-country partner, the St. Thomas Eye Hospital Foundation. Currently there is only one ophthalmologist operating in the city of Takoradi, creating a crucial gap in eye care. The LEPP donation is estimated to impact over 1 million people.

• Healey International Relief Foundation (HealeyIRF), in partnership with LEPP, accessed seven Olympus scopes worth $70,000 that shipped to Sierra Leone. The Olympus scopes will be used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in regional hospitals throughout the country. Holy Spirit Hospital received one of the LEPP-donated Olympus scopes. Located in Makeni, the largest city in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone, the hospital provides general medical services to a population of approximately 140,000. Medical services include micro and reconstructive surgery, diagnostic and lab work, trauma treatment, and mental health services.

• United Ukrainian American Relief Committee (UUARC), in partnership with LEPP, accessed 151 cold weather jackets worth $9,917 that will ship to Ukraine. The humanitarian need for cold weather clothing is due to Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and the resultant lack of heat and water throughout the country. In addition, UUARC accessed 15 hospital beds worth $74,807 through LEPP. Many hospitals and clinics have been damaged or destroyed during the war and the need for medical supplies and equipment remains dire. The equipment will ship to Warsaw, Poland from where it will be distributed to regional hospitals in Ukraine through established UUARC channels.

• World Help, in partnership with LEPP, accessed five exam tables worth $12,500 that will ship to Honduras. The exam tables will be donated to regional hospitals, the largest of which is the Escuela Universitario hospital located in Tegucigalpa with a population of approximately 1.5 million. World Help also accessed five exam tables worth $12,500 through LEPP that will ship to Burundi. The exam tables will be donated to World Help’s in-country partner Youth with a Mission (YWAM) who will use them in their mobile clinics as part of their health care ministry outreaches. In addition, YWAM will donate some of the exam tables to hospitals or clinics throughout the country with a focus on the capital city of Bujumbura. YWAM will partner with Burundi’s minister of health to identify those areas in the country that need the exam tables most. World Help anticipates the LEPP donation to benefit 500 – 600 people.

PVO SPOTLIGHT ON HONDURAS COMPASSION PARTNERS

PHOTO CREDIT: HCP. JONATHAN ZELAYA, IN-COUNTRY PRESIDENT AND BOARD VICE PRESIDENT, HCP (RIGHT) SHAKING THE HAND OF THEN CHIEF OF THE LA PAZ FIRE DEPARTMENT.

Q: You are one of our new PVO Partners. We appreciate your partnership! Can you tell us a little about your program and your role?

A: Honduras Compassion Partners (HCP) is a nonprofit in the United States and an NGO in Honduras working to promote self-sufficiency, healthy living, and dignity for the people of Honduras, especially those who live in the La Paz, Comayagua area.

I am Jonathan Zelaya, the in-country President of HCP, born and raised in Honduras. I oversee developing new partnerships with the local government, other nonprofit organizations, local NGOs, and individuals who want to help and serve our country. I firmly believe that uniting the local government with organizations and the people of the community is key to the success and development of the area. My role is to work with these entities to define the best courses of actions to address disparities in education, health, water and sanitation, and security. We want to meet the needs of the community while also empowering local businesses and engaging visitors. It is a communal effort, and it starts with a conversation.

Q: What types of humanitarian aid or development programs are (or will be) utilizing the federal surplus property transferred by your organization?

A: While HCP implements several programs, our Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training program will benefit the most from federal surplus property. Unfortunately, due to the chip shortages and other supply and demand chain shortages, we are struggling to get lifesaving emergency equipment through federal surplus property because other federal entities need the equipment as much as we do.

Despite these setbacks, our firefighter and emergency trainings are expanding with firefighters receiving systematic, repeatable training throughout Honduras. Additionally, we recently completed construction and have moved into new headquarters just miles from the newly opened Palmerola International Airport. We currently utilize the Denton Program to transfer property we receive directly from fire departments. Once we can utilize the Limited Excess Property Program (LEPP) to transfer federal surplus property, we will be able to put the equipment to use immediately as we are only miles from the international airport.

PHOTO CREDIT: HCP. MARYLAND VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS PROVIDING TRAINING TO THE LA PAZ FIRE DEPARTMENT USING DONATED EQUIPMENT.

Q: What community challenges/problems do these programs try to address? Can you share with us any statistical data related to the problems/challenges?

A: Latin America is the second most disaster-prone region in the world. Hurricanes Eta and Iota affected 2.5 million people and the damage is estimated at $10 billion. 

These threats respect no border, subscribe to no political agenda, and follow no social ideology. And yet, combined, they constitute the leading causes and consequences of systematic poverty, economic stagnation, and disease throughout the region.

The recent hurricanes in Honduras revealed a systematic lack of coordinated emergency response efforts. HCP leveraged our connections with the first responders in La Paz and Joint Force Task Bravo at Soto Cano Airbase to mobilize evacuation efforts in La Lima where flooding threatened families and homes.

Emergency and firefighting training in Honduras lacks sufficient equipment for real-life simulations. HCP’s Firefighting and EMT training aims to provide professional, repeatable, certified emergency disaster rescue and firefighting training to all 38 fire departments in Honduras. Upon completion of the training, the Bomberos de Honduras will be able to implement a unified response in which fire rescue personnel can coordinate efforts. Additionally, we are beginning to offer the training to both men and women, which will provide women with livable wages along with the skills and resources to provide for their families.

Q: Do any of your programs that utilize or will utilize federal surplus property work on increasing women’s access to income, productive resources, or technology?

A: The Firefighter and EMT training program for women is still in the developmental stages, however, HCP has a Women’s Empowerment Initiative that has been in operation in La Paz and Comayagua since 2018. HCP focuses on access to quality work that provides a livable wage as well as access to property, assets, and financial services. By empowering the women of La Paz economically, we believe we can improve their lives and affect the broader community over the long-term. For example, recently, our International Training Center held a Women’s Empowerment Seminar for women in the community currently in leadership roles. Through LEPP, HCP hopes to leverage equipment that will enable women to improve their financial, economic, and self-sufficiency levels throughout the community.

In addition, HCP recently partnered with the Ministry of Education of Honduras to certify our High School Program as a second chance for students who did not complete school to go back and finish their education. Access to education is important for development and most students in Honduras never go beyond 5th grade, making self-sufficiency harder to obtain. Graduates of our High School Program receive a full high school diploma, making them eligible to attend a university. Currently, 75 percent of students in the program are female. The High School Program is key to helping women improve their abilities to obtain a livable income. Also, with the support of a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Honduras, women have opportunities with HCP to learn English and receive computer training, further equipping them to improve their financial and economic self-sufficiency.

PHOTO CREDIT: HCP. IN-COUNTRY PRESIDENT AND BOARD VICE PRESIDENT, HCP JONATHAN ZELAYA RECEIVING A CERTIFICATION FROM THE NATIONAL DEPT. OF FIREFIGHTERS IN HONDURAS.

Q: Do any of your programs engage local stakeholders in the planning and implementation process of aid programs?

A: HCP could not operate sustainably without engaging our local stakeholders. Additionally, no organization can determine the needs of local communities without seeking their input. 

It was through the Bomberos in La Paz that HCP became aware of the need for firefighter resources and training and together we partnered to implement our newest program. The people in the local communities know what their obstacles are to self-sufficiency. They have dreams and goals like everyone else and they know what’s holding them back. It is, therefore, critical for any development efforts to engage all levels of the community to determine their needs and best courses of action. This is why my job focuses heavily on relationships; it’s all about relationships with HCP.

Q: What is most gratifying about working with HCP and partnering with LEPP?

A: HCP had a process of securing and transferring equipment to Honduras prior to partnering with LEPP. However, even as early as the application process, HCP understood the tremendous value USAID provides world-wide through LEPP. We were unaware of the surplus property federal agencies made available; we were unaware of the great need other nonprofits and NGOs had that were like ours; we were unaware of the importance of the Do No Harm requirements; and we were unaware of the great partnerships that could develop simply by partnering with LEPP.

What has been most gratifying has been establishing partnerships with other entities we didn’t know about; sharing knowledge with other organizations to help them improve their ability to effectively serve their communities; and working with USAID staff. It has been rewarding to know this program exists and that other communities around the world are benefiting from property that would otherwise go to waste.

Q: Can you give some tips for other PVO partners on how you’ve used or will use federal surplus property to successfully support your programs?

A: We are a small agency. We have very few full-time employees and we all play multiple roles. We do not have a dedicated office, unit, or even staff member solely focused on LEPP. To ensure we have a chance to receive limited federal surplus property, we have developed saved searches to notify us when new property is available. Sometimes those emails come in at 3 a.m.! This helps us to streamline the items to those that are most applicable to our needs. Additionally, we have developed relationships with some of the organizations who frequently post items we need. This has helped us tremendously as many of the items we request do not include pictures or descriptions adequate for us to determine the level of usability.

Thanks so much for taking the time to help us learn more about your program and your passions, Jonathan. We look forward to many more years of partnering with HCP to continue to serve underserved communities. — The LEPP Team

ANNOUNCEMENTS

PARTNER WITH THE LFT HUB

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:

• American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA)
• Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships (FBNP)
• Limited Excess Property Program (LEPP)
• Locally Led Development Initiatives (LLDI)
• New Partnerships Initiative (NPI)

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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