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

LOCAL, FAITH, AND TRANSFORMATIVE PARTNERSHIPS HUB

Limited Excess Property Program

March 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.

FIRST QUARTER LEPP PROPERTY TRANSFER HIGHLIGHTS

A variety of items valued at $3,991,646 were requisitioned and processed through LEPP in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024. 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 a surgical floor microscope worth $63,576 that will ship to the Philippines. Surgical floor microscopes provide high contrast and detailed images of all regions of the human eye. The microscope will be used in a new clinic CharityVision is building in the city of Danao, serving the populations of Danao (156,000) and Cebu (900,000). The mayor of Danao was so thankful to have accessible eyecare in the area that he gifted CharityVision a piece of land for the clinic.

• CURE International, in partnership with LEPP, accessed six driver and saw sets worth $31,532 each that will ship to Kenya, Niger, and the Philippines for use at designated CURE hospitals. Driver and saw sets are used to drill, cut, ream, shape, and dissect bone. These surgical tools are essential for the types of orthopedic procedures performed at CURE hospitals to address disabling bone conditions and injuries for children in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Specifically, the driver and saw sets will be used at CURE Kenya, CURE Niger, and CURE Philippines to treat bowed legs, clubfoot, genu valgum (knock knees), osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease), windswept legs, and ortho trauma applications (fractures, etc.). Suffering from physical impairments and being treated as social outcasts, children with disabilities in LMICs face rejection, discrimination, poverty, and even abuse. Without treatment, these conditions become permanent and debilitating, often making it difficult for children to remain in school and thrive. CURE provides access to high-quality, safe surgical and rehabilitative care at no cost to the patient or their family. In CURE fiscal year 2023 (July 2022 – June 2023), CURE provided the following number of orthopedic procedures at designated hospitals. Kenya: 2,096; Niger: 659; and the Philippines: 507.

• St. Luke’s Health Care, in partnership with LEPP, accessed 60 vital signs monitors worth $213,840 and one Zeiss Opmi Sensera S7 microscope worth $74,877 that will ship to Ethiopia. The equipment will be used at the Soddo Christian Hospital (SCH) in rural Ethiopia. The vital signs monitors will ensure SCH has adequate vital signs measuring tools for use in its inpatient wards, triage systems, and outpatient clinics. The surgical microscope will be used in ear, nose, and throat procedures to enhance the surgeon’s view during operations. Surgical microscopes provide adjustable magnification, bright illumination, and clear visualization of the surgical field and have been increasingly used in operating rooms. Since its opening in 2005 through 2023, SCH has treated 414,831 outpatients, performed 84,442 surgeries, and delivered 12,538 babies.

• World Help, in partnership with LEPP, accessed 247 vital signs monitors worth $862,488 and $133,809 worth of Synguard medical grade gloves that will ship to Honduras. The equipment 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 $133,809 worth of Synguard medical grade gloves that will ship to Burundi. The medical gloves will be donated to World Help’s in-country partner, who will use them in their mobile clinics as part of their health care ministry outreach. In addition, World Help’s in-country partner will donate some of the medical gloves to hospitals or clinics throughout the country, partnering with Burundi’s minister of health to identify those areas that need the equipment most. World Help’s partners in Burundi anticipate the LEPP donation will benefit 26,000 people.

KENYAN GIRL RECEIVES KNOCK KNEE SURGERY WITH MEDICAL EQUIPMENT RECEIVED THROUGH LEPP

PHOTO CREDIT: CURE INTERNATIONAL. JOY PRE-SURGERY AT CURE KENYA.

Meet 18-year-old Joychristobel (Joy). When Joy was 13, her dad noticed that she was walking as if her knees were rubbing against each other and causing her discomfort. Concerned, Joy’s parents sought advice from local doctors, but did not feel they were receiving the information they needed. Several years later, Joy and her parents attended a CURE Kenya mobile clinic in their hometown. Joy was diagnosed with genu valgum, more commonly known as knock knees, a condition where knees tilt inward and “knock” into one another while the ankles remain apart. There are many causes of genu valgum; it is commonly seen in young children and often resolves by age six. Older children with genu valgum can develop a severe disability that prevents them from walking normally. Left untreated, pain and early arthritis can develop. Children with disabilities often experience stigma and discrimination, leading to isolation and low self-esteem.

Surgical intervention was needed to treat Joy’s knock knees and she was able to have surgery in February 2023. During a post-surgery check-up, Joy’s doctor discovered that her bone was not healing as expected and an infection was starting to develop. The doctor cleaned Joy’s wound and installed a new external fixator frame received through LEPP to help her bone heal. External fixators are regularly used at CURE hospitals to treat fractures or help lengthen and straighten limbs. The external fixator helped to keep Joy’s leg stable and straight while healing after her surgery. When Joy returned to CURE Kenya for a doctor’s review in late April 2023, her pins were removed and the doctors were happy to say her bones were healing well.

Evelyn Mbugua, the Executive Director of CURE Children’s Hospital of Kenya, expressed appreciation for the external fixator and other medical equipment received through LEPP. “LEPP has been instrumental in helping us serve the most vulnerable children at no cost because of the savings we are provided with this program. The equipment we have received has helped us offer world-class surgical treatment to our children despite our limited resources. We are most grateful to the LEPP team who make this possible,” she said.

PHOTO CREDIT: CURE INTERNATIONAL. CURE KENYA MEDICAL STAFF INSTALLING THE EXTERNAL FIXATOR RECEIVED THROUGH LEPP TO JOY’S LEG.

Joy’s successful surgery at CURE Kenya has inspired her to help others. “I want to be an orthopedic surgeon so that I can help others like me,” she said.

As a pediatric orthopedic teaching hospital, CURE Kenya performed 2,604 surgical procedures during fiscal year 2023 (July 2022 – June 2023).

CHARITYVISION PARTNERS WITH LEPP TO PROVIDE OPHTHALMIC CARE

TO COMMUNITIES IN HAITI AND PERU

PHOTO CREDIT: CHARITYVISION. ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD AKEMI WITH HER NEW EYEGLASSES.

Akemi Montenegro Vilchez – Peru

Eleven-year-old Akemi Montenegro Vilchez lives in Lima, Peru and studies at the San José de San Miguel school. She loves to paint and play volleyball and dreams of becoming an architect or a teacher someday. But everything in life is more difficult when you are unable to see clearly.

Akemi, who is farsighted, broke her eyeglasses in 2021. Akemi lives with her parents and three brothers in a small house made of recycled scrap wood sitting on a cement pad. Her mother cares for the children and her father works as a janitor. Akemi’s family can barely afford food, let alone a new pair of glasses.

Thankfully, Akemi’s mother learned about Quiero Ver (“I Want to See”), CharityVision’s school vision program which provides ophthalmic screening and eyeglasses. In October 2022, Akemi was diagnosed using one of the many autorefractors donated through LEPP. Autorefractors are used during eye examinations to determine an individual’s prescription by measuring how light is affected as it reflects through the eyeball. The donated autorefractors help the Quiero Ver program operate more efficiently. With a new pair of glasses, Akemi can see better in school and finally recognize the faces of her family members up close!

PHOTO CREDIT: CHARITYVISION. NURSE AT CHARITYVISION’S VISION FOR LIFE PROGRAM IN PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI.

Vision for Life Program – Haiti

CharityVision’s Vision for Life nursing program began in 2018 and has served to greatly advance medical efforts in Haiti. The program trains women to become valuable ophthalmic nurses who provide care to communities in Port au Prince and surrounding areas who would otherwise not receive it. 

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Vision for Life operates on an extremely thin budget and without the medical equipment donated through LEPP between 2018 and 2020, the program would not exist. The LEPP medical donations are being used to this day, creating ongoing aid and perhaps something even more valuable — hope for the future.

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.

Stay up to date with all the latest information from USAID’s LFT Hub by subscribing to additional newsletters from other LFT Hub initiatives! Learn more about the LFT Hub here:

• American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA)
• Cooperative Development Program (CDP)
• Faith-Based 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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