On Tuesday, September 24, 2013, U.S. Ambassador Robert P. Jackson will award grants to the recipients of this year's Ambassador's Special Self Help Fund (SSH) and the Democracy and Human Right's Fund (DHRF) programs.

Ambassador Jackson will also make presentations to the beneficiaries of grants from the Julia Taft Refugee Fund, the Department of State's Human Rights and Democracy Fund, and the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.

The thirteen selected projects will be funded by U.S. Government grants totaling more than $165,000 and will benefit nine of Cameroon's ten regions. The ceremony will be held at 2:00 pm at the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde.

The SSH program supports small-scale assistance projects to improve the living conditions of Cameroonian communities.

This program funds projects that are initiated by Cameroonian communities in the areas of water supply and sanitation, social services, and social assistance. This year, more than $50,000 (FCFA 25 million) will be disbursed to fund seven projects, each in a different region.

The DHRF program provides assistance through grants to indigenous organizations that will implement small, short-term, highly targeted activities designed to support human rights and democratic institutions.

This year, $40,000 (FCFA 20 million) will be disbursed to support four projects in Cameroon.

Named after the late Julia Taft, a longtime refugee advocate and former Assistant Secretary in the U.S. State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), the Julia Taft Refugee Fund provides one-time grants to local organizations that help refugees adapt to their new lives and achieve some measure of self-reliance. This year, $25,000 (FCFA 12.5 million) will be awarded to help refugees in Cameroon.

The Department of State's Human Rights and Democracy Fund promotes democracy across the globe by supporting targeted, innovative programming that responds to challenges and opportunities in democracy and human rights.

This year, $35,000 (FCFA 17.5 million) will be awarded to a local non-governmental organization (NGO).

One grant of $15,000 will be awarded to a local NGO from the Department of State's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs to combat counterfeit medicine.

For more information, please contact the United States Embassy in Yaounde, Press section Tel 22 20 15 00, ext 4162 or 4273.