The Olympics of
Foreign Assistance

With our athletes in South Korea going for gold, find out how foreign assistance is a win for America and the world.
The U.S. invested
$35 billion in foreign assistance
in South Korea's post-war recovery
U.S. exports to South Korea now total
$60+ billion per year
making it our 7th largest export market.
...that's an Olympic-sized return on investment!
It's kind of like
passing the torch...
These 36 countries were once recipients of U.S. foreign assistance. But now, they are all donors — providing a hand-up to other countries around the world.
Three Nigerian women
are making Olympic history as the first African bobsled team to compete in the Winter Games.
Talk about empowered women!
Meanwhile in Nigeria and beyond, USAID is expanding Internet access
for more than 600,000 women
and closing the digital gender gap.
Why it Matters
Now, thousands of women and girls across Africa can create better lives for themselves and their families.
1988 marked
South Korea’s first Olympic Games
That same year, the world came together to launch the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
30 years later, the Olympics are back in South Korea — and thanks to the U.S., NGOs, and partners around the world,
ending polio is near the finish line!

As Olympic mascot, the white tiger “Soohorang” symbolizes protection
for the 2018 Games.

But the wild tiger population has been decimated:
down 97%
over the last century.

USAID has teamed up with the World Bank to double the wild tiger population by 2022 — the next year of the Winter Olympics.

Why it Matters

Stopping wildlife trafficking not only protects the world's animals — it is also essential to strengthening U.S. national security by keeping billions of dollars out of the hands of criminal and terrorist groups.

The Olympics is no stranger to contagious diseases.
Influenza in Salt Lake City.
Measles in Vancouver.
Zika in Rio.
But a worldwide effort is underway to respond to pandemics — and 39 of the 93 countries in the 2018 Winter Games have teamed up to advance the
Global Health Security Agenda.
Olympians represent our country long after the Games finish — many through their work in development and diplomacy.
Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Hannah Teter donates her contest winnings to help promote clean water in Africa.
Olympic freestyle aerial skier Tracy Evans founded Kids Play International — using sports to promote gender equity on and off the field.
Figure skating medalist Michelle Kwan was a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State.
It's not just the Olympics that bring people together through the power of sport.
From Somalia to Libya to Ethiopia,
USAID and the Peace Corps are using sports to promote conflict resolution and cooperation — bringing youth together from disparate groups and fostering lifelong friendships through sport.
“
Sport has the power to change the world.
 
It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they can understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.
 
It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination.
”
— Nelson Mandela