WASHINGTON (July 19, 2024) – Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) CEO Alice Albright visited Seattle to tour an MCC-funded academic program for students from the remote Pacific Island nation of Kiribati and to discuss the agency’s life-changing, global impact with community leaders.
“The Millennium Challenge Corporation has invested nearly $17 billion in 47 countries across multiple sectors to reduce poverty through economic growth,” said Albright. “We are proud that our efforts will make a difference for future generations of Kiribati youth. It has been a pleasure to visit Seattle with Congressman Adam Smith and meet leaders here who are committed to effective and innovative development.”
During the Seattle trip Albright met with members of the business community to discuss MCC’s work on infrastructure and policy reform. Additionally, she visited the UUTI Summer Academic Program at the University of Washington, where 50 Kiribati high school students are immersed in English-language courses teaching the life skills needed to thrive in modern workplaces.
Economic growth in Kiribati is limited by labor market challenges that hinder employment opportunities for the island nation’s large youth population. As part of the U.S. government’s Pacific Partnership Strategy, MCC is funding a $29.1 million, four-year grant designed to promote safe, accessible, and inclusive employment opportunities for the people of Kiribati. These efforts will strengthen workers’ rights and resilience and teach young people skills to remain competitive in a 21st century economy.
Kiribati’s Minister for Education, the Honorable Alexander Teabo, expressed his enthusiasm for the scholarships, stating, "I wish to acknowledge the United States for its tremendous support toward the UUTI activity. As our slogan says, ‘Education is Everyone’s Business,’ which reaffirms the strong collaboration and cooperation between all key education stakeholders toward improving the education sector in Kiribati.”
The American Councils, a trusted MCC-Kiribati program partner, will lead MCC-funded academic programs throughout the four-year grant period, including full academic-year scholarship programs in the U.S. and intensive English language camps in the U.S. and Fiji for the first cohort of 108 students.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an independent U.S. government development agency working to reduce global poverty through economic growth. Created in 2004, MCC provides time-limited grants that pair investments in infrastructure with policy and institutional reforms to countries that meet rigorous standards for good governance, fighting corruption and respecting democratic rights.
###