Lutheran World Relief Uganda Country Director Testifies at Congressional Hearing

BALTIMORE, July 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lutheran World Relief (LWR) Uganda Country Director Evelyn Nassuna will testify before Congress on the "Oversight of Feed the Future Initiative" hearing on Tuesday, July 20. The hearing will be held jointly by the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health and the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight. The hearing entitled "Oversight of the Feed the Future Initiative" will highlight opportunities for effective implementation of President Obama's Feed the Future initiative, which is aimed at increasing global food security and bolstering agriculture production in developing nations.

The hearing is open to the public and will take place at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, July 20 in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building (and is available live, via the WEBCASE link on the Committee website at http://www.hcfa.house.gov). Nassuna will be available for interviews or comments before or after the hearing along with Annalise Romoser, LWR's Acting-Director for Public Policy and Advocacy, and Kirsta Zimmerman, LWR's International Policy Analyst.

Nassuna, who received her LLM from Georgetown University Law School, has served as LWR's Uganda Country Director since 2001. Nassuna will discuss Lutheran World Relief's approach to working with small-scale farmers in Uganda and the importance of involving these farmers as examples to the Committees for successful design and implementation of Feed the Future national agricultural projects.

"LWR is pleased that Congress has taken such an interest in food security issues and is looking to non governmental organizations like LWR for expertise and on-the ground insight," said Romoser.

Other speakers at the hearing include the Honorable William Garvelink, Deputy Coordinator for Development at the Office of the Coordinator for the Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative of the U.S. Agency for International Development, The Honorable Patricia Haslach, Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy of the same office and agency, William H. Danforth, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, and Executive Vice-President of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs at the Monsanto Corporation Mr. Gerald A. Steiner.

WHO IS LWR? Lutheran World Relief, an international nonprofit organization, works to end poverty and injustice by empowering some of the world's most impoverished communities to help themselves. With partners in 35 countries, LWR seeks to promote sustainable development with justice and dignity by helping communities bring about change for healthy, safe and secure lives; engage in Fair Trade; promote peace and reconciliation; and respond to emergencies. LWR is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. and has worked in international development and relief since 1945.

SOURCE Lutheran World Relief