Middle East, Europe & Asia
Global Communities' 2021 Annual Report
"This assistance changed my life, but the most important thing was that we found someone who cares about our suffering and gives a hand to support us."
Ahmad, INSPIRE program participant, Syria
Our Work in the Middle East, Europe & Asia
In 2021, Global Communities worked alongside communities in more than a dozen countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, connecting young people with economic opportunities and the tools to lift their own voices for positive change. From building social cohesion in the wake of conflict to delivering lifesaving assistance amid protracted and ongoing crises, we stood with partners striving for more just, equitable and prosperous communities across the region.
Snapshot of Our Results in the Middle East, Europe & Asia
229,000
food baskets distributed every month to strengthen food security for more than 160,000 Syrians
60,420+
full- or part-time jobs created or supported by Vitas
99,000
participants in the West Bank and Gaza served by a monthly cash-based transfer assistance program in 2021
Learn More About Our Work in the Middle East, Europe & Asia
Humanitarian Assistance
Syria
Middle East, Europe & Asia | Humanitarian Assistance
Syria
Global Communities began providing humanitarian assistance in Syria in 2014, following the start of an armed conflict that has lasted more than a decade and uprooted more than half of the country’s population. In 2021, Global Communities continued working to address the most pressing humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons while planning for a sustainable recovery. Programs implemented included work funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance to increase water, food and shelter security for some of the millions of families displaced by the crisis, as well as expanding sector-leading protection programming with the support of private donors to reach nearly 5,000 women and girls with gender-based violence prevention and response services.
Read more about Global Communities’ approach to protection in Syria in The Path Forward, a CSIS Humanitarian Agenda series. Hear directly from a participant in Global Communities’ mentorship program in northern parts of Syria.
Fast Facts:
- 30,960 program participants (9,107 men, 21,853 women) in Northwest Syria provided with skill building training and protection services
- 229,000 food baskets distributed every month to strengthen food security for more than 160,000 Syrians
- $5.5 million distributed as electronic vouchers for 40,000 families in Atmeh camp to support the purchase of hygiene items
West Bank/Gaza
Middle East, Europe & Asia | Humanitarian Assistance
West Bank/Gaza
For two decades, Global Communities has worked to increase the quality of life and economic opportunities for the Palestinian people. We work with hundreds of partners in the West Bank and Gaza, including ministries, local governments, the private sector, civil society organizations and more. Our long-term partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) allowed for urgent mobilization in the wake of the May 2021 conflict, when existing programs were repurposed to provide essential hygiene supplies to more than 1,500 internally displaced families. Throughout the year, Global Communities and the WFP worked to reduce food insecurity in the West Bank and Gaza through electronic vouchers, which are exchanged for food items at designated stores across the community, strengthening the local economy and preserving participants’ decision-making authority to meet their families’ food needs as they see fit.
Read more about the Palestine in the Heart campaign, a rapid mobilization to meet essential needs of local families following the May 2021 conflict.
Fast Facts:
- 99,000 participants served by a monthly cash-based transfer assistance program in 2021
- 1000-liter water tanks as well as food parcels, hygiene kits and safe lighting provided to 68 people immediately following the May 2021 conflict
- 10,000 young people reached through Youth Local Councils to increase community engagement
Sustainable Development
Jordan
Middle East, Europe & Asia | Sustainable Development
Jordan
2021 marked the final full year of Global Communities’ implementation of USAID YouthPower Jordan, a five-year program working with vulnerable youth in 60 communities across Jordan through a youth-led, positive youth development approach to improve opportunity, well-being and civic engagement. The program empowered participants to act as engaged citizens with the agency to advocate for themselves and to shape services designed to better prepare them to enter higher education, vocational training and the workforce.
Learn more about the success of USAID YouthPower Jordan, and about the high-impact strategies that proved most effective and show promise for scale, including Youth in Governance, Youth Economic Empowerment and Youth Leaders and Influencers.
Fast Facts:
- $3.7 million Innovation Fund supported youth to design and lead innovative community development and social entrepreneurship initiatives
- 17,961 youth reported increased self-efficacy
- 88.3 percent of youth participated in civic engagement activities
Ukraine
Middle East, Europe & Asia | Sustainable Development
Ukraine
Since 2016, Global Communities has led an international consortium of organizations in Ukraine to implement a $67 million decentralization program that improves the ability of 100 local governments across all regions of Ukraine to identify and support the needs of their community, with a focus on promoting gender equality, women’s empowerment and enhancing economic sustainability. Through this work, our team has developed close relationships with local governments and civil society organizations. Ahead of the war that came to Ukraine in early 2022, Global Communities worked to promote good governance and citizen engagement in 100 communities, reaching tens of thousands of residents. Global Communities supported local initiatives ranging from environmental cleanups and infrastructure development to job training and youth empowerment.
Read more about how Global Communities is responding to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
Fast Facts:
- Global Communities has built deep relationships and earned community trust in 100 Consolidated Communities in 10 areas of Ukraine.
- 60+ years of community-based work in the Eastern Europe region, including six years of on-the-ground experience in Ukraine.
Sri Lanka
Middle East, Europe & Asia | Sustainable Development
Sri Lanka
In multi-ethnic, multi-cultural Sri Lanka, Global Communities works with government and civil society under the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Social Cohesion and Reconciliation (SCORE) program to strengthen the ability of local governments and community-based organizations to deliver critical services, including to address the effects of COVID-19. When the pandemic began, we adapted community-based trainings to empower community members to remain resilient and facilitated new economic opportunities providing masks to district health authorities. In February 2021, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives Alaina Teplitz visited SCORE activities and inaugurated a virtual classroom designed to bring students of diverse backgrounds together and advance virtual distance learning amid the pandemic. By May 2021, we were responding to new variants by supporting frontline healthcare workers, mobilizing youth to ramp up COVID-19 vaccines and improving testing capacity.
Learn more about Global Communities’ work supporting Sri Lankan communities through USAID’s SCORE project.
Fast Facts:
- 180 youth volunteers supported to assist the Sri Lankan Red Cross’s COVID-19 response effort and a government-led campaign encouraging vaccinations and social distancing
- 21,000 samples tested for COVID-19 following SCORE’s work with government and university partners to increase access to COVID-19 testing
- 13 districts in Sri Lanka have government and civil society organizations partnering with SCORE
Financial Inclusion
The Vitas Group
Middle East, Europe & Asia | Financial Inclusion
Vitas
Through the for-profit subsidiary The Vitas Group, Global Communities runs the largest network of microfinance institutions in the Middle East. The Vitas network of companies works with small business owners to unlock access to reliable and affordable financing to grow their business, improve their living standards and spur local economies. With a more than 20-year track record of success, Vitas is licensed by central banks and operates in Romania, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. Read more about The Vitas Group.
In 2021, a new partnership between Global Communities subsidiary Bell Finance and the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani was launched to deliver an innovative new Private Sector Development Finance Seminar to business students as they work to expand Iraq’s private sector economy. Read more here.
Fast Facts:
- 100,000+ active Vitas clients
- 60,420+ full- or part-time jobs created or supported by Vitas
Read About Our Work in Other Regions
Africa
Across 10 countries in Africa, Global Communities worked with communities to bring sustainable access to school feeding programs, women’s financial empowerment, sanitation & hygiene and local governance.
The Americas
In 2021, Global Communities partnered directly with local leaders, governments, schools, businesses and civil society organizations to bring sustainable and positive change, improving the lives and livelihoods of people in eight countries across the Americas.