Innovation & Technology
Global Communities' 2022 Annual Report
Innovative Solutions for a Changing World
Ideas and approaches from the past are no longer enough to keep pace with the world’s challenges. Global Communities embeds innovation at every level of our programming, creating space for digital solutions and agile approaches that can blaze a trail to new thinking and a more just and equitable world.
From partnering with the private sector to accelerate the benefits of savings groups for women and expanding access to credit for business owners in the Middle East to challenging unequal gender norms and power dynamics in relationships in Guatemala, we are working to expand opportunity, prosperity and social inclusion.
We are exploring new solutions for safe commodities storage, taking community savings groups online, and connecting people and ideas across languages and borders to build a better future for all.
Innovation & Technology
DSG Hub
Innovation & Technology | DSG Hub
Inclusive Innovation through Savings Groups
In June 2022, Global Communities launched the Digital Savings Group (DSG) Hub — an online learning and community platform aimed at facilitating thoughtful, safe and inclusive digitization of savings groups. Inspired by Global Communities’ own experiences introducing digital tools to Women Empowered savings groups in Tanzania and a vision of financial and digital inclusion for all, the DSG Hub promotes innovation to accelerate the benefits of savings groups for their members, especially women.
The DSG Hub contains a growing library of high-quality resources about digital transformation, including foundational tools developed by Global Communities, such as “DSG Glossary: Key Concepts and Terms,” “DSG Vendors and Products Tool,” and “DSG Toolkit: Tools to Support Safe and Gender-responsive Digitization of Savings Groups.” Additionally, the DSG Hub provides a space for savings group practitioners and innovators to connect, share insights and experiences, and plant seeds for future collaboration. The Hub is funded by the FAHU Foundation and positions Global Communities as a recognized thought leader in the savings group sector.
Fast Facts:
- More than 220 individuals registered for the DSG Hub launch event, “Savings Groups in the Digital Age: New Resources to Support Digital Transformation,” which took place in June 2022.
- In the first 6 months of operation, the DSG Hub featured 55 resources and 10 leading digital products for savings groups; registered 103 members, 238 newsletter subscribers and 4,900 new users; and recorded 8.7K site visits and 27K page views.
- The DSG Hub benefited from strategic advice and guidance from 10 Advisory Board members representing peer organizations, technology providers and the funder.
AfriScout
Technology & Innovation | Afriscout
Technological Solutions to Support Pastoralists
As climate change threatens to trigger large scale hunger crises around the world, it is vital that we support frontline communities like Africa’s pastoralists (nomadic and semi-nomadic livestock herders) who are at once the hardest hit yet also represent our most productive assets for food security and climate change mitigation. In 2022, Global Communities expanded access and use of AfriScout technology for improved pasture and herd management in Ethiopia.
Using localized satellite imagery and crowd-sourced indigenous knowledge, the AfriScout mobile app provides pastoralists with near real-time, visual data on forage and water conditions in the palm of their hand. Pastoralists use the digital grazing maps to better plan and coordinate grazing and to share geo-located alerts related to animal diseases, conflicts or restricted grazing access, among others.
To further avoid conflicts and protect conservation and wildlife areas, the maps are restricted to the borders of customary rangelands that have been validated by host communities and local authorities. In each communal rangeland area, AfriScout field agents onboard new users and support existing users on how to maximize our service and make smarter land management decisions through the practice of rotational grazing.
After expansion efforts in 2022, the service is now functioning in 4 districts in Tanzania, 6 counties in Kenya and 40 woredas in Ethiopia.
Fast Facts:
- In 2022, AfriScout registered 8,598 new users from 13 woredas in Ethiopia.
- A total of 8,655 households now benefit from using the service in Ethiopia.
- Of the 513 alerts posted by AfriScout users in Ethiopia in 2022, 23% were related to livestock diseases, 37% noted water shortage, 17% pertained to forbidden grazing, 7% were conflict related and 6% reported predator issues.
- In total, 118 government staff were trained on how to engage more communities and other users on the AfriScout application in four zones of Ethiopia: Borena, Dawa, Liben and South Omo.
Guatemala
Innovation & Technology | Guatemala
Transforming Gender Norms in Couples' Relationships
May 2022 marked the successful completion of the first adaptation of Journeys of Transformation (JOT) — a structured, gender-transformative intervention for couples in Guatemala. Originally developed by Equimundo and tested in Rwanda, JOT engaged men as allies in women’s economic empowerment and sought to shift unequal gender norms and power dynamics present in couples’ relationships. Leveraging its signature Women Empowered (WE) program, Global Communities partnered with Equimundo to adapt JOT and implement it with savings group members and their spouses in rural and indigenous communities of Guatemala.
Trained facilitators delivered JOT in 13 group education sessions, including couples’ sessions and separate sessions for men and women. These highly participatory sessions promoted critical reflection about such topics as household decision-making, time use, division of roles and responsibilities, sexual and reproductive health, and intimate partner violence – a critical complement to our WE curriculum. Results from the evaluation of the intervention in Guatemala showed a positive shift in gender-related outcomes including increased support of more equitable gender roles, improved communication between partners, higher participation of men in household tasks and childcare, increased support for women’s participation in savings groups and decision-making, as well as reduced acceptance of intimate partner violence.
Fast Facts:
- Twelve JOT groups formed in nine communities of Cuilco, Guatemala. Eleven groups completed the entire program and 98 couples graduated from the intervention.
- 99% of men and 97% of women stated that their experience in the program was positive or very positive.
- Reports of men and women after participating in the program showed a significant reduction in their support of traditional norms and attitudes that limit women’s economic and labor participation.
- Both men and women recognized that after participating in the program more men participate equitably in domestic and caregiving work (share the work with women) or are primarily responsible (usually or always) for these tasks themselves.
- Reports by men and women showed a significant reduction in the belief that men should make final decisions on family spending.
- After the program, men and women participants reported a significant reduction in the acceptance of the use of violence by men against their female partners in different situations.
Tanzania
Innovation & Technology | Tanzania
Measuring the Impact of Engaging Fathers and Bundling Nutrition and Parenting Interventions on Child Diets and Development
Malnutrition, inadequate stimulation and gender inequality are significant risk factors for poor child growth and development in Northern Tanzania. The Engaging Fathers for Effective Child Nutrition and Development in Tanzania (EFFECTS) randomized controlled trial measured the impact of engaging fathers and bundling nutrition and parenting interventions on child nutrition and development, caregiver nutrition and parenting practices, and gender equality and women’s empowerment. The trial took place in the Mara region of Tanzania from 2018 to 2021.
In 2022, Global Communities hosted a webinar highlighting the results of the trial and first-authored a peer-reviewed paper about the trial’s impact on household gender equality that was accepted for publication in the Journal of Social Science and Medicine.
This study was implemented by Global Communities with funding from the Eleanor Crook Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and supported by Harvard School of Public Health, Purdue University and the Africa Academy for Public Health. Three additional impact papers will be published in peer-reviewed journals in 2023 that are led by study partners.
Key study takeaways:
- Bundled nutrition and parenting interventions had greater benefits to child development, child diets, nutrition and parenting practices, and household gender equality compared to nutrition-only interventions.
- Engaging couples in nutrition and parenting interventions had greater benefits to child diets, maternal and paternal care practices, household gender equality, and women’s empowerment compared to interventions that engage only mothers.
- Nutrition and parenting programs should be delivered together and engage both parents when possible.
Vitas | Romania, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan
Innovation & Technology | Vitas | Romania, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan
Innovative Financing Solutions
Vitas Group (Vitas), a for profit subsidiary of Global Communities, continued its work lending to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) by focusing on creating innovative financing solutions that make a social impact. Vitas is licensed by Central Banks to provide a variety of loan products in Romania, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
To continue supporting financial innovations, Vitas launched the Vitas Lab in 2020 to test new ideas, drive responsible finance innovation, identify new partnerships and create new loan products. In 2022, the Vitas Lab began its first project, a Business-to-Business (B2B) Financing Platform that empowers the merchant sector in Lebanon by offering quick loan access without collateral requirements and at competitive interest rates. To prove the business case, a pilot program was launched under this platform. The pilot featured a local grocery store, Tele Dukkan, which allowed it to order merchandise through an online platform called Toters Fresh. Due to this loan, Tele Dukkan managed cash flow and maintained the salaries of three employees.
In October 2022, CHF Vitas Iraq partnered with Proparco, a subsidiary of the AFD Group, to launch a new loan product, the ARIZ TPE. This innovative partnership supports small businesses and their families in Iraq through providing previously unattainable financial access to Iraqi MSMEs, creating more jobs and improving living standards. The $3.5 million ARIZ TPE loan product targets MSMEs in at-risk areas where traditional loans are not available through a risk-sharing mechanism.
Fast Facts:
- A total of 225,000 MSMEs will benefit from the expansion of loan products created and tested by the Vitas Lab.
- Vitas Romania finalized a strategic partnership with the European Investment Fund to secure a portfolio guarantee facility of $21 million. These funds will enhance access to MSMEs in Romania.
- Vitas Palestine distributed $42 million to 10,000 clients, 15% of whom are women. This included 2,000 renewals that have a 30-day portfolio risk of less than three percent.
- Vitas Palestine doubled its disbursement totaling $42 million which resulted in a 29.3% increase in outstanding portfolio growth.
- Vitas Lebanon worked on rebuilding damaged businesses with support from the World Bank through the Building Beirut Business (B5) Project.
- On average, B5 clients – 26% of whom are women – received $3,298 in grant money to begin rebuilding their businesses.
Read About Our Work in Other Areas
Localization
Global Communities is committed to advancing the localization of our work through a wide range of models, always centering local voices and prioritizing support and technical assistance for sustainable, community-driven solutions.
Triple Nexus
Global Communities believes meaningful solutions lie at the intersections that link humanitarian, development and peace-building programs – also known as the triple nexus. Our unique expertise allows us to leverage learnings for integrated programs and respond to rapidly changing circumstances.