Blog
Hygiene Promotion Team Protects Families from Diseases in Northwest Syria
By Adile Sahin Ali, 37, lives with six family members in Atmeh, which hosts more than 157,400 internally displaced people in northwest Syria. The camp was established in 2011, following the start of the country’s now decades-long conflict, and sits on graded agricultural land that lacks a proper sewage drainage system. Over the last 10…
Read MoreSupporting Families through Winter in Gaza
By Ziad Bakri and Lizzie Hickman In Palestine, winter brings near freezing temperatures and torrential rain, leaving families that cannot afford to winterize their homes at the mercy of the weather. To help families overcome winter-related challenges, Global Communities distributed 350 winterization and hygiene kits and conducted health promotion sessions with 3,485 households in the…
Read MoreSupporting Mobile Legal Clinics in Sri Lanka to Increase Access to Justice
In Sri Lanka, some segments of the population — particularly those directly affected by the prolonged armed conflict — face challenges due to a lack or loss of personal documentation pertaining to their identity, citizenship, civil status, property ownership and education. For these groups, such as internally displaced persons, the resettled and returnees, the lack…
Read MoreUSAID CLEAR Program in Kenya Launches a Series of Worker Cooperative Videos
Kenya has a vibrant and dynamic cooperative movement. The worker cooperative model, while new to the Kenyan Cooperative sector, is gaining attention and recognition as a tool for equitable economic development and job creation. In the United States, worker cooperatives have been gaining popularity over the years and their success is making a big impact.…
Read MoreEnding the “Triple Threat” of Early Pregnancies, New HIV Infections and Sexual Violence among Adolescent Girls & Young Women
By Betty Adera A single act of sexual violence against women and girls can result in HIV infections and other sexually transmitted diseases, resulting in shame, fear and trauma. However, for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), sexual violence can also result in early pregnancy and childbearing, which carries its own stigma. Globally, girls between…
Read MoreSimple Innovation Helps Rural Communities in Ghana Improve Latrine Construction & Sanitation
By Megan Bohan The Ghana Enhancing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (EN-WASH) Activity aims to increase the use of sustainable, equitable, quality and district-wide WASH services in communities and health care facilities. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Global Communities, EN-WASH also addresses the adoption of sustainable WASH practices…
Read MoreStriving to Find and Serve Missing Children in HIV Treatment & Care
By Betty Adera Despite tremendous progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS, outcomes for treatment and care among children remain low. Sadly, disparities in the HIV response continue to result in failure to meet the unique needs of children living with or are at high risk of HIV. At the end of 2019, an…
Read MoreGlobal Communities Ramps up WASH Services in Response to Cholera Outbreak in Syria
Atmeh, Syria – Global Communities is responding to a major cholera outbreak that has been spreading across Syria, ramping up water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services for more than 157,000 internally displaced people at Atmeh camp in northwest Syria. Between August 25 and November 5, at least 35,569 suspected cases – including 92 deaths –…
Read MoreGlobal Communities Tanzania Partners with USDA to Boost Literacy Rates through School Feeding Program
Earlier this month, Global Communities Tanzania launched Pamoja Tuwalishe (Together, Let’s Feed Them), the next phase of its U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. This USDA investment builds on the successful 10-year partnership between the Government of Tanzania, the United States Government and Global Communities. In this…
Read MoreRight to Care: Family-Centered Approaches for Vulnerable Children and Adolescents
By Betty Adera The impact of disasters, complexities of humanitarian crises and ongoing effects of climate change pose major threats to the lives of children. These challenges impact the most vulnerable among us and expose them to health, water and food insecurity; exploitation and sexual violence; deprivation and neglect. Long-standing, systemic human and child rights…
Read MoreSupporting Households Impacted by Poorly Processed Wastewater on the Gaza Strip
On the Gaza Strip, access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is fragile and an estimated 25% of households are not connected to the wastewater network. Access to WASH varies drastically by location, as many unconnected households are outside of Gaza’s five largest cities. Chronic power shortages limit regular operation of treatment plants, leading to…
Read MoreChallenging Malnutrition When Widespread Hunger Prevails in Yemen
One-year-old Mohammed and his family live in the Qa’atabah district of Yemen, near constant conflict that has killed and injured civilians and impeded access to essential goods and services for the past seven years. When volunteers from the Yemen Emergency Food Assistance (YEFA) III program first met Mohammed, he was 14 months old and suffering…
Read MoreSowing Futures and Lots of Hope in Argentina
By: Sergio Scheffer and Natalia Lopez-Thismon Translated by: Samuel Lau In the peripheral neighborhoods of cities in Argentina, it is not uncommon to find large empty lots gathering junk. Giuliana (Yuli) and her four children, including her 13-year-old son Tiziano (Tizi), lived next to one of these vacant lots. Over the years, she and her…
Read MoreMothers in India Lead the Process of Change and Girls’ Empowerment
By Sushmita Mukherjee A healthy and skilled adolescent girl is best placed to make informed decisions not only for herself but also for others who solely depend on her when she reaches adulthood. Her ability to influence decision-making is appreciated and respected when she has the right skills to communicate, think critically and creatively. As…
Read MoreInsuring Resilience against Climate Change in Colombia
As climate change continues to create global challenges, Global Communities is working to create innovative, community-focused solutions to help mitigate the impacts. The city of Medellín, Colombia, faces unique risks associated with climate change due to the city’s topography and rainfall patterns. Heavy rain can result in flooding and mudslides across Medellín and as a…
Read MoreSupporting Community Resilience and Economic Recovery in Guatemala
By Noah Steinberg-Di Stefano When speaking to families in rural communities throughout Huehuetenango, Guatemala, almost everyone mentions that things have gotten more expensive. For them, this is not quantified as an inflation percentage but rather the price they pay for staples like tomatoes or beans when they go to the market or buy fertilizer for…
Read MoreGiving San Diego Infants a Healthy Start through Lactation Education and Access
By Lizzie Hickman The recent baby formula shortage in the United States (U.S.) has brought attention to infant nutrition needs and costs. The scarcity highlighted a larger conversation around the importance of breastfeeding/chestfeeding, inequity in healthcare and barriers parents face to accessing lactation services. In the U.S., Black birthing parents are nine times more likely to…
Read MoreEmpowering Women in India through Self-Help Groups
By Sushmita Mukherjee Global Communities believes in the power and potential of women’s collectives to bring about positive change. In India, PCI, a Global Communities Partner, is working to design and test community-based solutions that will make meaningful advancement toward gender equality. Specifically, we work with women’s collectives within the Self-Help Group (SHG) structure, nurtured…
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