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U.S. Partnerships with Women Promote Economic Growth in Northern Ghana
This article was originally published on the US Embassy of Ghana Website Tamale, GHANA— Since 2014, over 96,000 women in northern Ghana saved USD $7.8 million – or about 42,659,747 cedis – and invested the money to improve the health, education, nutrition, and economic opportunities of their families. Last year, Nanumba North received 98% in…
Read MoreWill the celebration continue in Moline neighborhood?
Global Communities CEO David Weiss of Silver Spring, Md. and Steve Beard, Moline Global Communities director, are in front of the office in the Floreciente neighborhood in Moline. Photo: John Schultz, [email protected] By Jim Menan This article was originally published in the Muscatine Journal. MOLINE — There was much to celebrate for Flourishing Communities. But the…
Read MoreHonduran Community Leaders Limit Spread of Zika
By Harry Sanderson This article was originally published on the US Global Leadership Coalition website Over his 23-year career, Angel David Rodriguez has gradually incorporated health topics into his classroom curriculum at the suggestion of the Honduran Ministry of Health. As a math and science teacher, Rodriguez never imagined he’d be working hands-on as a…
Read MoreGrowing Healthy Food, Connections through School Gardens
When Peter Masaju started a school garden at Suguti A Primary School in Musoma District, Tanzania, he planted the seeds for more than just healthy, homegrown vegetables. He also created an opportunity for parents to feel more rooted in their children’s day-to-day school experiences. “For the past seven years, I have not witnessed such a…
Read MoreDo As Your Neighbors Do – Save Money
Watching their neighbors setting up small businesses as an outcome of Village Savings and Loans Associations, these women decided they, too, would like to use this tool to overcome poverty and diversify incomes. This is the last part of the four-part series. You can read the beginning here, the second part here and the third part here. Pathways to…
Read MoreAccessing Credit for Medical Bills and School Fees
Through the RING VSLA intervention, women in Kitoe-Nkwanta are now able to access credit to meet pressing financial needs. Many women have been able to start a trade, pay off medical bills and school fees – economic gains that were previously impossible. This the third part of the 4-series story. Take a look at the…
Read MoreCrossing the Ethnic Divide
SCORE supports access road renovation to improve inter-ethnic relations Nimal Rajapaksa, a Sinhalese mason from the Agbopura new settlement area, travels on his motorcycle to a construction site in the Tamil-majority Vavuniya town using the newly renovated access road in Agbopura in Vavuniya South in the war-torn North of Sri Lanka. Previously, he had to…
Read MoreUSAID SCORE Promotes Reconciliation and Social Cohesion Through Youth Sports Festival
Using sports as a vehicle for reconciliation and increased social cohesion, USAID SCORE together with the National Youth Services Council organized a sports festival recently in Maduruketiya, at the school grounds in the Monaragala district. SCORE is a three-year social cohesion and reconciliation activity implemented Global Communities to strengthen Sri Lankan led efforts to advance…
Read MoreWhen Shared Knowledge Inspires People and Develops Communities
Community leaders formed through the Sowing Futures PACE program share experiences and help students from the new class of leaders grow As she tells her story, Adriana Ferreira’s pensive eyes show the culmination of a dream that she might not have even imagined possible: being a source of inspiration in other people’s lives. Adriana, a…
Read MoreFrom a Single Parent with Disabilities to a Role-model and Businesswoman
This is the second part of the four-parts series. Read the beginning here: https://is.gd/AORh4l In many rural communities of Northern Ghana, farmers depend on a single rainy season for the family’s annual food and income. As an added security measure, men often rear small ruminants or poultry, to supplement their farming revenue. Strong management of…
Read MoreCan Equity be Built in Traditional Families?
Nimgbor Wuninyun (center) and his wives Adjoa (left) and N-Munankpor (right), of Tikarni Community in Kpandai District, each understand and appreciate the benefits of participating in the Gender Model Family activity. Photo Credit: Clarissa Heger, Gender and Social Protection Advisor, Global Communities RING As in many parts of the world, traditional gender norms strongly dictate…
Read MoreCommunity Leaders Revitalize a Community Park in Jardim Nova América
The residents of Jardim Nova América, in Campinas/SP now have a leisure space for families to enjoy. After months of dedication, during which community leaders from the neighborhood association were committed to carrying out the park revitalization project, the space will be handed over to the community. The project, supported by the Sowing Futures Community…
Read MoreUSAID SCORE Supports Street Drama Promoting Reconciliation And Social Cohesion Among Multi-Ethnic Students
USAID SCORE recently supported the Ministry of National Integration, Official Languages, Social Progress and Hindu Religious Affairs (MONIOLSP) in a series of street drama productions promoting social cohesion and reconciliation among school students and teachers in the Monaragala District. Exploring themes of religious freedom and mutual respect among communities, the performances, which took place earlier…
Read MoreZambian Mother-Turned-Activist Joins Fight Against Cervical Cancer
Globally, one woman dies of cervical cancer every two minutes. In Zambia, Project Concern International (PCI) is working to put an end to these tragic and untimely fates. Since 2011, with support from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), PCI has been able to provide life-saving screenings and treatment to more than 25,000…
Read MoreIs It Too Late for Systems Thinking? Lessons Learned on Adopting a Market Systems Approach Mid-Program
By Karla Yoder, Global Communities Economic Development/Workforce Specialist This blog was originally published on Marketlinks.org Agribusiness Investment for Market Stimulation (AIMS) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded initiative to promote trade in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi by increasing access to finance and markets for agricultural small and medium enterprises (A-SMEs). AIMS was not initially…
Read MoreUSAID SCORE Facilitates Outboard Engine Training for Fishermen in North Sri Lanka
Pias Sandrakumar, a 26-year-old fisherman from the resettled village of Ilawalai North West in Jaffna in the conflict-affected North of Sri Lanka, used to worry when he would take his boat out in case of technical problems. Now, however, he is able to go out to sea for fishing with less worry now that he…
Read MoreFloreciente Gets Community Health Advocate to Help Residents Access Better Health
UnityPoint Health-Trinity community health advocate Carolina Granja laughs during a press conference in Moline. Photo credit: Meg McLaughlin/[email protected]. Source: The Dispatch Argus The Floreciente neighborhood now has its own community health advocate, through a fund partially granted by Global Communities, which will help advance health while also offering better access to care for Floreciente residents.…
Read MoreLocal Youth Drive ODF Strategy and Champion Sense of Pride in Northern Ghana Village
By Daniel Anthony, VP Communications & Public Affairs, Global Communities The “Open Defecation Free Community” sign on the side of the road marks the entrance to the community of Sagadugu. The community is part of Global Communities’ USAID-funded WASH For Health Project. Regional and local chiefs and community members gather in the background around one…
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