Blog
Is 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…
Read MoreUSAID TWIYUBAKE Holds Early Childhood Development Workshop
USAID Twiyubake, in collaboration with the National Early Childhood Development Program (NECDP), organized a workshop and field learning event for CHAIN partners. The event served as a learning platform on how to promote integrated ECD services across USAID funded projects. The workshop which took place in Musanze hosted USAID implementing program partners including SNV/CRS (Isuku…
Read MoreGlobal Communities, Other NGOs Discuss Solutions to Mass Migration
Senior Director of Resilient Communities, Randy Lyness spoke at the 2019 InterAction Annual Forum where he represented Global Communities on a panel, Collaborative Lessons Learned from Colombia Displacement Response Applicable to a Venezuela Response. Multiple organizations, including Global Communities, Blumont and Mercy Corps, have decades of experience responding to the internal displacement in Colombia, which has resulted…
Read MoreRedefining Fatherhood: One New Dad’s Journey as a Preemie Parent
When Martha was born, her mother Enipha says she was barely the size of her own slender forearm. The nurse on duty at Balaka District Hospital recorded her weight at just over 1.5 pounds. She arrived eight weeks early and was immediately placed on oxygen to regulate her breathing. The odds did not look good…
Read MoreCommunity Volunteers Lead the Way to Zika Prevention in Honduras
Zika, the mosquito-borne virus that can cause birth defects was rampant in Honduras three years ago, with about 36,000 cases, and a fear that the number could only rise. This year as Global Communities’ USAID-funded Nuestra Salud (Our Health) program ends there are only about 600 cases. The success is greatly due to the training…
Read MoreGlobal Communities to Present on Colombia Displacement at InterAction Forum
Come listen to Director of Program Operations Randy Lyness speak at the 2019 InterAction Annual Forum where he will represent Global Communities on a panel, Collaborative Lessons Learned from Colombia Displacement Response Applicable to a Venezuela Response. Multiple organizations have decades of experience responding to the internal displacement in Colombia, working toward collective impacts in…
Read MorePhones as Farm Hands: Fighting Fall Armyworm with Tech
Mary Alick first saw a picture of the culprit while standing in her field among damaged crops of pigeon peas and maize. Joseph Fayilosi, an Agricultural Extension Development Officer (AEDO) with the Government of Malawi, had come to offer his technical support and guidance. Alick is one of more than 4,200 farming households assigned to…
Read MoreKenya Project Takes Novel Approach to Preventing and Reducing Gender-based Violence
A project in Kenya that addresses sexual health and gender-based violence (GBV) is taking a novel approach by deliberately involving men and boys in its outreach. Global Communities implements the PEPFAR-funded DREAMS project, which works with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) to ensure they lived Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe Lives in…
Read MoreJordan Loan Guarantee Facility Spurs Economy, Creates Jobs
Members of the Jordan Loan Guaranty Facility (JLGF) team were at Global Communities headquarters recently to discuss the important work of JLGF – providing insight into the mechanics of this program, as well as its impact. JLGF provides partial loan guarantees and technical assistance to enable creditworthy but previously underserved small and medium enterprises (SMEs)…
Read MoreManaging Menstruation Delivers Dignity and Opportunity
By Celia Zeilberger This article was originally published on USAID Global Waters In some remote parts of Ghana, girls are told that crossing a river during their menstrual period will offend the river deity — so some skip school to avoid incurring the deity’s wrath. In some rural communities in western Nepal, menstruating women are told that…
Read MoreMenstrual Hygiene Day 2019 – It’s Time for Action
Source: https://menstrualhygieneday.org/2019-campaign-materials/ By Sarah Goddard and Lena Pritzkat May 28 is Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day), which aims to break persisting taboos around menstruation, raise awareness about the importance of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) for women and adolescent girls, and engage decision-makers in raising the political priority of MHM. Globally more than half of women…
Read MoreGlobal Communities’ José Equigure Receives Honduras 20/20 Scholarship
Last month, Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández participated in the delivery of Honduras 20/20 scholarships to 139 young people, which will assist them in pursuing masters, doctorate and medical degrees at diverse and recognized universities abroad. The aim of this Presidential Scholarship Program is to support Honduran scholars in learning leadership competencies and skills, which…
Read MoreGlobal Communities’ Digni-loo Project Wins USAID’s Private Sector Engagement Award
Liz Calvey Zeller, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships, represented Global Communities at an invitation-only workshop that USAID convened to solicit feedback from development implementers on putting USAID’S new Private Sector Engagement (PSE) policy into practice. The feedback will be incorporated in published guidance for USAID implementers and will also serve as a guide for USAID…
Read MoreIt Takes A Village: Transforming Care for Preterm Babies
A mural painted on an outside wall of the Balaka District Hospital in Malawi has the following message translated in Chichewa: “Everyone can take care of a preterm baby.” Pictured with the declaration are three family members — presumably a grandmother, husband and wife — and each are shown holding a small, tightly wrapped newborn…
Read MoreMidwives Matter: A Lifeline for Vulnerable Mothers and Babies in Malawi
Irene Kamanga’s career was born in a waiting room. Growing up in a rural area of Malawi, she saw how difficult it was to access care due to the lack of nearby health facilities and inadequate staffing. “It took long to get treatment even when you were at the health center, because there was only…
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