Blog
Promoting Bilingual Education in Multicultural Societies to Enhance Student Literacy
By Leonel Arguello, Director of Integrated School Feeding Programs As a Nicaraguan, I grew up in a multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual country with a large Indigenous population. English and French were the mandatory languages in public and private schools during my school years. Sadly, we were never taught our Indigenous languages, not even simple phrases…
Read MoreShifting Tides: Advancing Locally-Led Development & Humanitarian Action
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs The concepts of localization and locally-led development are deeply woven into the current discourse about the state and the future of global development. Rooted in social movements that fought to end colonization, the localization agenda gained global traction in 2016 at the World Humanitarian Summit. Its two…
Read MoreWomen-Founded Cooperative Leads Solar Energy Innovation in Kenya
By Maryangela Amendola One phone call changed Jacinta’s future. In 2015, a college friend told her about a renewable solar energy training program provided by Arizona University and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She left her career as an engineer and aviation teacher in Mombasa County, Kenya, to pursue the…
Read MoreIgniting Children’s Potential, One Bite at a Time: Reflections from the International Food Aid Showcase
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs Last month, Global Communities participated in the 2024 International Food Aid Showcase at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The showcase brought together diverse stakeholders representing all segments of the U.S. food assistance value chain—from farmers to implementing partners and government agencies. At the beginning of…
Read MoreMaría’s Harvest: Empowering Sustainable Farming and Drought Resilience in Honduras
María Martínez is a wife, mother, grandmother and producer of basic grains living in the Zacatustal, San Ramón, Choluteca community in Honduras. Her home is far from central markets, which makes access to nutritious food a challenge. María received fencing wire, seeds and fertilizers from the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian…
Read MoreThe Role of Mianatra in Enhancing School Attendance and Health in Madagascar
Until early 2023, EPP Toby Mahatsinjo, a primary school in the chronically food insecure Androy region of Madagascar, faced significant challenges related to water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition and the overall health of students. The school lacked onsite access to water or latrines, and students were expected to use a shared latrine housed at the local…
Read MoreSchool Feeding Interventions as a Tool for Addressing Child Malnutrition: Experiences from Tanzania, Guatemala and Madagascar
By Betty Adera and Chloe Pan Malnutrition remains a pressing global issue, affecting millions of children and impeding their growth, development and well-being. It manifests in various forms, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity. Each form has severe consequences for children. In 2022, the World Health Organization estimated that globally, 149 million children under five…
Read MoreGlobal Communities Ramps Up Hot Meal Distribution, Nutrition Assistance in Gaza
Amid widespread and severe food insecurity in Gaza, Global Communities, in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), has started tripling the number of hot meals we are distributing daily. Since March 13, our team has increased its hot meal distribution from 10,000 meals per day to 30,000 hot meals per day, aiming to mitigate…
Read MoreCharting a Safer Future: How Guatemala’s Communities are Preparing for Natural Disasters
The latest Humanitarian Needs Overview estimates that 75% of the Guatemalan population live in areas at risk of extreme weather events. The Central American country is poised to experience hurricanes, tropical storms, landslides and earthquakes throughout 2024, yet only one-third of municipalities have planned how to handle the impact of these events and implement basic…
Read MoreCommissioning Ceremony Marks Milestone for Water Accessibility in Northern Ghana
On April 18, a historic event unfolded in Nawuhugu, located in the Northern Region of Ghana, as community members, local chiefs, esteemed dignitaries and stakeholders gathered to witness the commissioning of a vital water system. The event, organized by Global Communities Ghana, marked a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to improve water accessibility and…
Read MoreDoses of Hope: Expanding Vaccine Access for Honduran Families
Immunizations are a cornerstone of global health, contributing to millions of lives saved. High vaccination rates limit the transmission of preventable diseases, protecting entire communities and mitigating outbreaks should they occur. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a stark reminder that strong immunization programs are essential for global health security. In July 2023, Global Communities launched…
Read MoreProtecting Children in Emergencies: Perspectives from Syria and Ukraine
By Emily Galloway, Tarek Fakhereddin, Nataliia Biloshytska and Tania Dudnyk Global Communities has a rich history of providing emergency aid and protection services to refugees and internally displaced people in many crisis settings, from Ukraine and Gaza to Syria and Guatemala. This includes our Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) programming, which supports the well-being of…
Read MoreAdapting and Innovating in a Volatile World: Reflections from the 2024 Fragility Forum
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs Last month, the World Bank held its 2024 Fragility Forum – a biannual conference that brings together policymakers, researchers and practitioners from humanitarian, development and peacebuilding communities to exchange knowledge and ideas about how to improve our approaches in fragile, conflict and violence-affected settings. This year’s theme…
Read MorePromoting Women’s Entrepreneurship to Drive Economic Growth: Perspectives from India
By Irina Sinha, Project Concern International (PCI) India India has grown into the fifth largest economy in the world. The growth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) indicates the existence of a plethora of opportunities that people can leverage to partake in the economy. Over the past decade, there has been a notable increase…
Read MoreStrengthening Economic Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs through Cooperatives
By Ashley Holst Cooperatives are leaders in promoting inclusive economic growth by providing equitable and accessible solutions to economic and social stressors. Two of the seven principles of cooperatives are “voluntary and open membership” and “concern for community,” both of which call upon cooperatives to create opportunities for all people and to put the betterment…
Read More‘Game-Changing’ Water System Introduced in Northern Ghana
In the heart of the Bole District in Northern Ghana lies the serene and welcoming Mandari Community, a place that has seen significant transformation thanks to Global Communities and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). A solar-powered mechanized water system was introduced there as part of the USAID-funded WASH for Health program, making…
Read MoreBridging Healthcare Gaps for Island Communities in Ghana
In a momentous step towards revolutionizing healthcare accessibility for secluded island communities in the Oti region of Ghana, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with Global Communities, orchestrated the commissioning and handover ceremony of the groundbreaking “Health Voyager” boat. The event was held on Feb. 29, at the Volta Lake Transport…
Read MoreA Holistic Intervention to Overcome Multiple Barriers to Women’s Entrepreneurship in Guatemala
By Mabel Bejerano, Global Technical Advisor for Women’s Empowerment and Savings Groups Toribia – a 54-year-old mother of eight from the Western Highlands of Guatemala – has long been a leader in her family, who strives to make a consistent income with their land and livestock. Because families in the Western Highlands are typically producers…
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