Blog
Investing in Energy Access
Investing in Energy Access De-risking Energy Projects through Community Engagement and Financial Inclusion By Robyn McGuckin, Energy Specialist at Global Communities | This article originally appeared on Medium. Photo: Mathieu Young/Off Grid Electric Providing first-time electricity to more than 1 billion people around the world is not a task for the fainthearted. In fact, it is…
Read MoreA Role for Social Protection Investments to Support Food and Nutrition Security: Lessons from Ghana
A Role for Social Protection Investments to Support Food and Nutrition Security: Lessons from Ghana By Reid Hamel, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Executive Summary Social safety net programs have expanded rapidly in recent decades as an instrument to combat extreme poverty and food and nutrition insecurity. In 2008, Ghana launched its Livelihoods…
Read MoreBuilding Economic Prosperity in Iraq, One Small Loan at a Time
Building Economic Prosperity in Iraq, One Small Loan at a Time For a long time, Nada Khoudair considered herself an ordinary housewife and mother who took pride in her role of taking care of her family. But her view of herself altered dramatically when her husband passed away and she found herself the sole breadwinner…
Read MoreNlangmal and the Bicycle: Small Investments Making a Big Difference
Nlangmal and the Bicycle: Small Investments Making a Big Difference By Bethany Davidson,Programs Manager for Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) Project Nlangmal and her daughter Joyce pose proudly in front of the bicycle that she was able to buy with her first loan. Photo credit: Mohammed Ali Ibrahim, RING Project. Not long ago, Nlangmal didn’t…
Read MoreVIP: Dalia Mehiar, Developing Measures for the Categorization of Household Vulnerability
VIP Dalia Mehiar, Developing Measures for the Categorization of Household Vulnerability Rwanda, Kigali, 28 May – 28 August 2017 In the summer of 2017, Global Communities Rwanda had been preparing for year three of USAID’s five-year Twiyubake Program, also known as the Improved Services for Vulnerable Populations (ISVP) Program. The goal of the program is…
Read MoreVIP: Evan Bartlett, Using Participatory Approaches in Agriculture: Farmer Field Schools and Kitchen Gardens
VIP Evan Bartlett: Using Participatory Approaches in Agriculture: Farmer Field Schools and Kitchen Gardens Rwanda, 29 May-28 July 2017 Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) are a participatory approach to agricultural extension whereby farmers are given an opportunity to test and adopt improved agricultural production techniques and new fortified crops in order to increase incomes and improve…
Read MoreA Community Approach to Preventing Cholera in Ghana
A Community Approach to Preventing Cholera in Ghana Volunteers comb the marketplaces of Cape Coast, Ghana educating stall owners on how to prevent the spread of cholera. These efforts led to a dramatic drop in cholera incidence from 735 cases in 2016, to just 9Â cases since January 2017. Spread by water or food contaminated with…
Read MoreGlobal Communities Announces Initiative to Promote Sourcing Communities’ Sustainability and Resilience
Global Communities Announces Initiative to Promote Sourcing Communities’ Sustainability and Resilience Silver Spring (January 24, 2018) –  Global Communities today announced the launch of the Responsible Sourcing Initiative (RSI), a unique approach to partnering with civil society, governments, suppliers, and corporations to promote inclusive economic growth and resilience within vulnerable communities around the world. Under…
Read MoreGlobal Communities and Cargill partner to Facilitate Agricultural Trade, Improved Market Access in Kenya
Global Communities and Cargill partner to Facilitate Agricultural Trade, Improved Market Access in Kenya January 17, 2018, Silver Spring, MD — Global Communities and Cargill have entered into a strategic partnership to promote agricultural trade for small- and medium-sized agribusinesses in Kenya. The collaboration will stimulate commercial linkages between Cargill and Kenyan small- and medium-sized…
Read MorePromoting Best Practices in Cooperative Development in Uganda
Promoting Best Practices in Cooperative Development Despite rapid growth over the past decade and a decrease in poverty, approximately 27 percent of the Ugandan population continues to live below the poverty line. Much of the poverty is concentrated in rural areas of Uganda. With agriculture constituting 80 percent of the workforce, there is a need…
Read MoreLessons from Civil Society and Operational NGOs on Strategic Country Transitions for US Development Assistance
Lessons from Civil Society and Operational NGOs on Strategic Country Transitions for US Development Assistance Introduction To best facilitate the lasting impact of development efforts, operational non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society regularly prioritize effective and sustainable transitions of programs to local actors and country governments. Through experience and practice, these organizations have learned to…
Read MoreSuccess Stories from Participants of the ANDA Program in Colombia
VIP: Milan Bala, Accra, Ghana, Factors Impacting the Effectiveness of Program Interventions
VIP: Milan Bala, Accra, Ghana, Factors Impacting the Effectiveness of Program Interventions 24 May-28 July 2017 Access to water and sanitation are still serious challenges in Ghana, where 25% of urban households live without access to piped water and only 18% have access to adequate sanitation. The situation is similar in rural areas. Global Communities…
Read MoreVIP: Ali Blumenstock, ANDA Program in Colombia
VIP: Ali Blumenstock, Monteria, Colombia: Addressing Environmental Issues One Community At a Time May 30 to August 11, 2017 Global Communities’ ANDA Program is based in Monteria, Department of Cordoba, Colombia. In Spanish ANDA means ‘to go forward’ and it was established in 2013 with the aim of reducing poverty and improving the quality of…
Read MoreGlobal Communities’ Programs in India
Beginning in 2003, Global Communities partnered with India’s local governments, national ministries, corporations and hundreds of communities across the country to design and implement programs to reduce poverty and empower communities to sustain positive change. Global Communities’ programs help stakeholders create more-inclusive growth by not only improving infrastructure and access to basic services, but also…
Read MoreThe Business Perspective in BiH Still Exists
The Business Perspective in BiH Still Exists Successes from the LIDER Microfinance Program in Bosnia and Herzegovina In the ocean of negative information, pessimistic persecution and bad statistics in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the positive stories of quite ordinary people, true local community fighters, send a message that there is still hope for the success of…
Read MoreWhat Does Sustainability Look Like 17 Years Later? A Return to Poland.
This article originally appeared in the Huffington Post. At the heart of global development is the question of sustainability. How can we ensure that our investments in emerging economies have a positive impact beyond the end of program funding? Development programs funded by institutional donors or foundations tend to have a limited lifespan – three…
Read MoreThe Vital Role of Business in Global Development
The Vital Role of Business in Global Development Removing all barriers to mutually beneficial partnerships is smart business and good for our communities. By David A. Weiss, President & CEO for Global Communities | This article originally appeared on UPS Latitudes. “Many forward-looking companies have integrated CSR into corporate strategy and business operations.” The challenges…
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