Global Communities Archives

One for One and Many More: Global Communities and TOMS Shoes By David A. Weiss, President and CEO This article originally appeared on U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC).  If you recently received the spring 2014 TOMS Shoes catalog, you may have read about the partnership between TOMS Shoes and Global Communities in Rwanda. I wanted…

Haitian President, US Ambassador Inaugurate School at USAID-funded Settlement in Caracol, Haiti   Pamela White, US Ambassador to Haiti, helps plant a tree near a new block of homes in Caracol, Haiti. Haitian President Michel Martelly and Pamela White, US Ambassador to Haiti, recently inaugurated the S&H Primary School in Caracol in northern Haiti, donated…

Global Communities, Intel and Arab Community College Partner to Equip Youth with Entrepreneurial Skills Silver Spring, MD – Global Communities, Intel and Arab Community College have entered into a partnership to provide young Jordanians pursuing technical and vocational education with Intel’s Learn Program to enhance their entrepreneurial skills with an eye toward better employment prospects.…

Civil Society and Capacity Building Factsheet Over 60 years of operations, Global Communities has developed many unique approaches, which we bring to bear in our projects across different areas of technical expertise. This includes innovative methods, such as our Participatory Action for Community Enhancement or Appreciative Review of Capacity approaches to civil society capacity building;…

Rwanda 20 years On: The Future of Rwanda April 7th marks the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. Twenty years later, people throughout Rwanda are coming together to remember the horrific events of 1994. At the same time, they are finding ways to move beyond the past and work together towards building a better future. …

Frontier Cities: Forging Paths for Partnerships and Learning  By Governor Richard F. Celeste This blog is part of a series Global Communities: Accelerating Innovation in the Internet of Cities which discusses how cities can learn, adopt and transfer innovations between each other in order to solve local issues of global significance. Cities are taking the lead in addressing global issues…

Nutrition Education Nourishes Lives in Rural Rwanda Community nutrition groups provide education and training to fight malnutrition in both adults and children In Rwanda, approximately 44 percent of children are stunted due to malnutrition. While Rwandan families are encouraged to prevent malnutrition, most rural communities lack the ingredients and knowledge to prepare a balanced diet.…

Massive Open On-Line Cities: Can Technology and Democracy Create Revolutionary Solutions from the Bottom Up By Brian English, Director of Program Innovation, Global Communities This blog is part of a series Global Communities: Accelerating Innovation in the Internet of Cities which discusses how cities can learn, adopt and transfer innovations between each other in order to solve…

Over the Hump: Getting the Green City Movement to a Tipping Point By Steve Nicholas, Vice President, Institute for Sustainable Communities This blog is part of a series Global Communities: Accelerating Innovation in the Internet of Cities which discusses how cities can learn, adopt and transfer innovations between each other in order to solve local issues of global significance.…

Combating the Spread of Ebola in Liberia IWASH staff deliver disinfectant and handwashing chlorine solutions to a clinic in Foya. Along the Liberia-Guinea border, where six suspected Ebola cases have occurred, the USAID-funded IWASH program is delivering materials to prevent potential spread of disease. These facilities are the front line in responding to the Ebola…

Walmart Foundation, USAID & Global Communities Join Forces Through a $1 Million Expansion of a “Brighter Future” in Rwanda Women will receive community-based agricultural training through Farmer Field Schools, where they learn bio-intensive agricultural techniques that emphasize the production of corn, beans, and dairy, as well as nutrient-rich vegetables. Kigali – Today the U.S. Agency for International…

IncluCity Mid-term Report: Improving Governance and Services for Ghana’s Urban Poor Executive Summary The IncluCity program bridges the gap between the urban poor and their local government to enable the provision of improved services in Ghana. Managed by Global Communities, a nonprofit humanitarian assistance and international development organization, IncluCity is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Launched…

Innovating at the Intersections of Cities Why we need to cross borders, disciplines, and other boundaries to create solutions By Dr. Janice Perlman, Founder, The Mega-Cities Project This blog is part of a series Global Communities: Accelerating Innovation in the Internet of Cities which discusses how cities can learn, adopt and transfer innovations between each other in…

Smartness in Three Flavors By Tim Campbell, PhD Global Fellow, Urban Sustainability Laboratory, The Wilson Center   This blog is part of a series Global Communities: Accelerating Innovation in the Internet of Cities which discusses how cities can learn, adopt and transfer innovations between each other in order to solve local issues of global significance. Several years…

Global Communities and TOMS Creating Opportunities for Vulnerable Families in Rwanda Global Communities and TOMS have partnered together to distribute new shoes to children living in vulnerable communities in Rwanda. We are using the shoes as an incentive for families to participate in savings and lendings group training through our USAID Rwanda Higa Ubeho program.…

Global Communities: Accelerating Innovation in the Internet of Cities How cities can learn, adopt and transfer innovations between each other in order to solve local issues of global significance Cesar Hidalgo of MIT discusses the underlying science of how networks operate. As the world urbanizes, cities are poised to take the lead on many global issues…

Success Story: Providing Small, Affordable Loans in Iraq Established in 2003 after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Global Communities’ Access to Credit Services Initiative (ACSI) is today Iraq’s largest and longest-lasting microfinance program. ACSI provides small, affordable loans to Iraqi individuals who do not otherwise have access to sufficient capital to start a business or…

Though youth constitute an overwhelming majority in the West Bank & Gaza (65% of the population is between 13-38 years old), there have been few opportunities for them to engage in community affairs and local governance. In response, Global Communities piloted the Youth Local Council initiative in four communities in 2008 in partnership with a local…