Global Communities Archives

International Nonprofit CHF International Unveils New Identity as Global Communities, Partners for Good President and CEO David Weiss:  “Development is not something we do for people; it is something we do with them. We believe that the people who understand their needs best are the people of the community itself.”  Silver Spring, MD – (October 15, 2012)…

CHF International is becoming Global Communities, Partners for Good Dear  Friends, The world is changing.  So are we.  This year marks the 60th anniversary of CHF International, the Cooperative Housing Foundation, a non-profit international development organization.  Since our founding in 1952, we have evolved and our current name no longer reflects who we are and…

Workforce Development: CHF International’s Approach   CHF International is an innovator and a catalyst for sustainable, positive change in low and moderate-income communities around the world. CHF has a strong track record in implementing economic development programs that create jobs and income generation oopportunities, improve the resiliency of households, link the poor to domestic and…

Women’s Empowerment Equals Poverty Reduction Asserts Liberian President This article originally appeared in the Daily Observer. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has revealed as a top priority of her administration, the empowerment of Liberian woman through skills training initiatives as a key poverty reduction strategy. She said lifting women from poverty through capacity development programs will help…

CHF International and Partners Celebrate the Green Apple Day of Service in Colombia CHF International brought of all of its partners together to celebrate the Green Apple Day of Service to improve schools and promote environmental sustainability in northern Colombia. CHF staff  in Colombia worked with teams of volunteers in partnership with the following schools…

Community Support Leads to a Successful Green Apple Week of Service in Bangalore, India By Latha K., Program Officer, CHF International – India Students gearing up to plant trees. CHF International has been working with slum communities in India since 2003. With support from the Caterpillar Foundation and in partnership with the Centre for Social Action (CSA)…

Liberian Turns Cooking Oil into Inspiring Business By Erin Williams This article originally appeared in The Washington Post. When it comes to running a business, Kabeh Sumbo has a thing or two she can share. The native of Liberia is a product of the Goldman Sachs-funded 10,000 Women business training program, a five-year initiative focused on…

Extending the Learning Environment Beyond the Classroom By Augustine Adams, Program Officer, CHF International – Ghana The first ever Green Apple Day of Service in Ghana has been heralded with a first ever field trip by students to the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) in Accra. The visit by the pupils and teachers was organized…

Empowering the Urban Poor: A DIY Approach to Future-Proofing Cities By Brian English, Director of Program Innovation, CHF International This article originally appeared in the Sustainable Cities Collective.  America has a great legacy of institutions that foster the “do it yourself” ethic from an early age, from the Boy Scouts to Popular Mechanics.  In international development,…

Kabeh Sumbo, 10,000 Women Graduate, Participates at Clinton Global Initiative “My mother used to have me hold out my open palm to try to catch the breeze. It never worked. Of course there will be nothing there, because you have nothing if you keep your hand open all the time. You have to use your…

On September 29, staff and volunteers from CHF International offices around the world will be joining Green Apple, an initiative of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), for the inaugural Green Apple Day of Service. For one day, students, teachers, parents and elected officials, as well as international green…

Cities, Climate Change, and The Big Opportunity: How Empowering the Urban Poor Can Improve Our Global Future By Brian English, Director, Program Innovation, Global Communities For centuries, cities have proven themselves to be engines of economic growth, sources of innovation and places of job creation. As cities invest in their adaption and resilience to climate…

William C. Lane Joins CHF International’s Board of Trustees CHF International announced today that William C. Lane has joined its Board of Trustees, effective September 1, 2012. Mr. Lane is the Washington Director for Caterpillar and a leading business advocate for free trade and global engagement in Washington, D.C. “We are delighted to have Bill…

Helping Communities Rebuild From 2001-2011,Global Communities helped communities affected by hostilities in Afghanistan through funding from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and a grant from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM). Global Communities’ programs in Afghanistan focused on the provision of shelter and much needed humanitarian assistance.…

Haiti: A New Path to Urban Renewal Through the USAID-funded Katye project, CHF working with partners and local residents helped to rebuild the earthquake-devastated neighborhood of Ravine Pintade in Port-au-Prince. Katye, which means “neighborhood” in Creole, was based on a comprehensive and integrated planning process that relied heavily on the participation of residents in the…

Liberia’s Growing Pains By Tamasin Ford This article originally appeared in The Africa Report. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf faces a fractious political environment and gaping infrastructure deficits as her government tries to attract foreign investors to boost employment. In the past six years Liberia has seen unprecedented levels of transparency, democracy and press freedom. The…

Promoting Community Participation in Urban Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Services  National strategy for community participation in the WASH program launched This article originally appeared on Ghana News Agency. Nii Nortey Duah, Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, has reiterated government’s commitment to continue to support any initiative that would increase access to…

Building the Capacity of Local Councils and Communities to Work Together in Iraq Located in South Central (SC) Iraq, Kerbala city is the capital of the Kerbala governorate and is considered a sacred city among Shia Muslims. As a result, local council (LC) officials focus on the construction and maintenance of religious shrines, often over…