Global Communities Archives

Arabs Should Learn to Speak Mexican By Elissa McCarter, Vice President for the Office of Development Finance, CHF International This article originally appeared in Microfinance Focus. On September 30, 2011, by Presidential Decree, the Mexican Government created the National Council for Financial Inclusion as part of its commitment to designing and implementing a financial inclusion strategy…

CHF Honors 250 Graduates of its Anti Child Labor Program in Jordan By Annie Mueller, Communications Officer PHOTO: CECLE students waiting for the ceremony to begin. On June 17, 2012, 250 students arrived at the Al-Hussein Cultural Center, in Amman. Many of them traveled from different parts of Jordan to attend their graduation. They put…

CHF International and Lafarge Partnering to Increase Access to Affordable Housing CHF International and Lafarge, a French-based industrial company specializing in cement and construction materials, have just announced a partnership to  assist two million people with access to affordable and sustainable housing between now and 2020. The microfinance programme is targeted at people in emerging markets with low purchasing power to…

A Dirty Business Goes Green This article originally appeared in The Hindu Here’s is a community that takes its garbage seriously. Koramangala is getting a new integrated waste management system — Kasa Rasa — which will make it easier for people of the area to recycle waste. The Rs. 40-lakh facility, to be inaugurated on…

In Rwanda, an Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS Becomes a Strong and Vibrant Business Group  PHOTO: Chili peppers were identified as a promising cash crop by WITINYA Cooperative in Rwanda.. WITINYA,  which in Kinyarwanda means “have no fear,” began its activities in 2005, as a group of neighbors infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS…

In Mongolia, a Woman Farmer Challenges Traditional Local Practices  PHOTO: Under EMIRGE-Mongolia, group members invested $27K in building better shelter for their animals. As many in Mongolia, Battsetseg Davaa has been raising cattle for years using traditional local practices. She often thought of increasing the quality of her animals in hopes to increase the yields…

CHF Programs Featured in CFR Paper on Entrepreneurship in Postconflict Zones CHF Senior Technical Advisor in Development Finance, Richard Shumann, represented CHF on May 17 at the Council on Foreign Relations Panel on “Catalyzing Economic Growth – the Power of Entrepreneurship,” focused on lending to small and medium enterprises in post-conflict countries. CHF is well known…

Shelter and Settlements: Post-Disaster Response in Urban Environments   PHOTO: Panelists from the Shelter and Settlements: Post-Disaster Response in Urban Environments Workshop. From left to right: Mario Flores, Ann Lee, Dr. Reinhard Goethert, Dr. Elizabeth Hausler and Charles Setchell. CHF International hosted a panel on the topic of  Shelter and Settlements: Post-Disaster Response in Urban Environments at 2012…

CHF Annual Report 2011: Partnership in a Changing World  The CHF International 2011 Annual Report is now available. This year, we have chosen as our theme Partnership in a Changing World. Partnership is at the core of CHF’s work and in a rapidly changing global environment, partnership is more important than ever. In his introductory…

Sixty aspiring entrepreneurs from the West Bank and Gaza have successfully completed the Ramallah Oasis500 Boot Camp. The Oasis500 Boot Camp is an intensive six-day training course designed to prepare potential entrepreneurs for their business launch. The training covered all business aspects, including business modeling, financials, pitching, facilitation and marketing. The training is designed to…

The Real Story in Liberia By David A. Weiss, President and CEO of CHF International This article originally appeared in the Huffington Post. Liberia once again captured international headlines, with former president, Charles Taylor, hearing his verdict in a courtroom in The Hague on April 26. Taylor was found guilty of aiding and abetting war…

Value Chain Case Study: Developing a Value Chain for a New Product in Compost The Challenge: Creating a “New” Value Chain The CHF Ghana Youth Engagement in Service Delivery (YES) Program is a learning initiative funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which supports the creation of employment opportunities for youth, especially in low-income…

By Ibrahim Abu Kamesh This story originally appeared in Al Haya Al-Iqtisadeya. Ryada is currently celebrating its 17th year anniversary. Ryada started its operations in Gaza in 1995, and as a result of its accomplishments, won a grant that led to its expansion in the West Bank. Ryada now covers the entirety of the Palestinian…

Haiti – Reconstruction: A new beginning for the people of Ravine Pintade  This story originally appeared in HaitiLibre. Monday, May 14, during a ceremony, the U.S. government, along with partners CHF International and Project Concern International (PCI), and a representative from the Haitian government, marked the conclusion of the “Katye” project, which comprehensively rehabilitated the…

Meet a Few of the Women that are Helping to Rebuild the Liberian Economy (slideshow) These are some of the faces of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Certificate Program for Women Entrepreneurs, which CHF implements in Liberia. The the 10,000 Women Program trains female small business owners in better business practices, helping them increase their revenue and…

Value Chain Case Study: Development of a Public Sector Value Chain in Solid Waste Management The Challenge: Developing a Public Sector Value Chain What key strategies can be deployed for value chain development within a public service sub-sector? Can a Public Private Partnership (PPP) create a more sustainable value chain? Utilizing the experience of the…

CHF Liberia Case Studies Highlighted in Council on Foreign Relations Paper on Entrepreneurship in Postconflict Zones The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) released a new study last week “Entrepreneurship in Post-Conflict Zones”. Quoting CFR, in this working paper: “CFR Fellow Gayle Tzemach Lemmon argues for comprehensive, long-term, collaborative approaches to help entrepreneurs in conflict and…

CHF International Partners with Tenke Fungurume Mining A partnership to drive community urban development in the area surrounding the Tenke Fungurume mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo Silver Spring, MD – CHF International, the Silver Spring, MD based international development and humanitarian assistance organization, announced it has entered into partnership with Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM),…