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 like “good morning” or “thank you.”

Linguistic discrimination is still prevalent in classrooms across Central America. Our native languages are disappearing, causing us to lose an integral part of our national heritage. Every 14 days, one of the 7,000 known languages spoken worldwide dies. By the end of this century, half of these languages will disappear.

Language bias also has negative impacts on children’s development. Numerous studies indicate that students not educated in their native languages tend to have lower learning outcomes than those who receive instruction in their mother tongues. Conversely, using a well-mastered language significantly enhances learning, particularly reading comprehension. Bilingual education also helps preserve cultural heritage and creates a bridge between the ancestral wisdom of Indigenous peoples and the global community of the 21st century, opening the doors to future opportunities within the Indigenous communities and beyond. Additionally, it contributes to community engagement in children’s education.

Global Communities has been implementing the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition programs across Central America and Africa for over 20 years. Our programs, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, provide daily nutritious meals to school-age children and take a multidisciplinary approach to improve students’ nutritional and learning outcomes. Where feasible, they integrate bilingual education to ensure that children learn to read and write effectively.

In Guatemala, for example, where 25 Indigenous languages are spoken, our UNIDOS (“United” in Spanish) project has been a beacon of hope since 2021. Implemented across 450 preschools and primary schools in the departments of Huehuetenango and Quiche, UNIDOS supports students with daily meals, school supplies and educational materials available in local languages. In addition, the program works tirelessly to strengthen teachers’ bilingual skills and provide children with literacy skills in Spanish, Mam, Q’anjob’al, Ixil and K’iche’.

In February 2024, UNIDOS conducted a study on students’ bilingual language skills. Overall, 80% of students reported using primarily the local Mayan language in their family interactions. The study also found that the use of both Spanish and Mayan languages in the classroom was positive for the achievement of biliteracy.

UNIDOS is deeply committed to enhancing the teaching of foundational literacy skills, starting with the mother tongue and then transferring these skills to Spanish. It is crucial to support teachers in using both languages in their classrooms and improves parents’ involvement in their children’s learning. Additionally, the project implements social communication activities to inform parents and communities about the benefits of bilingual education. 

On the last note, yes, I have learned the essential words in Miskito and Mayagna – two of my Indigenous languages – and promoted the learning of others to fulfill my personal and professional commitments.

The post Promoting Bilingual Education in Multicultural Societies to Enhance Student Literacy appeared first on Global Communities.

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 the event, the speakers emphasized the role of U.S. producers and suppliers who deliver essential food commodities to populations facing hunger and food insecurity around the world: from beans and lentils to rice and canned fish. The panelists also spoke about the challenges of global food aid, including rising costs, time and waste, rigid cargo regulations and low waters in key ports. One speaker emphasized the vital role of women in the global quest for agricultural sustainability and food security. She noted that the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer. This worldwide observance will not only honor women’s immense contributions to the agricultural sector, but also catalyze action to address unique barriers women farmers face.

Global Communities hosted an exhibit at the showcase, in celebration of more than 20 years of partnership with USDA. Since 2002, Global Communities has implemented 18 USDA-funded McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (McGovern-Dole) programs and three Local and Regional Procurement (LRP) projects spanning five countries. We are now serving more than one million children with daily nutritious meals in over 3,800 schools across the world.

Our integrated school feeding approach is multidisciplinary, extending far beyond imported food aid. We promote literacy and early child development; invest in climate-smart and nutrition-sensitive agriculture; improve school infrastructure; and strengthen the capacity of local communities to gradually transition to locally owned school meal programs. Children’s health and well-being are always our top priority. In addition to improving children’s nutrition, our programs increase primary school attendance rates and improve students’ learning outcomes. Currently, Global Communities implements integrated school meals programs in Central America, Madagascar and Tanzania.

After the event, I asked my Global Communities’ colleagues who work on McGovern-Dole programs for their reflections. The following colleagues participated in the exchange: Leonel Arguello, Director of Integrated School Feeding; Chloe Pan, Associate Technical Advisor for Food Security and Gender; Christina Villarreal, Program Manager for the Americas; Colby Berry, Senior Program Officer for Africa; Daniela Lopez Echeverri, Program Officer for the Americas; and Hersona Abraham, Program Associate for Africa. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

Paula: Thank you for representing Global Communities at the International Food Aid Showcase. What was the highlight of the event for you and how did it connect with the work you do?

Leonel: At Global Communities, we carry out comprehensive and integrated school meals programs at the grassroots levels. We collaborate very closely with USDA and local partners, and we learn from each other’s expertise. However, we have limited opportunities to engage with U.S. food producers or companies responsible for logistics of food distribution. I had the opportunity to engage with these diverse stakeholders, which is crucial for understanding the complexity of international food assistance. I also had a pleasure of meeting with USDA staff members and discussing how the McGovern-Dole Program has become more holistic and robust over the past 20 years. I am glad that school feeding continues to be a priority for the U.S. government, and I have a lot of appreciation for USDA’s highly committed staff who support the program. While there are still gaps and challenges, we are headed in the right direction.

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Hersona: Indeed, as implementers we often do not hear about the logistics of importing food commodities from the U.S. Hearing from these diverse stakeholders provided a nuanced understanding of this process. I found the discussion about canned commodities as alternatives to conventional staples like rice particularly intriguing. Overall, the speakers and exhibitors offered valuable and enlightening perspectives.

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Chloe: Several attendees I spoke with were not familiar with the holistic nature of school meals programs, and it was great to hear their positive reactions to our integrated and inclusive approach. I also appreciated the announcement of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer.

A few years ago, Global Communities made an important decision to conduct gender and inclusion analyses at the start of each of our McGovern-Dole program to ensure that we were, at a minimum, taking gender-responsive and inclusive approaches to our activities. Mothers are actively participating in parent-teacher associations, volunteering as cooks in school kitchens, working in school gardens, and participating in savings groups supported by our programs. Yet they are still expected to manage household responsibilities and engage in income-generating activities. Recognizing these pressures, our recent projects have included activities that engage men, promote positive masculinities and involve couples in dialogues around gender equality, division of household responsibilities, joint decision-making, and involvement in children’s health and education. It has been very inspiring to see both mothers and fathers actively participating in our school feeding programs, challenging harmful gender norms, and modeling a bright future for their children.

Paula: Great observations! On your last point, Chloe, it is important to add that Global Communities’ Strategic Vision prioritizes gender integration across all programs. It also includes a commitment to develop and test an innovative approach to addressing the intersection of gender, food security and climate change. I know that investing in women farmers will be a crucial component of this approach. What are the promising trends and challenges in the food aid sector? What worries you and what sparks your hope?

Leonel: Delivering international food assistance is very complex. Many expected and unexpected challenges can arise in procuring, transporting and delivering food commodities to our communities. What sets our programs apart is a focus on sustainability. We work very closely with governments, local producers and community leaders to incorporate locally grown foods, diversify children’s diets and ultimately transition communities to locally owned school meal programs. High community participation, including from teachers and parents, always sparks my hope. In fact, the involvement of mothers – and increasingly fathers – is key to the success of our programs. As the world is changing fast, school feeding programs need to be flexible and adaptable to new circumstances. Global Communities is prepared to take on this challenge.

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Colby: One of the biggest challenges is importing USDA-donated food commodities to the countries where our programs operate. Based on our experience in Tanzania, for example, it is harder and harder to get the food delivered from the regulatory standpoint. In addition, there are many stigmas and misconceptions toward these commodities among community members we serve. It is always very important to clearly communicate to our communities that the food complies with international and local standards. It is also crucial to obtain the respective government’s sign off on the quality and fortification of the food.

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Chloe: I completely agree with Colby. Each country has different standards and priorities, and we work very closely with different ministries to ensure compliance. Thankfully, over the years, Global Communities has built strong relationships with governments and local stakeholders, so that we can navigate these challenges together and focus on delivering high quality food to the communities that need it the most.

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Christina: Yes, international food assistance can be quite political in the countries where we operate. In Guatemala, we have been implementing McGovern-Dole programs for over 12 years. A timespan this long naturally includes elections and changes in administrations. This requires a continuous effort to create and strengthen relationships at all levels of the government to implement the overall mission of USDA’s McGovern-Dole programs: food for education and child nutrition. Collaboration with the respective governments is vital to the success of school feeding programs. So is active participation of educational institutions, including school administrators and teachers. Cultivating strong partnerships with local stakeholders contributes to the sustainability and longevity of school meal interventions after we have exited a community. On the flip side, we may face delays if the community buy-in and support are not obtained early on.

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Daniela: I second what Christina has said. Collaborating with local partners for sustainable progress is essential. While importing food aid helps address the immediate needs of populations experiencing hunger, the involvement of local governments, farmers, schools and community leaders is important to achieving food security in the long run.

Paula: What can Global Communities – and our sector as a whole – do better to serve populations around the world who face hunger and food insecurity? 

Daniela: We need to get better at ensuring that our programs are truly inclusive and tailored to the needs of each community. For example, the materials we use to promote better health behaviors should be always translated to local languages. We also must do everything in our power to serve the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations.    

Leonel: We also need to keep educating policy- and decision-makers, including the U.S. Congress, about the importance of holistic approaches to food aid. Strengthening the resilience of local food systems is absolutely critical to creating a world free of hunger. We also need to keep advocating for more long-term funding to achieve these goals.  

Paula: Thank you for your thoughts and perspectives!

To learn more, please read our recent blog, School Feeding Interventions as a Tool for Addressing Child Malnutrition: Experiences from Tanzania, Guatemala and Madagascar.  

The post Igniting Children’s Potential, One Bite at a Time: Reflections from the International Food Aid Showcase appeared first on Global Communities.

UNICEF France has estimated that 81% of students lack drinking water and 31% have no basic latrines at school in Madagascar. 

In one year, enrollment at EPP Toby Mahatsinjo has risen from 466 to over 700 students in attendance daily thanks to significant improvements made through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded Mianatra project led by Global Communities and implementing partners Catholic Relief Services and FHI 360.  

Mianatra (“Learn” in Malagasy) is the first McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition project in Madagascar, and it began its intervention at EPP Toby Mahatsinjo in February 2023 by working to improve literacy and education, serve daily nutritious meals, increase access to drinking water and sanitation services, and provide resources for preventive healthcare. 

Since its inception, the program’s new water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities have transformed the school environment. To address ongoing WASH challenges, the project facilitated a piped water connection between the school and JIRAMA, the national electricity and water network. It also constructed three handwashing devices, provided WASH awareness materials, and provided a water filter, soap and water treatment solution to prevent waterborne illnesses.  

Students now have better health and hygiene conditions. Not only do they know the key moments for handwashing, but they also apply them and can spread the word because the school now has all the materials, tools and resources needed to make it possible,” shares Principal Haveloe. 

These improvements have led to a steady increase in the average attendance rate of students, which now ranges daily from 88% – 94%, compared to less than 60% at the start of the project. Teachers have also shared their motivation to show for their students, with an average monthly attendance rate of over 90%, the highest of all Mianatra implementation schools.  

Mianatra has also provided technical assistance and material support in the construction of latrines, rehabilitation of a local water point, teacher trainings to communicate the importance of a WASH-friendly school approach and led the creation of WASH clubs for over 200 students to promote important WASH messages. 

Holistic programs like Mianatra are so powerful because they not only support the whole child, but the family and community behind them.  

Principal Haveloe explains that providing access to water allows the school to water its own gardens and creates a sustainable income opportunity for the school to supply this precious resource to surrounding communities. They can then use the funds to pay the water bill and perform maintenance and repairs on the water point. 

“The proximity of the water point has enabled us to implement school feeding on time and regularly maintain the school garden, which allows us to produce fresh vegetables for dietary diversification.” 

Intestinal parasitic infections are commonly spread in areas where access to clean water is limited and have been a regular occurrence for children at EPP Toby Mahatsinjo. Once water points had been provided to the school, the Mianatra project team conducted deworming and iron supplementation campaigns to improve children’s overall health and support an improved learning environment for children. 

Through the Mianatra project, public and private partners, communities and households are now mobilized to engage in resilient and sustainable activities to ensure that students in the region have access to better education, health, hygiene and nutrition,” said Philippe LeMay, Chief of Party for Mianatra. 

Mianatra is implemented in close collaboration with the Government of Madagascar and local communities. Over five years, Mianatra will provide 4,020 metric tons of U.S. donated commodities as well as funds to procure 1,753 metric tons of locally grown and purchased food to provide daily school meals to an estimated 51,710 preschool and primary school students in 150 schools in Southern Madagascar.

The post The Role of Mianatra in Enhancing School Attendance and Health in Madagascar appeared first on Global Communities.

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 were stunted (too short for their age), 45 million were wasted (underweight for their height), and 37 million were overweight or living with obesity. Undernutrition contributes to nearly half of the deaths in children under five, predominantly affecting low- and middle-income countries.

School feeding programs can be an effective strategy to address these challenges. They reduce hunger, expand children’s access to nutritious foods and improve dietary diversity. They also promote optimal health, hygiene and nutrition behaviors among schoolchildren, their parents and teachers. In addition, school feeding creates a ripple effect, mobilizing communities to support children’s development and benefiting their educational outcomes. School feeding contributes to improved school attendance and retention, and serves as a catalyst for increased attentiveness.

On this World Nutrition Day, we share our approach to school feeding interventions in the fight against malnutrition among children and adolescents.

Our Integrated School feeding approach

Global Communities began implementing school feeding programs in 2002 with funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). As a trusted USDA partner for over two decades, we have carried out 16 McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (McGovern-Dole) and three Local and Regional Procurement (LPR) projects in Bolivia, Central America, Madagascar and Tanzania.

USDA’s McGovern-Dole Program improves education, child development and food security in low-income countries around the world. The program donates U.S. agricultural commodities and supports maternal and child nutrition projects through financial and technical assistance.

Global Communities’ McGovern-Dole and LRP programs champion an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to school feeding, which extends far beyond international food assistance.

While ensuring that students have access to daily nutritious school meals remains our top priority, we work to improve school infrastructure and curriculums, encourage healthy behaviors, promote climate-resilient agricultural practices, and invest in early child development interventions.

In addition, we mobilize local communities to gradually transition to locally owned school meal programs and reduce reliance on USDA-donated food commodities. For example, we support school gardens, which get fresh produce straight into classrooms and help children develop healthier eating habits. We also link schools with local farmers to incorporate locally grown foods to school meals. We involve parents, teachers and community members in our efforts, too, and we work with governments to develop policies that support school feeding. This promotes sustainability and lasting impact of our programs. Our support for smallholder farmers also boosts local economies.

Global Communities’ approach is comprehensive, student- and community-focused, gender-responsive and adaptable to the unique needs of each country, school and community.

How School Feeding Interventions Improve Child Nutrition and Development

Global Communities’ school feeding programs ensure that children eat at least one nutritious meal each day. These meals are often fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, addressing both macronutrient and micronutrient deficiencies. By doing so, they help combat stunting, wasting and other forms of undernutrition.

Global Communities’ school feeding programs offer daily nutritious school meals to more than one million students in over 3,800 schools in sub-Saharan Africa and Central America.

Proper nutrition is crucial for brain development and physical growth. Well-nourished children are more likely to have better cognitive abilities, higher concentration levels and improved academic performance.

In addition, our programs encourage school attendance. For many families, the assurance that their child will be fed at school provides a strong incentive to prioritize education over other responsibilities.

Highlights from Our School Feeding Programs

Global Communities is implementing Mianatra (“learn” in Malagasy) – USDA’s first McGovern-Dole school feeding program in Madagascar. To supplement rice and beans served in daily school meals, Mianatra has set up 154 school gardens. Over the last 6 months, students and their parents have harvested more than 3,700 pounds of fresh vegetables, including zucchini, spinach, onions, tomatoes and orange-flesh sweet potatoes.

The project also conducts cooking demonstrations for parents, exploring different recipes that incorporate local foods and include at least five products from the list of recommended food groups. These activities have created a fun and engaging environment for families to learn about different agricultural and cooking techniques, and to introduce new vegetables to household diets. Many parents have committed to replicate these new practices at home.

In Guatemala, Global Communities is implementing the Unidos project, building upon lessons learned from our previous programs, EDUCAMOS and MAS. These projects created 20 school meal menus and awareness raising tools to guide the preparation of nutritious meals in participating schools in the department of Huehuetenango.

Unidos leverages these successes and collaborates with the Guatemalan Ministry of Education to design new school meal menus in alignment with the national school feeding law.

Between October 2023 and March 2024, Unidos procured 27.57 metric tons of local foods, including fresh fruits, vegetables and eggs, which complemented USDA-donated commodities and enriched diets of more than 10,000 students from 78 schools.

Unidos also supports maternal, newborn and child health by delivering take-home rations to mothers of children under five and pregnant women in rural areas. In addition, the program provides counseling on complementary feeding, guidance on monitoring children’s development and nutrient supplementation.

We are also implementing a school feeding program in Tanzania. The Pamoja Tuwalishe (“Together, Let’s Feed Them” in Swahili) program aims to provide school meals for over 300,000 preschool and primary school students in 351 schools across nine districts of the Mara and Dodoma regions. Furthermore, the program supports the rollout of the National School Feeding Guidelines.

Commitment to Evidence and Learning

Global Communities approach to school feeding is multisectoral and embraces a culture of learning. For example, between 2018 and 2021 we partnered with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Purdue University, the Africa Academy for Public Health and the National Institute of Medical Research-Mwanza to implement a peer group-based behavior change intervention, Engaging Fathers for Effective Child Nutrition and Development in Tanzania (EFFECTS). EFFECTS was a 5-arm cluster randomized trial conducted in the Mara region. The results demonstrate that engaging couples (compared to mothers only) and bundling nutrition and parenting interventions have many benefits, including improved child and maternal dietary diversity.

“Our findings generate novel evidence that, with the right approach, materials, and ongoing support, community health workers can deliver gender-transformative bundled nutrition and parenting interventions to couples in low-resource community settings with potentially synergistic positive effects on household gender relations and maternal and child well-being.” – Lauren Galvin, Former Senior Advisor at Global Communities

School feeding is a powerful tool in combating malnutrition and supporting child development, offering immediate and long-term benefits for children and communities. As Global Communities marks this year’s World Nutrition Day, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting and expanding school feeding programs, nourishing children and building a world where no child goes to school hungry.

The post School Feeding Interventions as a Tool for Addressing Child Malnutrition: Experiences from Tanzania, Guatemala and Madagascar appeared first on Global Communities.

For the first time in nearly four years, school meals are once again being prepared in Guatemalan school kitchens following their total or partial closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an important milestone for the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, UNIDOS (“United” in Spanish), led by Global Communities in the departments of Huehuetenango and Quiché. Parents in the school community are once again supporting this program at the local level, as they have in previous phases of the school feeding program implemented by Global Communities.

UNIDOS is implemented in 450 preschool and primary schools with sub-recipient Save the Children, in close coordination with the Guatemalan Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food, and the local school community. Over the course of five years, the program will distribute 4,010 tons of USDA-donated food, improve the literacy of 65,344 school-age girls and boys, increase their use of health and nutrition practices, improve students’ attention and attendance at school, advance the health of pregnant and lactating mothers, and support the effectiveness of food assistance through local and regional procurement of 413 tons of fresh food.

For many children in Guatemala, the food they receive at school is probably the only food they will eat all day.

Andrea Moreno, Global Communities
Gender, Communication and Program Documentation Specialist

During the pandemic, UNIDOS adjusted school meal provision to take-home rations to ensure that children had uninterrupted access to healthy, nutritious food to support their growth and development. Now, parents in the community prepare hot meals in school kitchens using program-designed and culturally accepted recipes that ensure children have balanced diets and the energy they need to concentrate on their studies. By the end of 2023, 17,562 students were receiving daily meals prepared in school kitchens, while 35,422 students continued to receive daily meals prepared at home and consumed at school.

These USDA programs are crucial for Guatemala’s children, as one in two children suffers from chronic malnutrition. Food insecurity and poverty are also most prevalent in the rural departments of Quiché and Huehuetenango, where women, girls and the broader indigenous community face additional layers of structural racial discrimination and marginalization that prevent them from achieving economic security, including reduced levels of educational attainment and literacy, higher rates of violence, and larger wage gaps compared to non-indigenous people. The progress made in addressing food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic would not have been possible without the continued support of USDA, national and local governments, and school communities.   

Due to school closures during the pandemic, several schools require maintenance and new kitchen utensils to resume meal preparation. In the coming years, UNIDOS will work with the Guatemalan Ministry of Education to ensure that all school kitchens and storage facilities are fully operational and in good condition to resume school feeding activities.

Global Communities takes an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to its school feeding programs, focused on working with communities and local and national governments to reduce food insecurity, improve the quality of primary education, and enhance nutrition. Guatemala’s new Minister of Education, Anabella Giracca, has expressed her commitment to these efforts, especially around bilingual literacy, improving school infrastructure, and continuing school food preparation that will be invaluable to the success of the integrated UNIDOS program activities.

A Spanish translation of this story is linked here.   

The post Guatemalan School Kitchens Reopen After COVID-19 Shutdown appeared first on Global Communities.

In 2012, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Governments of India and Ethiopia to convene the Child Survival Call to Action, which galvanized unprecedented commitments from governments and civil society around the world to end preventable maternal and child deaths. Three years later, UN Member States adopted the Agenda for Sustainable Development with ambitious targets to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030 and end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, also by 2030. Yet every two minutes a woman dies due to pregnancy or childbirth, and most of these deaths are entirely preventable.

New data released this February by several UN agencies shows significant progress in reducing maternal deaths between 2000 and 2015, but also reveals alarming setbacks for maternal health over recent years. According to the report, “The world must significantly accelerate progress to meet global targets for reducing maternal deaths, or else risk the lives of over 1 million more women by 2030.”

I recently chatted with Cara Endyke Doran, our Senior Director of Health, WASH and Nutrition, about these trends and about ways in which Global Communities is saving mothers’ and children’s lives.

This is the first conversation in our new series “Pass the Mic,” where staff from Global Communities share innovative ideas and in-depth insights on timely topics spanning the development, humanitarian and peace nexus. The interview was edited for length and clarity.

Paula: You recently traveled from Boston to Washington, D.C., to attend the global event Maternal and Child Survival: A Decade of Progress and Action for the Future, co-convened by USAID, UNICEF and the Governments of India, Senegal and the United Kingdom. A Hill Reception organized by the Global Health Council and co-sponsored by Global Communities followed. Why were these convenings important to you and what was your key takeaway?

Cara: These events were important because they provided an opportunity for global leaders, health experts, advocates and practitioners to come together to review progress made in maternal and child health since 2012 and to chart a course for future action. Despite significant improvements toward reducing maternal, newborn and child deaths since 2012, many populations around the globe do not have equitable access to high-quality care. Even when care is available and of quality, women and children still do not have access to and control over resources to attain a high standard of health and well-being. Furthermore, many health systems lack the ability to adapt to changing epidemiologic and demographic trends. During the event, USAID addressed these continued challenges and released a new strategic framework for preventing maternal and child deaths by 2030. The framework laid out a plan for improving maternal, newborn and child health outcomes through a renewed focus on coverage, quality and equity. 

Paula: While there were calls for a celebration, most experts acknowledged dramatic setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing conflicts and natural disasters. For example, Dr. Atul Gawande, Assistant Administrator at USAID, pointed out the first drop in life expectancy since World War II. What is needed to rebuild the momentum and get back on track for achieving related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030?        

Cara: Lessons from Ebola and other emergencies have taught us that women and children are often the first to suffer in a crisis. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and children is no different. Widespread disruptions in health services have impacted women’s access to lifesaving maternal health services, such as treatment for postpartum hemorrhage, infection and high blood pressure. These disruptions have also impacted children. For example, we saw major backsliding in childhood immunizations, leaving millions of children at increased risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases. Children have also been at risk of malnutrition due to disrupted food systems and decreased access to essential nutrition services.

At Global Communities, we understand the critical need to advocate for and maintain essential services in an emergency to avoid preventable mortality as well as improve data access and quality to support timely decision-making. We aim to reinforce stronger, more resilient and adaptable health systems that put the needs of women, children and other vulnerable people at the center of programming. This includes holistic, locally led programs that support sustained political will, adequate investment and financing of health systems. We also believe in the power of equitable partnerships and multisectoral approaches to address health and well-being. Ensuring meaningful participation of women and overlooked groups in the design and implantation of programs is of key importance. So is accountability to the people we serve.  

Paula: The speakers consistently mentioned the need to invest in primary healthcare and integrated services for moms and babies. In fact, some talked about a radical reorientation of health systems towards primary health. What is your perspective on this issue? Is Global Communities well-positioned to support this effort? 

Cara: Global Communities advances opportunity, well-being and resilience among vulnerable groups and across all ages. We believe that maternal and child health services are most effective when they are integrated across the continuum of care for mothers, newborns and children. We work with local health structures to bundle services within existing platforms, especially primary healthcare, to improve access, address multiple health needs at once and increase cost-efficiency. Our approaches are locally driven and grounded in systems-thinking, gender equality, social inclusion, evidence and ingenuity.

With our community-driven systems approaches, we are optimally placed to strengthen primary healthcare systems to improve maternal and child health. By involving community members in the planning, implementation and evaluation of primary healthcare projects, we can ensure that the healthcare services are tailored to the specific needs of the community. By leveraging the local knowledge and tapping into the existing networks and resources within the community, we can increase the effectiveness and sustainability of primary healthcare projects. And by making an effort to understand local contexts and include community members in the decision-making process, we can build trust and relationships between healthcare providers and community members. Through our partnerships with communities, we can ensure that the delivery of high-quality healthcare services can continue even after external funding ends.

Paula: I very much appreciated the focus on equity during the event. Dr. Omar Abdi from UNICEF remarked that 10 years ago equity was an ‘innovation’ in the maternal and child health space, but now everyone is talking about it. The speakers emphasized the importance of using equity data to understand who is left behind and then ensuring that health interventions reach the poorest and most marginalized populations. Advancing equity is one of the cornerstones of Global Communities’ mission. What tools and approaches do we use to promote equitable and gender-responsive access to health services?  

Cara: Global Communities uses a multipronged approach to ensure equitable and gender-responsive programs. Where appropriate, we start our programs with gender analyses that examine how gender roles, norms and relations affect access to health services and health outcomes. These analyses help us identify barriers and opportunities for addressing gender disparities and improving women’s and children’s access to care. We also embed metrics to assess health equity in our data systems. This involves tracking health outcomes and health service utilization by gender and other social determinants of health to identify gaps and monitor progress toward health equity.

Paula: At the event USAID Administrator Samantha Power launched a new strategy, Preventing Child and Maternal Deaths: A Framework for Action in a Changing World. The strategy lays out an action plan to improve health outcomes for women and children by 2030. What is your vision for Global Communities’ maternal and child health programming in the next 5-10 years?

Cara: Over the next five years, I hope to strengthen and expand our ability to support primary health systems to be able to protect women, children and adolescents in a world affected by climate change. The goal is to ensure that people we serve have access to quality health services and can achieve the highest possible level of health and well-being. That children not only survive but thrive, and that we transform systems to meet their needs. And that health systems are well-managed with the ability to adapt and respond to changing needs of the community, including in times of crisis.

Paula: Climate change and its impact on maternal and child health were also mentioned by multiple speakers. Youare representing Global Communities as a co-chair of the USAID-funded Child Health Task Force, which is exploring this issue. Can you share a few thoughts on this subject?

Cara: Through the Child Health Task Force we are unpacking the effects that changing climate has on children and exploring system-level approaches that health systems can take to adapt to changing conditions. According to the Children’s Climate Risk Index, climate change is already significantly affecting children globally, with approximately 1 billion children at ‘extremely high risk’ of experiencing the negative impacts of climate change. While research and literature linking climate change and environmental degradation to ecological and social outcomes have been rapidly proliferating, there is a noticeable lack of data on the intersection of climate, environment and health. We seek to address this information gap through a webinar series “Adapting Health Systems to Protect Children from the Impact of Climate Change.” These events foster greater discussion on under-represented but important child health themes. Please join the series here. We also promote collaboration across sectors and organizations to advocate for greater global investment in adapting child health systems to become more resilient in the face of climate change going forward.

Paula: Global Communities has worked to save mothers’ and children’s lives and improve their health and well-being for six decades. What is, in your opinion, our greatest contribution or achievement thus far? What are you most proud of?

Cara: One of the hallmarks of Global Communities’ approach is training and mentoring community health workers (CHW) to deliver high-quality maternal and child health services. We work to ensure that these frontline health workers are motivated and equipped with knowledge and skills to employ global best practices, such as kangaroo mother care, community-based management of acute malnutrition and emergency obstetric and newborn care. It is very exciting and rewarding work. My colleagues and I recently published a paper in the Journal of Social Science and Medicine titled “Effects of Engaging Fathers and Bundling Nutrition and Parenting Interventions on Household Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Rural Tanzania.” EFFECTS was a cluster-randomized controlled trial co-designed and implemented by Global Communities. The study generated novel evidence that, with the right approach and resources, CHWs can deliver gender-transformative nutrition and parenting interventions to couples in low-resource community settings with potentially synergistic positive effects on household gender relations and maternal and child well-being.

Paula: Very exciting, congratulations! Empowering CHWs is so important. This was also a recurring theme of the events we talked about. One speaker, Millicent Miruka — a CHW Supervisor from Kenya — made an impassioned plea to recognize CHWs’ contributions, listen to their voices and ensure they are well-trained and supervised. I am also proud we are doing this work.

Thank you for your time! How can our readers reach you to learn more?

Cara: To learn more about Global Communities’ work in promoting maternal and child health please visit our website and read our most recent technical factsheet. If you have questions about our programs, please email us at [email protected]. You can also find me on LinkedIn.

Cara Endyke-Doran

Senior Director, Health, Nutrition & WASH

Cara Endyke-Doran, MPH, MSN, RN, is an advanced practice nurse with nearly 25 years of experience leading large international health programs focused on women’s, children’s, and adolescent’s health. Her technical areas of expertise include maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, gender, and HIV prevention, care, and treatment. She is a thought leader who sits on global task forces and advisory groups. Cara is an innovative and effective problem-solver who adapts and responds to evolving program needs. She has held long-term assignments in Mozambique, Zambia, and Nicaragua and provided technical support to programs in Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa. She has her master’s degrees in Public Health and Nursing from Johns Hopkins University. She speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

Global Communities is home to a diverse team of professionals with a broad range of expertise and perspectives that help us build the world we envision: one of expanded opportunity, where crises give way to resilience and all people thrive. In our new “Pass the Mic” series, our global staff share innovative ideas and in-depth insights on timely topics spanning the development, humanitarian and peace nexus. Learn how our colleagues are co-creating a more just, prosperous and equitable global community.

The post Pass the Mic: Reinvigorating Global Efforts to Reduce Maternal and Child Mortality appeared first on Global Communities.

On February 6, 2023, Global Communities and its consortium of partners in Madagascar served the first school meals supported by Mianatra (“Learn” in Malagasy), a McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (McGovern-Dole) project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). By the end of the week, a total of 12,277 meals were served in 18 schools.

In 2021, USDA awarded Global Communities with the first McGovern-Dole project in Madagascar. Mianatra, with implementing partners Catholic Relief Services and FHI 360, is providing support to the Government of Madagascar to improve literacy among school-age children and provide nutritious daily school meals in the chronically food insecure Androy region in the south of the country. Over the next five years, more than 64,000 preschool and primary school students will receive daily meals in 130 targeted schools.

“As one team, we are committed and dedicated to building the foundation for a better future for the children who need it most.”

Philippe LeMay, Chief of Party, Mianatra

Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries and approximately 97% of the population in the Androy region are living in poverty. Recent climatic shocks — particularly erratic rainfall and an increasing severity of recurring droughts — have also had a major impact on households, making financial recovery for agriculture-dependent regions difficult. In the face of these challenges, Mianatra is expanding the Ministry of Education’s efforts to address low school enrollment, malnutrition and food insecurity through sustainable literacy improvements and school feeding program ownership by the Government of Madagascar and school communities.

“Through the Mianatra project, public and private partners, communities and households are now mobilized to engage in resilient and sustainable activities to ensure that students in the region have access to better education, health, hygiene and nutrition,” said Philippe LeMay, Chief of Party for Mianatra. “As one team, we are committed and dedicated to building the foundation of a better future for the children who need it most. In the name of these children, I want to thank everyone, in-country and around the world, who are making this project a success.”

School feeding programs are about much more than just providing nutritious food to children, and these first meals are just the beginning for Mianatra in Androy. The project will help improve student literacy, nutrition and health while supporting the sustainable expansion of the Government of Madagascar’s school feeding program. 

*Lead image: Thomas Mukoya/Alamy stock photo

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This USDA investment builds on the successful 10-year partnership between the Government of Tanzania, the United States Government and Global Communities. In this phase of the program, Global Communities will coordinate activities that will benefit more than 355,000 Tanzanian school children, families, teachers, farmers and community members by improving literacy through school feeding. 

“By combining our efforts and expertise we can continue to help the next generation of Tanzanian leaders to reach their maximum potential.”

Nick Ford, Program Director, Global Communities Tanzania

Jewel Bronaugh, USDA deputy secretary officiated the launch of the program together with Tanzania’s Minister of Education Science and Technology and Minister of Agriculture.   

Deputy Secretary Bronaugh said the program will boost learning outcomes for participating students and open greater opportunities for them.

“The value of the McGovern-Dole school feeding program in Tanzania and USDA’s enthusiasm for it cannot be understated,” Bronaugh said. “USDA has been providing technical, financial, and in-kind assistance for school meals and education programs in Tanzania since 2010. We are pleased to provide this timely assistance and to continue this important collaboration.”  

At the launch, Nick Ford, Global Communities Program Director in Tanzania celebrated the USDA-Global Communities partnership. 

“We can rejoice in what has been achieved in the past 10 years and celebrate the amazing opportunity we have in the future,” he said. “By combining our efforts and expertise we can continue to help the next generation of Tanzanian leaders to reach their maximum potential. This partnership between the Government of Tanzania, the United States Government and Global Communities can create a sustained impact for the overall education outcomes of primary school students.” 

About USDA’s McGovern-Dole Program:  

The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition project in Tanzania is an integrated school feeding program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and implemented in close collaboration with the Government of Tanzania and many communities in the Mara Region. Since 2010, the USDA has provided more than $67 million to schools in Mara Region to improve student nutrition, literacy, sanitation and school attendance. It has benefited over 200,000 students at 231 primary schools through an integrated package of interventions to improve students’ literacy outcomes, enhance their overall educational performance and improve students’ health and nutrition practices. Learn more.

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Since 2001, PCI, a Global Communities Partner, has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement 16 McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (McGovern-Dole) and 3 Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement programs. Combined, they have reached over 1 million students with important water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) improvements as well as nutritious school meals and literacy education. PCI currently implements three McGovern-Dole projects in Tanzania, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

“My children had been missing afternoon school lessons as they were required to support their mother to fetch water for our domestic use,” said Robert Manyama, a father of students attending one of the program schools in Tanzania’s Mara Region. “Now, they do not need to walk long distances for water. Thanks to PCI for their water systems project.”

WASH activities in PCI’s McGovern-Dole projects aim to improve knowledge and increase use of health and hygiene practices, increase access to clean water and sanitation services, and strengthen the capacity of WASH committees and community members to locally own, manage and sustain access to WASH services.

A total of 242,690 students benefit from 238 wells or water stations/systems that have been rehabilitated or built through PCI’s current projects. In addition, 1,078 schools now use an improved water source.

“I work with preschool and first grade. Previously, we did not have a hand-washing station, but we knew that it is a very important practice,” said Alfredo Martín Francisco Joaquín, a teacher at Gelna Primary School in Guatemala. “Now, we have one and the children wash their hands properly. Today, it is more important according to the suggestions of the Ministry of Health.”

Given the current pandemic, PCI’s WASH interventions are especially important in promoting COVID-19 prevention practices and supporting local governments and schools’ readiness to safely reopen schools in alignment with safety protocols. For example, in Guatemala, PCI trained 4,333 students and 1,741 parents in COVID-19 preventative measures such as mask wearing, social distancing and hand-washing through audiovisual materials and messages shared via telephone and WhatsApp. Program staff also leveraged parent-teacher associations to spread COVID-19 awareness messages and lead health campaigns in their communities.

In Nicaragua, where schools have remained open during the pandemic, PCI has supported the installation of 2,174 low-cost Tippy Taps to promote hand-washing. Staff with the McGovern-Dole project have also leveraged Women Empowered (WE) groups to promote hygienic practices among families.

“If we have water, we have health,” said Andrea Blandón, a WE group member from Las Lomas in the municipality of Jinotega. “Water is useful for everything we do in our homes. If we don’t have water, we are in trouble.”

For a comprehensive look at how PCI’s USDA McGovern-Dole projects improve student access to clean water and increase the use of proper health and hygiene practices, download a copy of our School WASH program overview.

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In May 2020, authorities from the Mara Region, in collaboration with PCI Tanzania, established a Regional Health Task Force to engage multiple stakeholders in a comprehensive COVID-19 response.

Among its functions, the task force coordinates the local production of hand sanitizers through trained Women Empowered (WE) groups, as well as the development of public health campaigns to raise awareness about the virus and how it can be prevented. Other key responsibilities include collaborative leadership in the region, resource allocation and distributive accountability, strategic thinking and planning amidst chaos, and support in managing quarantine and equipment procurement.

With support from PCI Tanzania, under the USDA-funded McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, the Mara regional government has placed a total of 49 COVID-19 billboards in high-traffic locations to raise awareness about the virus and how it can be prevented. Photo by PCI Tanzania Staff

With technical and financial support from PCI, under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program (FFE III), the Mara regional government has developed a two-pronged response to the pandemic: broadcasting clinical and public health messages, and sensitizing communities on COVID-19 prevention through increased engagement.

Through this partnership, the Mara regional government has undertaken awareness campaigns and distributed Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials on COVID-19 prevention measures such as handwashing, social and physical distancing and cleanliness. A total of 49 COVID-19 billboards were placed in high traffic locations of the region and 247 posters with key preventive measures have been supplied to schools and communities. Additionally, program staff developed a variety of COVID-19-related public service announcements and jingles that have aired on local radio stations for several months. These strategies have contributed to nudging communities towards positive social and behavior change concerning COVID-19 prevention.

“In the absence of ample clinical resources, we must focus on preventive measures, and it is always a challenge in any disease outbreak to get communities to change their behavior,” said Dr. Florian Tinuga, a Mara Regional Medical Officer. “During this outbreak of COVID-19, behavior change, if done systematically by banking on the technical support from the PCI team who are community-centered, we will save lives.”

Aside from these IEC efforts, PCI Tanzania trained 75 women from WE groups on hand sanitizer production, enabling them to distribute 123 liters of the germ-fighting agent to FFE III program schools and local homes across the Mara Region to improve hygiene and curb the spread of COVID-19. To enhance the capacity building of the WE groups, PCI Tanzania worked in close collaboration with the Tanzanian Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO), which has been training them to start their small group industries. In order for the WE groups’ hand sanitizers to be accepted in the marketplace, SIDO has ensured the products are of quality and adhere to national standards set by the Tanzania Bureau of Standards.

For more information about PCI’s COVID-19 response efforts across the globe, visit our Call to Action page.

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