Unlocking Economic Empowerment: Insights from Gender Analyses in Guatemala and Kenya

Cooperative Development, women working together.

By Chloe Pan Globally, nearly 2.4 billion women do not have the same economic rights as men, and on average, only have three-fourths of the legal rights. Harmful gender norms and discrimination present immense challenges to women’s access to economic opportunities. To discover more specific barriers to women’s economic access, gender analyses are conducted. Through…

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Promoting Economic Advancement as a Pathway to Preventing HIV and Violence against Adolescent Girls and Young Women

Women working in Kenya

By Betty Adera This month, as we observe International Women’s Day 2024, it is imperative to reflect on the multifaceted challenges that adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), aged 15 to 24, face. Under this year’s theme, Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress, we must consider how the intertwined issues of HIV/AIDS and violence halt their…

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Bridging Healthcare Gaps for Island Communities in Ghana

In a momentous step towards revolutionizing healthcare accessibility for secluded island communities in the Oti region of Ghana, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with Global Communities, orchestrated the commissioning and handover ceremony of the groundbreaking “Health Voyager” boat. The event was held on Feb. 29, at the Volta Lake Transport…

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Driving Change: Youth-Led Worker Cooperative Transforming Kenya’s Automotive Industry

Transparency Auto Workers Cooperative Members inspecting a car's oil level.

By Tindi Sitati and Mike Kipngeno Rooted in the energy of youth, the Transparency Auto Worker Cooperative was created in 2022 through a collective vision of former automotive engineering students from Eastlands College of Technology (ECT) in Nairobi County, Kenya. The cooperative, which currently supports 22 active members, is a response to the pressing challenges…

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Generating Job Opportunities for Mountain Guides and Porters in Kenya

By Tindi Sitati and Mike Kipngeno Nestled within the scenic landscapes of Nyeri County, Mt. Kenya Guides and Porters Safari Worker Cooperative stands as an inspiring example of the transformative influence of the worker cooperative model in Kenya’s tourism sector. Originating as an informal group in 1971, the cooperative has since flourished into a vibrant…

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Empowering Young Men: The Crucial Role of Life Skills Education in Combating Gender-Based Violence

By Betty Adera and the Botswana Country Team In a world striving for equality and justice, it is imperative to recognize education’s pivotal role in shaping future generations’ attitudes and behaviors. One of the key battlegrounds against gender-based violence lies within the corridors of our schools, where young minds are molded and empowered to become…

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Uniting Communities: A Pivotal Force in Combating HIV/AIDS

By Betty Adera As we observe this year’s World AIDS Day, it is crucial to shine a light on persistent inequalities that continue to affect the lives of children, adolescents and young women. Numerous awareness campaigns and other strategies have led to critical advancements during the four-decade long HIV/AIDS global pandemic. However, the role of…

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Brainstorming Climate Adaptation and Resilience in Diverse Programming

By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs & Chioma Okafor, Sr. Technical Advisor for Local Capacity Strengthening Last month InterAction held its annual Forum, which brought together organizations, changemakers and executives from the public, private and nongovernmental sectors to explore the most pressing issues facing the world today. Sarah Charles, who oversees the Bureau…

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Pass the Mic: Growing from Our Roots: Exploring the History and Future of Cooperative Development Programming at Global Communities

By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs at Global Communities Global Communities’ history is deeply rooted in the cooperative movement. Our organization was created in 1952 as the Foundation for Cooperative Housing, and for over 30 years we used the cooperative model to help build 60,000 houses for people in need across 35 states…

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New USAID-funded Program to Strengthen Worker Cooperatives in Guatemala and Kenya

Silver Spring, MD – Global Communities announces a new award from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement CLEAR+—the second phase of the Cooperative Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy and Research (CLEAR) program carried out since 2018. The five-year CLEAR+ program will strengthen the cooperative sectors in Guatemala and Kenya. CLEAR+ is designed to…

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Fostering Financial Stability: Co-op Savings Group in Zambia Fuels Women’s Mutual Growth

Until recently, Emelda Munkombwe was just scraping by with her tomato business, barely making enough money to put food on the table for her family. There wasn’t anything left to support her children’s schooling, let alone pay for medical services or purchase medications that weren’t provided by the primary health care system. Education and healthcare…

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Collaborating for Impact in Kenya’s Cooperative Sector

By Tindi Sitati Collaborative partnerships are the driving force behind the Cooperative Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy and Research (CLEAR) program at Global Communities. These partnerships enhance cooperative sector growth and advance economic prosperity by enabling cooperatives to pool resources, share knowledge, access broader markets and achieve economies of scale. Through collaboration, cooperatives can mitigate risks, foster…

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USAID CLEAR Program in Kenya Launches a Series of Cooperative Management Education Videos

The Cooperative Leadership Engagement Advocacy and Research (CLEAR) program, funded by USAID, Cooperative Development Program, recently developed a series of training and educational videos to capture the curriculums and materials developed over the life of the program. Cooperatives, SMEs, and others can benefit from these videos to learn about the basics of cooperative management, view…

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Building the Resilience of Kenya’s Cooperative Sector through Capacity Building of Policymakers and Implementers

By Olga Oyier & Maureen Gitau, USAID/CLEAR Program Kenya’s devolved system of governance has provided the country with an opportunity to implement grassroots-led development programs but also revealed technical gaps at the county government level, particularly in the area of public policy formulation and implementation. More specifically, the cooperatives policy and legislative reform process to…

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How Policy Innovations Can Strengthen Cooperative Businesses in Kenya

By Maureen Gitau, USAID/CLEAR Program Registration of cooperative businesses is a challenging issue for policymakers and stakeholders in the cooperative sector. Under Schedule Four of the Kenyan Constitution, cooperative development is a fully devolved function, meaning oversight for cooperatives was transferred from the national government to county governments, including the transfer of powers and funding.…

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Study Led by Global Communities Generates Novel Evidence on Gender Equality in the Context of Nutrition and Parenting Programs  

Silver Spring, MD – Global Communities announces the publication of original research in the Journal of Social Science and Medicine on the impact of engaging fathers and bundling nutrition and parenting interventions on household gender equality and women’s empowerment in rural Tanzania.  The article titled “Effects of Engaging Fathers and Bundling Nutrition and Parenting Interventions…

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Pass the Mic: Advancing Equality through Gender-Transformative Parenting and Nutrition Interventions

By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs at Global Communities Global Communities has long recognized that advancing gender equality is vital to achieving development objectives, including better health outcomes for women, children and entire families. Where feasible, we integrate gender-transformative approaches in our maternal, newborn and child health interventions. For example, we encourage positive…

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