World AIDS Day: Centering Adolescent Girls in the Journey towards HIV Epidemic Control

By: Betty Adera, Senior Technical Advisor HIV/AIDS and Health, Global Communities, Nairobi, Kenya  The theme of this year’s World AIDS Day is “End Inequalities” and it is especially timely as the world continues grappling with COVID-19. Adolescent girls bear the greatest brunt of COVID-19-related inequalities. UNAIDS estimates that in sub-Saharan Africa, four in five new…

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USAID CLEAR Program in Kenya Launches Two New Cooperative Videos

By Ashley Holst, Technical Specialist, Cooperatives & Inclusive Business at Global Communities The USAID Cooperative Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy and Research program (CLEAR) has launched two new animated educational videos! One of CLEAR’s primary goals is to raise awareness about the worker and housing cooperative models so more people can understand their inclusion-oriented benefits. Global Communities…

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The Pioneer E-Executive Public Policy Making Process Training Virtual Graduation Ceremony

At the Strathmore Business School (SBS) in Nairobi, 55 trainees successfully graduated with a certificate in Public Policy Making Process (PPMP). The first of its kind program was designed and delivered by Global Communities’ USAID-funded CLEAR Program in collaboration with Strathmore University Business School. The training, which ended on September 14, was officially opened by…

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COVID-19 Response in Kenya

Articles on our COVID-19 Response in Kenya: Kenyan Cooperatives Demonstrate Resilience & Concern for the Community to Mitigate the Effects of Covid-19 The Kenyan Cooperative Sector Tackles COVID-19 Head-On Shifting Responsibilities of Household & Family: The Gendered Pandemic in Kenya Read more about our global capacity in preventing, mitigating and responding to outbreaks of infectious…

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Kenyan Cooperatives Demonstrate Resilience & Concern for the Community to Mitigate the Effects of Covid-19

Ashley Holst, Global Communities Technical Specialist Cooperatives & Inclusive Businesses Read original blog post on Medium.comAs we celebrate International Day of the Cooperative this year, we recognize that over the last several months cooperatives have demonstrated their resilience and their dedication to bettering the world. The cooperative sector in Kenya jumped into action to help…

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The Kenyan Cooperative Sector Tackles COVID-19 Head-On

This article was first published at AgriLinks. Kenya saw its first case of COVID-19 on March 13, and the Ministry of Health fears that if mitigation efforts are not implemented and followed, cases could skyrocket to as many as 10,000 by the end of April. The government has acted quickly to close schools and impose…

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Rethinking the Role of County Government and Apex Organisations in Grassroots Cooperatives Development: Key Lessons from Social Network Analysis in Kenya

Dorthy Tindi Sitati Collaboration Learning & Adaption (CLA) Officer USAID CLEAR Program The Ushirika Hub was paid for by USAID Cooperative Development Program in partnership with Root Change, Global Communities, NCBA CLUSA & WOCCU Government interference on cooperatives affairs is one of the challenges facing the development of cooperatives across Africa. Cooperatives will only be…

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Global Communities Celebrates International Day of the Girl 2019

By Sarah Goddard #DayoftheGirl #GenerationEquality #unstoppable Twenty-five years ago, the World Conference on Women in Beijing marked a significant turning point for global gender equality with the recognition of the rights of women and girls as human rights. Today, there are movements to stop child marriage and gender-based violence, promote girls’ education, and end stigma…

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Is It Too Late for Systems Thinking? Lessons Learned on Adopting a Market Systems Approach Mid-Program

By Karla Yoder, Global Communities Economic Development/Workforce Specialist This blog was originally published on Marketlinks.org Agribusiness Investment for Market Stimulation (AIMS) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded initiative to promote trade in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi by increasing access to finance and markets for agricultural small and medium enterprises (A-SMEs). AIMS was not initially…

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Kenya Project Takes Novel Approach to Preventing and Reducing Gender-based Violence

A project in Kenya that addresses sexual health and gender-based violence (GBV) is taking a novel approach by deliberately involving men and boys in its outreach. Global Communities implements the PEPFAR-funded DREAMS project, which works with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) to ensure they lived Determined, Resilient, Empowered,  AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe Lives in…

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Menstrual Hygiene Day 2019 – It’s Time for Action

Source: https://menstrualhygieneday.org/2019-campaign-materials/ By Sarah Goddard and Lena Pritzkat May 28 is Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day), which aims to break persisting taboos around menstruation, raise awareness about the importance of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) for women and adolescent girls, and engage decision-makers in raising the political priority of MHM. Globally more than half of women…

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Balancing the Balance: International Women’s Day 2019

By Betty Adera, CoP DREAMS Program International Women’s Day is here again and I face it with a lot of nostalgia. The global theme for the day being ‘Balance for Better’ resonates a lot with me because imbalance sits at the core of the limitations and barriers to progress, especially that of women. Just by…

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Critical Health Services for Young Women and Girls in Nairobi

Critical Health Services for Young Women and Girls: DREAMS Opens First Wellness Centre in Nairobi Settlement By Betty Adera, DREAMS Chief of Party, Nairobi One of the surest ways to ensure that people with HIV get the treatment they need is by knowing their status. Without that knowledge, their health invariably deteriorates and they may…

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Stimulating a Reliable Market for Maize

Stimulating a Reliable Market for Maize By Elizabeth Adams, Technical Specialist, Agriculture & Food Security, Global Communities. Originally published on Medium In Kenya, maize markets are fragmented and volatile, especially for vulnerable smallholder farmers. Many farmers continue to trade directly with middlemen who often take advantage of them. Partnering with major commodity buyers is a win-win…

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Why We Need to Talk about Men on International Women’s Day

Why We Need to Talk about Men on International Women’s Day By Betty Adera, Chief of Party for Global Communities’ DREAMS Initiative in Kenya  |  This article originally appeared on Medium. #MeToo has brought the subject of sexual harassment and abuse of women and girls to the public consciousness in a way never seen before. Having…

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Global Communities and Cargill partner to Facilitate Agricultural Trade, Improved Market Access in Kenya

Global Communities and Cargill partner to Facilitate Agricultural Trade, Improved Market Access in Kenya January 17, 2018, Silver Spring, MD — Global Communities and Cargill have entered into a strategic partnership to promote agricultural trade for small- and medium-sized agribusinesses in Kenya. The collaboration will stimulate commercial linkages between Cargill and Kenyan small- and medium-sized…

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