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…
Read MoreKenya 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…
Read MoreMenstrual 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…
Read MoreBalancing 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…
Read MoreCritical 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…
Read MoreGet Out the Vote for AfriScout
Today is Election Day in America, but there’s a global vote Project Concern International (PCI) needs for a very special candidate: Our AfriScout program in Kenya. AfriScout has been selected as a finalist in the Google Impact Challenge Kenya! As one of 12 remaining finalists, AfriScout is guaranteed to receive training and support from Google…
Read MoreCreating Safe Spaces for Adolescent Girls and Young Women
Creating Safe Spaces for Adolescent Girls and Young Women View the photo essay below below or on Exposure here.
Read MoreStimulating 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…
Read MoreFive Reasons Why Water Security Matters to Global Security
Five Reasons Why Water Security Matters to Global Security By Franky Li, WASH Technical Advisor for Global Communities | This blog originally appeared on Medium. Across the globe, populations face the challenge of growing water scarcity. More than one-fifth of the world’s population — 1.6 billion people — live in areas that are suffering from water scarcity of some type.…
Read MoreWhy 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…
Read MoreGlobal 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…
Read MoreKenyan Men Join the Fight Against Gender-Based Violence
Kenyan Men Join the Fight Against Gender-Based Violence In the slums of Nairobi, male ‘agents of change’ are teaching men and boys how to prevent violence against women and girls in their communities. They tell News Deeply that the fight begins with challenging their own entrenched attitudes about gender. By Justus Wanzala | This article originally appeared…
Read MoreWarriors for Peace: Preventing Post-Election Violence in Kenya
Warriors for Peace: Preventing Post-Election Violence in Kenya In the wake of Kenya’s contested 2007 election, ethnic violence ripped through the country, killing over 1,000 and displacing as many as 600,000. Now Kenya is gripped by another disputed election, as the Supreme Court has annulled the recent Presidential election due to voting irregularities, with a…
Read MoreBuilding Small Agribusinesses in East Africa
Building Small Agribusinesses in East Africa Agribusiness Investment for Market Stimulation (AIMS) is a five-year initiative of Global Communities to bolster trade in key agricultural sectors, grains, pulses, dairy, and horticulture in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi by increasing access to financing and markets for small and medium-sized agribusinesses. AIMS is funded by the U.S. Department…
Read MoreThe Key to Agricultural Financing: Unlocking Lending in East AfricaÂ
The Key to Agricultural Financing: Unlocking Lending in East Africa Across Africa, agriculture comprises a nominal percentage of the banking sector’s loan portfolio compared to its share of the gross domestic product. This asymmetry is largely due to perceived risks of agribusiness finance. While a number of banks are starting to realize that agribusiness can be…
Read MorePreventing Gender-Based Violence with Men and Boys-Centered Training
Preventing Gender-Based Violence with Men and Boys-Centered Training By Fredrick Nyagah, Gender Advisor for the DREAMS Program, Global Communities Kenya This story originally appeared on Medium. In observance of International Women’s Day, I have been considering some of the challenges women in Kenya face, as well as proven ways to address them. One successful approach is…
Read MoreCombating Food Insecurity in Kenya
Combating Food Insecurity in Kenya Earlier this month, the Government of Kenya declared a drought emergency, placing the number affected by food insecurity at more than 2.7 million. With maize production down by more than 99%, rural farming communities and pastoralists have been severely affected. Global Communities’ Agribusiness Investment for Market Stimulation (AIMS) program is…
Read MoreHow to Combat Ebola, HIV, Zika for a Few Dollars: Understanding Unintended Outcomes
How to Combat Ebola, HIV, Zika for a Few Dollars: Understanding Unintended Outcomes By David A. Weiss, President and CEO, Global Communities | This article originally appeared on The Huffington Post. In my last blog, I focused on the importance of measurement and evidence in designing and implementing the most effective global development programs. But one…
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