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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Kenyan 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…

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Warriors 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…

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Building 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…

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Preventing 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…

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Combating 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…

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How 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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Cooperatives: Building Success Together

Cooperatives: Building Success Together With over 60 years of experience in building capacity around the world, Global Communities focuses on the five key dimensions of cooperative success to increase incomes, strengthen democratic values and promote equality. Global Communities cooperative programs are operational in Mongolia, Rwanda, Uganda and urban Kenya. Our in-country teams of technical experts…

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From Sex Worker to Car Washer: DREAMS Program Helping Young Women Live Empowered Lives

From Sex Worker to Car Washer: DREAMS Program Helping Young Women Live Empowered Lives This article first appeared on BBC Swahili |  By Idris Situma Twenty-three year old Felicia Onimbo is a resident of a Majengo, a shanty town just outside of Nairobi, Kenya. Life in Nairobi’s informal settlements is fraught with challenges. These slums contain some of…

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Kenya: Healthy Outcomes through Prevention Education (HOPE)

Kenya: Healthy Outcomes through Prevention Education (HOPE) Evaluation Summary In Kenya, high poverty, insecurity, poor health outcomes, substance abuse and low levels of education make young people, especially girls, vulnerable to a variety of risks such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Diseases (STDs), and Sexual…

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Kenya: Healthy Outcomes through Prevention Education (HOPE) Final Evaluation

Kenya: Healthy Outcomes through Prevention Education (HOPE) Final Evaluation In Kenya, high poverty, insecurity, poor health outcomes, substance abuse and low levels of education make young people, especially girls, vulnerable to a variety of risks such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Diseases (STDs), and…

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The Peacemaker (VIDEO)

The Peacemaker Global Communities’ Selline Korir is a peace-builder in Nairobi, Kenya. Through the USAID Kenya Tuna Uwezo program, her efforts have transformed the lives of thousands of Kenyans and have led to some of Kenya’s most peaceful elections.

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“I did not know I was being radicalized”: understanding violent extremism

“I did not know I was being radicalized”: understanding violent extremism Preventing violent extremism must be led by local voices. The solutions cannot from the outside, but from the same people who would become the extremists This article originally appeared in Thomson Reuters Foundation News.Written by Selline Korir, Global Communities Those words were spoken to…

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The Cooperative Movement in Kenya: When a Sector Comes to a T-Junction

The Cooperative Movement in Kenya: When a Sector Comes to a T-Junction By Johnson Kithendu, Co-operatives Specialist & Country Lead, Global Communities, Kenya This article originally appeared on the Global Cooperative Learning Platform. In 2010, Kenya changed its entire constitution after many years of advocacy, activism, and frustrations. The Constitution of 2010 is hailed by many…

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