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…
Read MorePass the Mic: Reinvigorating Global Efforts to Reduce Maternal and Child Mortality
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs at 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…
Read MoreTogether for our African Girls and Young Women
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the concept of gender equality remains abstract and farfetched. In this day and age, there are still girls and young women who lack access to primary and secondary school due to social, cultural, religious or political reasons; who are not yet reached with comprehensive information on their sexual and reproductive health; who…
Read MoreSupporting Malawi with Safe Water and Sanitation through COVID-19
Access to clean water and safe sanitation is a fundamental human right and the first line of defense against the current global pandemic. Yet, according to UNICEF, 3 billion people are unable to protect themselves or their loved ones from COVID-19 and other devastating diseases because they lack basic hand-washing facilities. People living in rural,…
Read MoreMoving Forward: One year after Cyclone Idai in Malawi
A year ago this month, Sera Mosque was one of thousands of structures facing a risky road to recovery following the destruction of Cyclone Idai in Malawi. As a primary place of worship and community hub in the Molipa village of Machinga district, the mosque became a key location to curb the threat of water-borne…
Read MorePCI Continues Post-Cyclone Support in Malawi
When Cyclone Idai first made landfall in March 2019, Malawi had already experienced intense flooding in 15 districts, with the Government of Malawi citing Machinga and Zomba among the most affected. Nearly 87,000 people were displaced, finding refuge in temporary camps at schools and churches without sufficient access to shelter or water, sanitation and hygiene…
Read MoreIs 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 MoreRedefining Fatherhood: One New Dad’s Journey as a Preemie Parent
When Martha was born, her mother Enipha says she was barely the size of her own slender forearm. The nurse on duty at Balaka District Hospital recorded her weight at just over 1.5 pounds. She arrived eight weeks early and was immediately placed on oxygen to regulate her breathing. The odds did not look good…
Read MorePhones as Farm Hands: Fighting Fall Armyworm with Tech
Mary Alick first saw a picture of the culprit while standing in her field among damaged crops of pigeon peas and maize. Joseph Fayilosi, an Agricultural Extension Development Officer (AEDO) with the Government of Malawi, had come to offer his technical support and guidance. Alick is one of more than 4,200 farming households assigned to…
Read MoreIt Takes A Village: Transforming Care for Preterm Babies
A mural painted on an outside wall of the Balaka District Hospital in Malawi has the following message translated in Chichewa: “Everyone can take care of a preterm baby.” Pictured with the declaration are three family members — presumably a grandmother, husband and wife — and each are shown holding a small, tightly wrapped newborn…
Read MoreMidwives Matter: A Lifeline for Vulnerable Mothers and Babies in Malawi
Irene Kamanga’s career was born in a waiting room. Growing up in a rural area of Malawi, she saw how difficult it was to access care due to the lack of nearby health facilities and inadequate staffing. “It took long to get treatment even when you were at the health center, because there was only…
Read MoreSarah’s Season of Growth: Forging a Path Out of Poverty
As a farmer, Sarah Ben understands there is a season for everything. Even so, she has known more than her fair share of loss—from the passing of three of her children to multiple years of failed crops. Despite these hardships, the mother of now five has continued to work towards building a better life for…
Read MoreFacilitating a More Enabling Environment
This post was written by Karla Yoder, Economic Development Specialist at Global Communities and originally appeared on Feed the Future Agrilinks As market systems development practitioners, we take a holistic approach to project implementation. Our value chain projects address market constraints at many levels including within the enabling environment. However, the focus of our facilitation…
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 MoreAIMS Program: Developing the Horticulture Sector in Malawi
AIMS Program: Developing the Horticulture Sector in Malawi By Deborah Kafanikhale The USDA-funded Agribusiness Investment for Market Stimulation (AIMS) program, implemented by Global Communities (GC) since September 2014 in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi, facilitates agribusinesses to access markets and finance as a way of bolstering domestic, regional and international trade of agricultural products. In Malawi,…
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…
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