PROPEL-South Sudan Baseline Assessment Report
PROPEL-South Sudan Baseline Assessment Report Early in 2016, Global Communities and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) conducted a mixed-method baseline assessment for its Promoting Resilience through Ongoing Participatory Engagement and Learning (PROPEL) program funded by USAID. This report provides an analysis of the baseline values of each of PROPEL’s 16 target communities through a mixed-method approach…
Read MoreHow Access to Water is Improving the Lives of Women and Girls in South Sudan
How Access to Water is Improving the Lives of Women and Girls in South Sudan These stories originally appeared in the USAID South Sudan Newsletter. Students at St. Paul’s Girls Primary School in Mingkaman, Awerial County, say this USAID-funded latrine has helped boost their confidence and focus on education. Photo: James Jok The USAID Promoting…
Read MoreMore Than Something to Drink: Water & Long Lasting Development
More Than Something to Drink: Water & Long Lasting Development By Franky Li, WASH Technical Advisor for Global Communities  |  This article originally appeared on Medium. Women in Ghana are often forced to walk long distances to bring back water for their families. Water is a basic necessity for life. World Water Day is today, highlighting this fact,…
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 MoreA Race against Time: Responding to Cholera Outbreaks in Ghana
A Race against Time: Responding to Cholera Outbreaks in Ghana When Cholera strikes, it is devastating. It moves quickly, infecting people who unknowingly pass it on to others. High-density communities around city centers are often the hardest hit by an outbreak, and efforts to contain the disease become a race against time. Since the early…
Read MoreVIP: Building Community Resiliency Through Cooperatives
Building Community Resiliency Through Cooperatives Visiting International Professionals Elena Gillis, Muhammad Malik, Samad Sadri, and Alison Salisbury Rwanda-USA, January-May 2016 Are cooperatives making a difference in communities in which they are located? To explore related issues Global Communities partnered with a team of four Master Graduates from the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International…
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 MoreSowing Development: Farmers provide more than food; they are the cornerstone of rural economies
Sowing Development Farmers provide more than food; they are the cornerstone of rural economies By Liz Adams, Technical Specialist for Agriculture at Global Communities  |  This article orginally appeared in Medium. No matter where you are, the food on your plate comes from a farmer. This isn’t a particularly shocking revelation, and development assistance to farmers…
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…
Read MoreThe Evidence that Global Development Works: Measuring Impact
The Evidence that Global Development Works: Measuring Impact By David A. Weiss, President and CEO, Global Communities | This article originally appeared on The Huffington Post. At Global Communities, we believe that accountability, transparency and evidence-based design of projects are vital ingredients to effective partnerships. We have to be able to demonstrate to the communities…
Read MoreCooperatives: 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…
Read MoreRwandan Youth Take on the Topics of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and HIV Prevention
Rwandan Youth Take on the Topics of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and HIV Prevention The Kinazi Unity Club is a group of 35 youths between the ages 15 and 24, who meet every Saturday to discuss a wide array of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) topics such as family planning, HIV…
Read MoreFrom 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…
Read MoreUSAID Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) Project
USAID Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) Project: Investing in local government, supporting sustainable change The Ghanaian government has made impressive strides in government decentralization — empowering regional and local government officials to make decisions and provide services to the communities they represent. The USAID Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) project seeks to strengthen this structure…
Read MoreUSAID-RING Feed the Future Project Thrives in Northern Region
USAID-RING Feed the Future Project Thrives in Northern Region This article first appeared on Citifmonline |  By Abdul Karim Naatogmah Over 2,000 female beneficiaries of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) Feed the Future mission, have started harvesting 100 acres of orange-fleshed sweet potato cultivated in 70 communities of 17 districts in…
Read MoreLearning Brief 2: Knowledge Attitudes and Practices of Youth and Construction Sector Stakeholders in Ghana
Learning Brief 2: Knowledge Attitudes and Practices of Youth and Construction Sector Stakeholders in Ghana Construction is the back-bone of Ghana’s economy and shapes the outlook of cities, towns, and villages. It is estimated that the construction industry in Ghana contributes approximately USD 500 – 600 million annually to GDP (COTVET, 2010a). In 2012, the sector attained…
Read MoreLearning Brief 1: Workforce Gaps and Opportunities for Youth in Ghana’s Construction Sector
Learning Brief 1: Workforce Gaps and Opportunities for Youth in Ghana’s Construction Sector The construction sector in Ghana contributed 8.9% to the country’s GDP and grew by 11% in 2012. The sector is expected to continue its steady growth and estimates have shown that it will generate one million jobs in the next 10 years.…
Read MoreNew Boreholes Increase Access to Clean Water in Juba’s Jebel Area
New Boreholes Increase Access to Clean Water in Juba’s Jebel Area This story was originally published by USAID South Sudan. Before the construction of the new boreholes, residents fetched water from a dirty, open sources. Photo by Betty Poni. On October 7, the Jebel community in Juba celebrated the launch of two USAID-funded boreholes that…
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