Pass the Mic: Growing from Our Roots: Exploring the History and Future of Cooperative Development Programming at Global Communities
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs at Global Communities Global Communities’ history is deeply rooted in the cooperative movement. Our organization was created in 1952 as the Foundation for Cooperative Housing, and for over 30 years we used the cooperative model to help build 60,000 houses for people in need across 35 states…
Read MoreNew USAID-funded Program to Strengthen Worker Cooperatives in Guatemala and Kenya
Silver Spring, MD – Global Communities announces a new award from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement CLEAR+—the second phase of the Cooperative Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy and Research (CLEAR) program carried out since 2018. The five-year CLEAR+ program will strengthen the cooperative sectors in Guatemala and Kenya. CLEAR+ is designed to…
Read MoreFostering Financial Stability: Co-op Savings Group in Zambia Fuels Women’s Mutual Growth
Until recently, Emelda Munkombwe was just scraping by with her tomato business, barely making enough money to put food on the table for her family. There wasn’t anything left to support her children’s schooling, let alone pay for medical services or purchase medications that weren’t provided by the primary health care system. Education and healthcare…
Read MoreCollaborating for Impact in Kenya’s Cooperative Sector
By Tindi Sitati Collaborative partnerships are the driving force behind the Cooperative Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy and Research (CLEAR) program at Global Communities. These partnerships enhance cooperative sector growth and advance economic prosperity by enabling cooperatives to pool resources, share knowledge, access broader markets and achieve economies of scale. Through collaboration, cooperatives can mitigate risks, foster…
Read MoreUSAID CLEAR Program in Kenya Launches a Series of Cooperative Management Education Videos
The Cooperative Leadership Engagement Advocacy and Research (CLEAR) program, funded by USAID, Cooperative Development Program, recently developed a series of training and educational videos to capture the curriculums and materials developed over the life of the program. Cooperatives, SMEs, and others can benefit from these videos to learn about the basics of cooperative management, view…
Read MoreBuilding the Resilience of Kenya’s Cooperative Sector through Capacity Building of Policymakers and Implementers
By Olga Oyier & Maureen Gitau, USAID/CLEAR Program Kenya’s devolved system of governance has provided the country with an opportunity to implement grassroots-led development programs but also revealed technical gaps at the county government level, particularly in the area of public policy formulation and implementation. More specifically, the cooperatives policy and legislative reform process to…
Read MoreHow Policy Innovations Can Strengthen Cooperative Businesses in Kenya
By Maureen Gitau, USAID/CLEAR Program Registration of cooperative businesses is a challenging issue for policymakers and stakeholders in the cooperative sector. Under Schedule Four of the Kenyan Constitution, cooperative development is a fully devolved function, meaning oversight for cooperatives was transferred from the national government to county governments, including the transfer of powers and funding.…
Read MoreStudy Led by Global Communities Generates Novel Evidence on Gender Equality in the Context of Nutrition and Parenting Programs
Silver Spring, MD – Global Communities announces the publication of original research in the Journal of Social Science and Medicine on the impact of engaging fathers and bundling nutrition and parenting interventions on household gender equality and women’s empowerment in rural Tanzania. The article titled “Effects of Engaging Fathers and Bundling Nutrition and Parenting Interventions…
Read MorePass the Mic: Advancing Equality through Gender-Transformative Parenting and Nutrition Interventions
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs at Global Communities Global Communities has long recognized that advancing gender equality is vital to achieving development objectives, including better health outcomes for women, children and entire families. Where feasible, we integrate gender-transformative approaches in our maternal, newborn and child health interventions. For example, we encourage positive…
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 MoreHow Village Savings & Loans Groups Saved $7,000 in Only Four Months
By David Mbulula Garamba National Park lies in the Haut-Uélé province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), along the border with South Sudan. Most of the region is very isolated, but African Parks (which manages Garamba) has improved security greatly over the past few years, both for the wildlife within the park and…
Read MoreFirst School Meals Served up in Madagascar
By Chloe Pan On February 6, 2023, Global Communities and its consortium of partners in Madagascar served the first school meals supported by Mianatra (“Learn” in Malagasy), a McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (McGovern-Dole) project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). By the end of the week, a total of…
Read MoreUSAID CLEAR Program in Kenya Launches a Series of Worker Cooperative Videos
Kenya has a vibrant and dynamic cooperative movement. The worker cooperative model, while new to the Kenyan Cooperative sector, is gaining attention and recognition as a tool for equitable economic development and job creation. In the United States, worker cooperatives have been gaining popularity over the years and their success is making a big impact.…
Read MoreEnding the “Triple Threat” of Early Pregnancies, New HIV Infections and Sexual Violence among Adolescent Girls & Young Women
By Betty Adera A single act of sexual violence against women and girls can result in HIV infections and other sexually transmitted diseases, resulting in shame, fear and trauma. However, for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), sexual violence can also result in early pregnancy and childbearing, which carries its own stigma. Globally, girls between…
Read MoreSimple Innovation Helps Rural Communities in Ghana Improve Latrine Construction & Sanitation
By Megan Bohan The Ghana Enhancing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (EN-WASH) Activity aims to increase the use of sustainable, equitable, quality and district-wide WASH services in communities and health care facilities. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Global Communities, EN-WASH also addresses the adoption of sustainable WASH practices…
Read MoreStriving to Find and Serve Missing Children in HIV Treatment & Care
By Betty Adera Despite tremendous progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS, outcomes for treatment and care among children remain low. Sadly, disparities in the HIV response continue to result in failure to meet the unique needs of children living with or are at high risk of HIV. At the end of 2019, an…
Read MoreGlobal Communities Tanzania Partners with USDA to Boost Literacy Rates through School Feeding Program
Earlier this month, Global Communities Tanzania launched Pamoja Tuwalishe (Together, Let’s Feed Them), the next phase of its U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. This USDA investment builds on the successful 10-year partnership between the Government of Tanzania, the United States Government and Global Communities. In this…
Read MoreRight to Care: Family-Centered Approaches for Vulnerable Children and Adolescents
By Betty Adera The impact of disasters, complexities of humanitarian crises and ongoing effects of climate change pose major threats to the lives of children. These challenges impact the most vulnerable among us and expose them to health, water and food insecurity; exploitation and sexual violence; deprivation and neglect. Long-standing, systemic human and child rights…
Read More