Moving 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 MoreGlobal Communities Ghana Supports #EachforEqual
By Christy Beauchemin #EachforEqual #IWD2020 International Women’s Day (IWD) was first celebrated over 100 years ago. Today, it is a global movement as well as a call to action. This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #EachforEqual. It is a reminder that we all have a role in fighting gender inequality and that if each…
Read MoreMeeting of the Minds: Sharing knowledge across PCI’s school feeding programs
Different languages and long distances often make supporting each other and sharing best practices across programs difficult. To overcome these barriers and help foster intra-organizational learning, PCI recently brought together nearly 30 staff members from four different countries for the 2nd Annual Applied Learning Workshop (ALW) in Tanzania. The primary purpose of the gathering was…
Read MoreGaining Ground on Cervical Cancer in Zambia
Timing is everything. Just ask Janny Zulu. The 52-year-old single mother of two recently found out she had a precancerous lesion on her cervix, putting her at great risk for cervical cancer. Still, fresh off the news of this diagnosis in January, she expressed gratitude for information she could act on, information once inaccessible to…
Read MoreOn Air with DREAMS Botswana
“Welcome to The Catch, a radio program for adolescent girls and young women,” enthuses host Botlhale Sebataladi, who also serves as a program officer at PCI Botswana. Her energy is contagious as she introduces her guests, including several young mentors and girls involved with DREAMS, a global initiative of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for…
Read MoreA Run to Remember in Tanzania
PCI joins 2019 Serengeti Safari Marathon to promote school meals program Some people run for medals. Others run for sport. On Nov. 16, staff from PCI Tanzania ran the Serengeti Safari Marathon to raise awareness about taking hunger out of the classroom and feeding children’s dreams instead. A total of 44 staff members participated in…
Read MoreGlobal Communities Celebrates World Toilet Day 2019
By Eddy Perez, Global Communities Technical Director for WASH Hundreds of millions of people globally do not have access to sustainable safe drinking water and sanitation services. According to the WHO/UNICEF Global Joint Monitoring Program (JMP 2019), as of 2017, about 30 percent of the world’s population was without safely managed drinking water, and about…
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 MoreGeorgetown University Intern – My Summer Internship: Finding a Direction
On a field visit in Tuna, Northern Region of Ghana to assess their new piped water system. This is a pilot project to provide sustainable water services to rural communities. By Jack Borkowski. This blog was originally posted on the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service website. Jack Borkowski, Class of 2020, did his…
Read MoreGlobal Communities Ghana Celebrates Global Handwashing Day 2019
Earlier today, two of the USAID WASH for Health project’s Behaviour Change Communication experts (Edward Thompson and Martha Tia-Adjei) were engaged on TV3 and 3Fm’s morning shows (both under Media General, a leading Ghanaian private media house) to educate Ghanaians on the importance of handwashing, as today marks the Global Handwashing Day. Global Communities, in…
Read MoreGlobal Communities Celebrates International Day of the Girl 2019
By Sarah Goddard #DayoftheGirl #GenerationEquality #unstoppable Twenty-five years ago, the World Conference on Women in Beijing marked a significant turning point for global gender equality with the recognition of the rights of women and girls as human rights. Today, there are movements to stop child marriage and gender-based violence, promote girls’ education, and end stigma…
Read MoreU.S. Partnerships with Women Promote Economic Growth in Northern Ghana
This article was originally published on the US Embassy of Ghana Website Tamale, GHANA— Since 2014, over 96,000 women in northern Ghana saved USD $7.8 million – or about 42,659,747 cedis – and invested the money to improve the health, education, nutrition, and economic opportunities of their families. Last year, Nanumba North received 98% in…
Read MoreGrowing Healthy Food, Connections through School Gardens
When Peter Masaju started a school garden at Suguti A Primary School in Musoma District, Tanzania, he planted the seeds for more than just healthy, homegrown vegetables. He also created an opportunity for parents to feel more rooted in their children’s day-to-day school experiences. “For the past seven years, I have not witnessed such a…
Read MoreDo As Your Neighbors Do – Save Money
Watching their neighbors setting up small businesses as an outcome of Village Savings and Loans Associations, these women decided they, too, would like to use this tool to overcome poverty and diversify incomes. This is the last part of the four-part series. You can read the beginning here, the second part here and the third part here. Pathways to…
Read MoreAccessing Credit for Medical Bills and School Fees
Through the RING VSLA intervention, women in Kitoe-Nkwanta are now able to access credit to meet pressing financial needs. Many women have been able to start a trade, pay off medical bills and school fees – economic gains that were previously impossible. This the third part of the 4-series story. Take a look at the…
Read MoreFrom a Single Parent with Disabilities to a Role-model and Businesswoman
This is the second part of the four-parts series. Read the beginning here: https://is.gd/AORh4l In many rural communities of Northern Ghana, farmers depend on a single rainy season for the family’s annual food and income. As an added security measure, men often rear small ruminants or poultry, to supplement their farming revenue. Strong management of…
Read MoreCan Equity be Built in Traditional Families?
Nimgbor Wuninyun (center) and his wives Adjoa (left) and N-Munankpor (right), of Tikarni Community in Kpandai District, each understand and appreciate the benefits of participating in the Gender Model Family activity. Photo Credit: Clarissa Heger, Gender and Social Protection Advisor, Global Communities RING As in many parts of the world, traditional gender norms strongly dictate…
Read MoreZambian Mother-Turned-Activist Joins Fight Against Cervical Cancer
Globally, one woman dies of cervical cancer every two minutes. In Zambia, Project Concern International (PCI) is working to put an end to these tragic and untimely fates. Since 2011, with support from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), PCI has been able to provide life-saving screenings and treatment to more than 25,000…
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