Igniting Children’s Potential, One Bite at a Time: Reflections from the International Food Aid Showcase
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs Last month, Global Communities participated in the 2024 International Food Aid Showcase at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The showcase brought together diverse stakeholders representing all segments of the U.S. food assistance value chain—from farmers to implementing partners and government agencies. At the beginning of…
Read MoreMarÃa’s Harvest: Empowering Sustainable Farming and Drought Resilience in Honduras
MarÃa MartÃnez is a wife, mother, grandmother and producer of basic grains living in the Zacatustal, San Ramón, Choluteca community in Honduras. Her home is far from central markets which makes access to nutritious food a challenge. MarÃa received fencing wire, seeds and fertilizers from the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian…
Read MoreSchool Feeding Interventions as a Tool for Addressing Child Malnutrition: Experiences from Tanzania, Guatemala and Madagascar
By Betty Adera and Chloe Pan Malnutrition remains a pressing global issue, affecting millions of children and impeding their growth, development and well-being. It manifests in various forms, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity. Each form has severe consequences for children. In 2022, the World Health Organization estimated that globally, 149 million children under five…
Read MoreCharting a Safer Future: How Guatemala’s Communities are Preparing for Natural Disasters
The latest Humanitarian Needs Overview estimates that 75% of the Guatemalan population live in areas at risk of climate hazards. The Central American country is poised to experience hurricanes, tropical storms, landslides and earthquakes throughout 2024, yet only one-third of municipalities have planned how to handle the impact of these events and implement basic services.…
Read MoreDoses of Hope: Expanding Vaccine Access for Honduran Families
Immunizations are a cornerstone of global health, contributing to millions of lives saved. High vaccination rates limit the transmission of preventable diseases, protecting entire communities and mitigating outbreaks should they occur. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a stark reminder that strong immunization programs are essential for global health security. In July 2023, Global Communities launched…
Read MoreUnlocking Economic Empowerment: Insights from Gender Analyses in Guatemala and Kenya
By Chloe Pan Globally, nearly 2.4 billion women do not have the same economic rights as men, and on average, only have three-fourths of the legal rights. Harmful gender norms and discrimination present immense challenges to women’s access to economic opportunities. To discover more specific barriers to women’s economic access, gender analyses are conducted. Through…
Read MoreA Holistic Intervention to Overcome Multiple Barriers to Women’s Entrepreneurship in Guatemala
By Mabel Bejerano, Global Technical Advisor for Women’s Empowerment and Savings Groups Toribia – a 54-year-old mother of eight from the Western Highlands of Guatemala – has long been a leader in her family, who strives to make a consistent income with their land and livestock. Because families in the Western Highlands are typically producers…
Read MoreGuatemalan School Kitchens Reopen After COVID-19 Shutdown
By Chloe Pan For the first time in nearly four years, school meals are once again being prepared in Guatemalan school kitchens following their total or partial closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an important milestone for the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program,…
Read MoreHow to Develop Climate & Disaster Risk Finance Strategies: Reflections from the COP28
By Patricia Inga Falcón & Noah Steinberg-Di Stefano At the end of last year, more than 80,000 world leaders and climate justice advocates gathered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28). Since the first COP in Berlin in 1995, these…
Read MoreMother-Daughter Duo Hatch Success with Poultry Farming Business in Rural Guatemala
Elsa Carrillo and her daughter Debora have found that sometimes it’s worth it to put all your eggs in one basket – especially when you are selling both. With support from the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA) and Global Communities, the entrepreneurial duo learned how to leverage savings from…
Read MoreUniting 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 MoreHygiene Promotion Volunteers Help Make Clean Water Count in Communities
Until a few months ago, the community of El Bijao did not have access to clean and safe drinking water. Residents of the western Honduras village had to travel long distances to obtain the basic necessity, a journey which was exhausting and dangerous. Now, more than 80 families – around 380 individuals – are benefiting…
Read MoreBrainstorming Climate Adaptation and Resilience in Diverse Programming
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs & Chioma Okafor, Sr. Technical Advisor for Local Capacity Strengthening Last month InterAction held its annual Forum, which brought together organizations, changemakers and executives from the public, private and nongovernmental sectors to explore the most pressing issues facing the world today. Sarah Charles, who oversees the Bureau…
Read MorePass 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 MoreBuilding a Foundation of Hope: Supporting Guatemalan Households to Combat Shelter Challenges and Food Insecurity
Over the past few years, vulnerable communities in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, have faced the triple shock of COVID-19, prolonged periods of drought and increasingly severe hurricane seasons. In 2021 and 2022, heavy storms affected 44% of the population in the country, resulting in the evacuation of 78,877 people and placement of 14,757 in shelters. According to…
Read MoreRecycling Cooperative in Brazil Gets a Boost from Young People’s Communication Skills
By Leticia Oliveira An estimated 800,000 trash recyclers collect 90% of Brazil’s recyclables every day. Many Brazilian cities lack formal recycling programs, so catadores (recyclers) offer a crucial public service and play an important role in protecting the environment. Still, they remain largely undervalued in their communities. Forming a recycling cooperative is no longer a…
Read MoreImproving Urban Resilience through Insurance Innovations in Colombia
By Lizzie Hickman On July 4, 2023, the Earth saw its hottest day since at least 1979, highlighting the increasing impact of climate change and extreme weather patterns. MedellÃn, Colombia, is particularly at risk of climate-related disasters due to its terrain and rainfall patterns. Colombia ranks 10th in terms of economic risk posed by natural…
Read More