This brief highlights key learnings for policymakers from research that explores AfriScout and the causal impact of two intervention models designed to support pastoralists in Ethiopia and Kenya.

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In honor of World Health Worker Week, meet Margaret Odera of Kenya, a devoted community health worker (CHW) and mentor mother who has helped hundreds of HIV-positive women in her community deliver and raise children free of HIV.

IntraHealth International, a Global Communities Partner, first met Margaret in 2019. She has since shared her experience as a CHW at more than 25 events, including with global and national policymakers. In 2021, she founded the Community Health Workers Champions Network — the first network in Kenya to unify and mobilize CHWs in the country to advocate for fair pay and professionalization. She is now working on her social work degree and is currently a community health expert for policy/strategy.

Last year, Margaret received the Community Health Champion Award from CORE Group at the Global Health Practitioners Conference. Read her acceptance speech below to learn more about what inspired her to take this path and the vital role CHWs play in the local and global health system.  

I’m very much honored to be here. I never knew that I would live to see a day like this coming to light. It reminds me of around 20 years ago, when I avoided the services of a CHW, because I had tested HIV-positive, and a pastor chased me out of a church after I had failed to be healed by his prayers. That pastor said to me, “Tuonane mortuary”— Swahili for “See you at the mortuary.”

When I got out of that church, I made up my mind that I was going to wait for my death in my house alone. I disconnected myself from the world, from my family, from everybody, and I waited for my death to come. Suicidal thoughts hovered around my mind.

But there was a CHW who spotted me several times because I looked sick and emaciated. I avoided her completely. And one day I was tired of her following me up and down. I told her, “Get out of my house.” But when she stood at the door, she said, “Margaret, what if God has just delayed your cure? What if God wants to heal your mental health?” And when those words pierced into my soul, I sat down. And she came back and said, “Margaret, you cannot give up. I cannot let you die. I cannot let you give up.” 

And now I’m here 20 years later with three HIV negative sons. And my husband is also HIV negative. What a great work that a CHW did that a doctor couldn’t. They couldn’t handle me because my mindset had to be changed. So that is the power of a CHW. 

I am now a CHW and a mentor mother, mentoring HIV-positive pregnant and lactating mothers. And seeing their children now at a place where they can do their KCPE and their KCSE [Kenyan certificates for primary and secondary education], healthy and HIV negative, is my satisfaction as a mother myself.

I am honored today to stand here, to represent my fellow CHWs, and want to take the opportunity to emphasize the vital role we play in the local and global health system. We are agents of change. By recognizing and including CHWs in planning and execution, we can create more effective public health responses. 

This is now the third time I am standing before you all. The first award I received in 2019 was the USAID award of Mental Mother of the Year. The second one was the Heroine of Health Award in 2022 that fueled my passion for advocating for CHWs, 70% of whom in Kenya are women. Now I am honored to be receiving this third award, sending me to buckle up and continue building the health workforce better. 

I will follow the footsteps of my professor, Wangari Maathai, who says, “Start where people are.” And I am starting again where my community is, and where my fellow CHWs are, to advocate for the rights of the CHW and the community members at large, for equity in distribution of health resources.

And with more new health threats facing the world today, there is no more time to lose. The time for action is now. My life is a proof that CHWs save lives. Let us professionalize CHWs. Let us give CHWs the chance for career progression. Let us pay CHWs fairly. And let us stop the corporate injustice, because 70% are women, and women are natural caregivers. Let us pay these women, and empower us as CHWs to build the health workforce back better. 

This post originally appeared on VITAL, IntraHealth International’s site for news & commentary about the global health workforce.

Partners for Good is an occasional series showcasing the extraordinary individuals, corporations, organizations and subsidiaries who are integral to our mission at Global Communities. Their unique expertise, generous investments and collaborative spirit are instrumental in driving positive change around the world. Together, we’re working towards a future where opportunities are expanded, crises give way to resilience and all people thrive.

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The post Cooperatives Hold the Key to Increasing Resilience to Shocks appeared first on Global Communities.

Global Communities through the USAID Cooperative Development Program -Cooperative Leadership Engagement Advocacy and Research (CLEAR) program, partnered with the United States International University – Africa (USIU-A) to conduct a 5-year longitudinal research study on the dynamics of social capital within the context of agricultural cooperatives in Kenya. 

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Global Communities through the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) Cooperative Development Program (CDP) known as Cooperative Leadership Engagement Advocacy and Research (CLEAR) project, partnered with the United States International University-Africa (USIU-A) to conduct a five-year longitudinal research study on the dynamics of social capital within the context of agricultural cooperatives in Kenya.

Cooperatives are a dynamic force for self-determination, and they contribute to creating communities where all people including women and youth have an opportunity to improve their livelihoods. Cooperatives go where for-profit businesses will not, they provide economic opportunities and services in places that others find unprofitable or too risky.

The research was aimed at ascertaining the role that cooperatives play in the resiliency of cooperative members, as organizations and communities against external shocks. While development interventions in Kenya show real progress over time, unfortunate external shocks could limit growth and sustainable human development in affected communities.

The five-year longitudinal research unraveled the role of cooperatives in strengthening communities and building resilience against various external shocks such as drought, election-driven violence, floods, insecurity, cattle rustling, and human and animal diseases, among others.

The post Cooperative Resilience Longitudinal Study in Kenya appeared first on Global Communities.

One phone call changed Jacinta’s future. In 2015, a college friend told her about a renewable solar energy training program provided by Arizona University and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She left her career as an engineer and aviation teacher in Mombasa County, Kenya, to pursue the opportunity.

Jacinta and the five women in her class completed the solar training program in 2016. Upon graduation, they recognized the challenges of working in a male-dominated field. Rather than get discouraged, they decided to stick together and form a cooperative.

In 2017, the group formalized the Women in Sustainable Energy & Entrepreneurship (WISEe) worker cooperative. WISEe provides members with solar photovoltaic (PV) system installation and entrepreneurship training. Additionally, they learn about saving and credit groups and receive assistance from the county cooperative office.

WISEe’s first project was to install solar energy boxes in schools. We Share Solar, an American non-governmental organization, provided Jacinta and her colleagues with solar panels. The cooperative installed solar products in 10 schools not scheduled to be connected to the national power grid.

Through the partnership with Global Communities, WISEe has seen a tremendous growth in our business structures and how we conduct services.

Jacinta, WISEe member

Wanting to provide members with additional benefits and services, WISEe engaged with Global Communities’ Cooperative Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy and Research (CLEAR) Program, funded through USAID’s Cooperative Development Program.  The objective of establishing a CLEAR membership was to strengthen the business acumen and performance of cooperative businesses while integrating and empowering youth and women within the cooperative’s structure. WISEe members received training on cooperative development including capacity building, financial management, governance and marketing. WISEe is working to update its strategic business plan with support from Global Communities to benefit the cooperative’s expanding membership. As part of this initiative, WISEe has started a successful intervention with digital marketing and bulk messaging.

Since 2017, WISEe has grown from its 10 founding members to over 50 and has two employees. WISEe serves as a beacon of hope for aspiring women entrepreneurs. Their commitment to sustainability, community empowerment and innovative business practices has positioned them as a leader in the cooperative sector. Through strategic partnerships and a focus on continuous improvement, WISEe is dedicated to making a positive impact on the environment and society, paving the way for a brighter future for all.

Learn more about the impact of the WISEe Worker Cooperative and its partnership with Global Communities in the video below.

This success story is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Global Communities and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

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Global Communities’ Cooperative Leadership Engagement Advocacy and Research (CLEAR)+ project (2023-2028), is a USAID funded Cooperative Development Program (CDP) aimed at advocating for the development of worker cooperatives with a focus on youth employment. CLEAR+ promotes the cooperative enabling environment and improved business strategies and performance through local Business Service Providers (BSPs) using a market systems approach (MSA). The project is committed to integrating core principles such as gender equality and positive youth development (PYD) into cooperative development. The CLEAR+ project has three primary objectives which work jointly to strengthen the cooperative systems in Kenya & Guatemala. 

The post Cooperative Development (CLEAR+) Program Project Brief appeared first on Global Communities.

Global Communities’ USAID-funded Cooperative Development Program (CDP) CLEAR Learning Agenda was designed to generate substantial evidence on effective strategies to foster a conducive environment for cooperative development in Kenya. The Learning Agenda’s primary objective was to offer insights to guide decision-making in program implementation and pave the way for the strengthening of cooperative businesses. A valuable lesson learned from the development of the CLEAR Learning Agenda was the significance of collaborative and intentional efforts and involving the right teams, which proved instrumental in achieving transformative outcomes. This collaborative approach — coupled with buy-in and support from program leadership — promoted positive learning mindsets among the team, initiated a culture of learning through pause-and-reflect, and fostered collective ownership and accountability for continuous improvement across program activities.

The CLEAR Learning Agenda had three key questions focusing on enabling conditions for cooperative enterprise development, effective capacity-building interventions for supported cooperatives (particularly worker cooperatives), and methods to integrate gender mainstreaming and enhance women’s participation in cooperative business activities. Findings have been elaborated on in the attached summary document that is available for download.

The post The USAID Cooperative Development Program CLEAR Learning Agenda Summary appeared first on Global Communities.

In partnership with Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI), CLEAR developed a comprehensive manual on worker cooperatives, as a valuable resource for development organizations, entrepreneurs, learning institutions, and the cooperative sector at large, aiming to deepen their understanding and knowledge of the worker cooperative model. The manual comprises nine modules, each focusing on key aspects of worker cooperative development: What is a Worker Cooperative? Worker Coop Legal Options and By-Laws; Worker Coop Management: Democratic Management and Workplace; Member Compensation; Financial Statement Storytelling; Clarifying Rights & Responsibilities; Governance and Decision-Making; Making Meetings Work and Personnel Systems.

These modules are designed to provide practical insights, tools, and guidance to facilitate the establishment and effective management of worker cooperatives. By leveraging this manual, stakeholders can enhance their capacity to create sustainable and thriving worker cooperative enterprises, contributing to inclusive economic growth and empowerment within their communities.

The post Cooperative Businesses: A Training Guide for Cooperatives & Developers appeared first on Global Communities.