2024 Member Spotlight: Global Communities
Jun 11, 2024
Growing from their Roots: Exploring the History and Future of Cooperative Development Programming at Global Communities
Global Communities’ history is deeply rooted in the cooperative movement. For over 30 years, they applied the cooperative model to help build 60,000 houses for people in need across 35 states in the United States. In 1962, their programming expanded to Central America and in the 1990s, they began working in Eastern Europe, still heavily focusing on cooperative housing. The legacy of this work was captured in 2017, nearly 20 years later! Last year, Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs, sat down with Ashley Holst, CLEAR+ Chief of Party, to chat about lessons learned from their rich cooperative history and how they are planning to apply them in CLEAR+. Explore Ashley’s insights in this Pass the Mic interview.
Driving Change: Youth-Led Worker Cooperative Transforming Kenya’s Automotive Industry
Rooted in the energy of young people, the Transparency Auto Worker Cooperative was created in 2022 by former automotive engineering students from the Eastlands College of Technology (ECT) in Nairobi County, Kenya. Read a story by Tindi Sitati and Mike Kipngeno to learn how the CLEAR program is responding to the pressing challenges of unemployment faced by youth in the East African country.
Generating Job Opportunities for Mountain Guides and Porters in Kenya
Nestled within the scenic landscapes of Nyeri County, Mt. Kenya Guides and Porters Safari Worker Cooperative stands as an inspiring example of the transformative influence of the worker cooperative model in Kenya’s tourism sector. Learn more about the cooperative and its partnership with Global Communities in this blog by Tindi Sitati and Mike Kipngeno.
Recycling Cooperative in Brazil Gets a Boost from Young People’s Communication Skills
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. Dive into this blog by Leticia Oliveira to learn how Global Communities Brazil and the John Deere Brazil Foundation have supported the Estação Reciclar cooperative in Montenegro, Brazil.
To learn more about Projeto Reciclar, explore the visual story A Day in the Life of Recyclers by Natalia López-Thismón.
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