Submitting guest blogs is open to Global Washington’s members of the Atlas level and above. We value a diversity of opinions on a broad range of subjects of interest to the global health and development community.
Blog article submissions should be 500-1500 words. Photos, graphs, videos, and other art that supports the main themes are strongly encouraged.
You may not be the best writer, and that’s okay. We can help you shape and edit your contribution. The most important thing is that it furthers an important conversation in your field, and that it is relatively jargon-free. Anyone without a background in global development should still be able to engage with your ideas.
If you include statistics or reference current research, please hyperlink your sources in the text, wherever possible.
Have an idea of what you’d like to write about? Let’s continue the conversation! Email comms@globalWA.org and put “Blog Idea” in the subject line.
Posted on August 15, 2024
By Betsy Hale, Latina America Pod Chair
New Guatemala Grant Partners
A small ad hoc committee led by Janet Pearson met several times to identify new partners in Guatemala. We surveyed POD members to gather input and interests, reached out to key Guatemala NGO informants, and came up with organizations that seem to be a good fit. We requested Organizational Profiles from two organizations: Voces y Manos and Na’ leb’ ak.
We decided to invite Voces y Manos, an organization started by graduates of our former grant partner, Fundacion Nueva Esperanza to apply for the remaining dollars that we have in 2024. Voces y Manos promotes youth leadership, funds internships in agroecology, climate change mitigation, and land conservation and reforestation work.
Guatemala Site Visit 2024
Site visit planning for Guatemala is underway for October 10-17. The group will attend the Central America Donors Forum that takes place right before and will provide excellent connections and context for our visit. We will travel to the town of Rabinal, where we will meet Voces y Manos and Na’leb’ak who we will consider for 2025. We will also visit existing grant partner Taa’Pit in San Pablo la Laguna on Lake Atitlan.
Grant Partner Update
Taa’ Pi’t, located on the shores of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, is focusing currently on nutritional and agricultural education, a demonstration garden to teach traditional Mayan agricultural practices. They promote a Mayan cosmovision based on respect and interdependence with the natural world.
UNOSJO in the Sierra Norte region of the state of Oaxaca has launched a new initiative: A summer workshop on popular education based on respect for local knowledge and an indigenous perspective. The workshop targets teachers. In September they will build on the popular education model and offer a four-month certificate entitled Gender and Agroecology for Zapotec women.
Posted on July 25, 2024
By Tracey Compton, Senior Media and Communications Coordinator, Mercy Corps
June 2023, Al Zubaireya, Jordan. Ahmad Al Habahbeh, 54, next to the greywater system at his home. Photo: Ezra Millstein/Mercy Corps
The global climate crisis is shrinking water reserves and making access to clean water difficult. One in three people do not have access to safe drinking water, and two out of five lack basic hand-washing facilities. In addition, overarching water insecurity – too little, too much, or too dirty water – is increasing in scale, scope, and impact as a result of climate change. Yet, the path to clean water in climate-insecure contexts is achievable, as Mercy Corps and Xylem Watermark found in Jordan. The two organizations will share the blueprint to their success at next month’s World Water Week in Stockholm.
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Posted on July 19, 2024
By Hassan H. Ibrahim Mohamed, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator, Gargaar Relief and Development Organization – GREDO
Eel-Adow Borehole Constructed by GREDO in Eel-Adow Village 15 kilometers outside Baidoa.
Access to clean, safe, and reliable water remains one of the most pressing challenges in Somalia. With a significant portion of the population relying on unprotected and contaminated water sources, the need for comprehensive and sustainable water sector development is paramount.
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