Tagged: Locally led development

  • Young leaders spark climate action in Cambodia

    On a sunny August day in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, a dozen people ages 15–24 sit in a circle on the grass outside of the Prek Leap National Institute of Agriculture. They aren’t discussing the latest viral video or school gossip. Rather, they are exploring how communication strategies can help their families, peers and communities understand the negative effects of some of Cambodia’s most environmentally damaging behavior trends — and how they can live more environmentally friendly lives.

    Continue reading

    Putting opportunity within reach

    While the pace of change around the world has been accelerating rapidly over the last few decades, the pandemic-related lockdowns that began in 2020 precipitated unprecedented transformations.

    Those lockdowns destroyed the livelihoods of those with the fewest resources, throwing global supply chains and economies into uncertainty. But we also witnessed the breathtaking speed of vaccine development that saved the lives of millions, and leaps in technology such as telehealth and artificial intelligence are making near-daily breakthroughs.

    There were breakthroughs in the international development sector as well, where organizations were forced to rethink the ways they provided assistance. FHI 360 has employed locally led development approaches for decades. But when we were cut off from many of our traditional ways of working, we witnessed how much local organizations could deliver and how much we could rely on them — frankly, much more than the sector had realized.

    Continue reading

    Meeting the moment

    As I take the helm at FHI 360, I find myself reflecting on John Norris’ authoritative history of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), The Enduring Struggle. It points to the many accomplishments made possible through the funding and genius of USAID and its countless partners around the world. FHI 360 has contributed greatly to many of these successes, most notably in health, where we have helped combat deadly diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV and made modern contraceptives widely accessible.

    Continue reading