CARE
Catholic Medical
   Mission Board
Catholic Relief
   Services
ChildFund
   International
Concern Worldwide
Counterpart
   International
Curamericas Global Episcopal Relief &
   Development
Food for the Hungry
Freedom from
Hunger
Future Generations
Global Health Action
GOAL
Handicap
   International

Health & Development International
Health Alliance
International

HealthRight
International
Helen Keller
International
Hesperian Health
Guides

IMA World Health
International Medical
   Corps
International Relief & Development
International Rescue
   Committee
Medical Care Development
Medical Teams
   International

Medicines for

Humanity
Mercy Corps
Operation Smile
Partners for
   Development
PATH
Pathfinder
   International
PCI
Plan International
   USA
PSI
Project C.U.R.E
Project HOPE
Relief International
Salvation Army
   World Service Office
Samaritan's Purse
Save the Children
WellShare
   International
White Ribbon Alliance
World Relief
World Renew
World Vision

ASSOCIATE

ORGANIZATIONS

American College of
   Nurse-Midwives
CBM-US
Christian Connections
   for International
   Health
Community Partners
   International
D-Tree International

Edesia

eHealth Africa

FHI 360

Institute for

Reproductive Health

at Georgetown

University

Global Alliance to

Prevent Prematurity

and Stillbirth

(GAPPS)

Grandmother
Project
ICF International

International Union
   Against
   Tuberculosis &
   Lung Disease
IntraHealth
   International
Jhpiego

Johns Hopkins
   Bloomberg School
   of Public Health-
   Department of
   International Health

Johns Hopkins

Center for

Communication

Programs

JSI Research &

Training Institute, Inc

Liverpool Associates
   in Tropical Health
Loma Linda
   University School of
Public Health- Department of Global Health

Medair

Medtronic Philanthropy

Planet Aid

United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)

University Research
Co., LLC (URC)
Women's Refugee
Commission

INDIVIDUAL

ASSOCIATES

William Brady
Jean Capps
Loretta Dostal

Kayt Erdahl
Carrie Foti
Paul Freeman

Christy Gavitt

Devasena
Gnanashanmugam

Lenette Golding
Ruth Hope

Adelbert James
Susan Kingston
Bonnie Kittle
Grace Kreulen
Sue Leonard

Judy Lewis
W. Meredith Long
Karen McClure
Judiann McNulty
Leonora Nyawata
Marydean Purves
Jessica Rockwood
Donna Sillan
Joanne Spicehandler

Circey Trevant
Doreen Weatherby
Sandra Wilcox
Anne Wilson

Happy New Year!

CORE Group hopes everyone had an enjoyable holiday season and new year celebration.

We are proud of and grateful to our partners for all the accomplishments they helped us achieve in 2014 and look forward to 2015's activities.

Elhadji Issakha Diop (photo by JSI)

Essential Newborn Action Training of Trainers conducted

December 8 - 12, 2014

Washington, DC

CORE Group, JSI, and Helen Keller International brought together 23 participants from 11 countries for a weeklong, participatory Training of Trainers Workshop in the updated Essential Nutrition Actions and Essential Hygiene Actions Practices for health workers and community volunteers.

The training accelerated partners' use of the practical Essential Nutrition Actions toolkit globally by developing new cadres of trainers with mastery of the content, behavior change communication techniques, and learner-centered methodologies. A TOPS Microgrant funded the training. CORE Group is editing the curriculum based on participant comments, and it will be available at our website by the end of January.

CORE Group's Fall 2014 Global Health Practitioner Conference brought together 205 individuals from 89 organizations and five countries. The first day of Strengthening Community Health Systems through CHWs and mHealth, featured five concurrent sessions, three lunchtime roundtable discussions, a plenary focused on the theme, and 15 new info circuits. A review paper was developed from the conference highlighting new learning and next steps across three areas: community-based systems within national health frameworks; the vital role community health workers (CHWs) play in strengthening community-based health systems; and the use of mobile technology for capacity strengthening, support, and improved CHW performance.

A half-day symposium on Ensuring Equity for Non-Communicable Diseases in Women's Health Throughout the Lifecourse was held in partnership with the Taskforce on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Women's Health. Sessions featured community education and mobilization and integrating NCDs into clinical services. A series of next steps focused on advocacy followed. An afternoon seminar on the Essential Care for Every Baby Training Module was provided by the Maternal and Child Survival Program and American Academy of Pediatrics.

Visit the website to see the agenda and view videos from the conference.

CORE Group presents two workshops at The Network: Towards Unity for Health Conference

November 19-23, 2014

Fortaleza, Brazil

Karen LeBan and Judy Lewis, CORE Group's Executive Director and Board Chair, respectively, presented two workshops at the Women and Health Taskforce and The Network: Towards Unity for Health annual conference. The participatory workshops elicited recommendations and better practices for strengthening implementation research through partnerships among academic institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and communities. Mary Mikhail from Global Health through Education, Training and Service (GHETS) and Godwin Aja from Babcock University in Nigeria joined the CORE Group representatives.

CORE Group holds panel at 2014 APHA Annual Meeting

November 17, 2014

New Orleans, La.

Morrow, Bath, Weiss, Lewis, and d'Harcourt at the APHA Meeting

A CORE Group panel presented on Working together to improve community health around the globe for a Monday session at the American Public Health Association's 142nd Annual Meeting and Exposition. The event was held November 15-19. Panel representatives were Judy Lewis with the University of Connecticut and CORE Group Board Chair, Gillian Bath with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Jennifer Weiss with Concern Worldwide, Emmanuel d'Harcourt with the International Rescue Committee, and Melanie Morrow with the Maternal and Child Survival Program.

The panelists discussed the importance of partnerships between NGOs and the U.S. government in improving global public health and how CORE Group's tools and member network contribute to reducing maternal and child deaths and expanding community health.

CORE Group and MCSP host Community Health Worker Forum

November 12, 2014

Washington, DC

USAID's flagship Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) called this meeting to inform its Community Health workplan activities so they are complementary to other USAID-supported activities.

The daylong event consisted of presentations and small group discussions on key communication needs surrounding Community Health Worker (CHW) programs, such as the definition of a CHW. Participants also reviewed the CHW Reference Guide and Case Studies and recommended creative ways to disseminate the vast amount of information it contains. The day concluded with updates on partners and their work, including new resources on CHWs that are available on http://www.chwcentral.org. Forty one individuals from more than 20 organizations attended.

Consortium Management Workshop held

November 6, 2014

Washington, DC

With funding from USAID TOPS, CORE Group hosted a one-day Consortium Management workshop with participants primarily working in food security to discuss how to better align programs across agencies, improve decision making, and develop a common learning agenda. Both one-day and two-day curricula useful for the global and country levels will be available in mid-January.

Dr. Pieter Ernst receives 2014 Dory Storms Award

October 16, 2014

Washington, DC

Since 2001, CORE Group has presented a dynamic individual impacting children's health through non-governmental organizations with the annual Dory Storms Child Survival Recognition Award. The award is named after Dr. Dory Storms, who led the USAID-funded Child Survival Support Project based at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Pieter Ernst received the 2014 honor for his work in creating and disseminating the Care Group Approach, an effective volunteer- and community-based delivery strategy for improving maternal, neonatal, and child health in high-mortality, resource-constrained settings. Dr. Ernst moved to Mozambique from his native South Africa in the 1990s, implementing the first Care Group project with World Relief from 1995-1999 in Gaza Province. The project trained 1500 volunteers in 141 Care Groups, reaching 34,000 children under five and women of reproductive age in a total population of 91,200 people. Dr. Ernst also oversaw a second Child Survival Program (CSP) from 1999-2003 and the follow-on Expanded Impact Project from 2004-2009. An independent mortality assessment of the population reached by the second CSP measured infant and under-five mortality reductions of 49% and 42%, respectively. Dr. Ernst continues to work with World Relief in Mozambique.

Dr. Ernst sent a recording of his remarks as he was unable to attend the 2014 Fall Global Health Practitioner Conference in person.

Care Groups Policy Guide published

July 31, 2014

CORE Group, with support from USAID TOPS, published a paper for policy makers and donors on An Effective Community-based Delivery Strategy for Improving Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health in High-Mortality, Resource-Constrained Settings following a Technical Advisory Group Meeting on the Implications of Current Innovations, Scale-up and Research of Care Groups. The meeting was held May 28-29 in Washington, D.C. The 10-page guide covers what Care Groups are, why they're important, and their effectiveness and costs in being conducted and adapted in different countries.

Ethiopia Resilience Meeting discusses climate change

December 2, 2014

Washington, DC

Tim Frankenberger, president of TANGO International,

spoke of how pastoralist populations in Ethiopia are adapting to climate change and handling shocks that affect poverty, food security, and children's nutritional status in their areas. Frankenberger conducted an evaluation of Pastoralist Areas Resilience Improvement and Market Expansion (PRIME), a USAID-funded project working on food security; household incomes; and resilience to stressful, changing situations. His talk presented results from the Resilience Impact Evaluation of PRIME, which he conducted. Greg Collins, Deputy Director of the Resilience Secretariat of USAID, moderated the talk. One key evaluation finding is resilience appears to be higher among pastoralists versus agro-pastoralists and non-pastoralists.

CORE Group, USAID, TOPS, and TANGO International co-sponsored the talk. Frankenberger's full evaluation will be available online soon.

TOPS hosts workshop on strengthening food security

August 21-21, 2014

Harare, Zimbabwe

The CORE Group TOPS Knowledge Management team worked with the USAID/Office of Food for Peace in Zimbabwe to plan and run a workshop to strengthen the impact of food security in the country through stakeholder learning and planning.

The USAID/Zimbabwe Knowledge Summit: Lessons Learned drew 58 attendees who included staff from local and international NGOs; Zimbabwean government officials; and representatives from USAID, the European Union, the United Nations, and the UK's Department for International Development.

Thanks to our Fall Conference sponsors

Core Group appreciates the following organizations' support in making the two-day event possible:

Edesia

Hesperian Health Guides

Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

JSI

Maternal and Child Survival Program

Vecna Cares

New staff join CORE Group

CORE Group is pleased to welcome Community Health and Civil Society Advisor, David Shanklin, and Communications and Partnerships Manager, Whitney Isenhower. Shanklin comes to CORE Group after consulting and working with ChildFund International, and Isenhower most recently assisted polio campaigns in Cameroon.

You can read more about their backgrounds on CORE Group's staff page.

Save the date for 2015 Food for Peace meetings

January 12, 28, and February 11, 2015

Washington, DC

Food for Peace will hosts a series of public consultations in early 2015. The three, half-day meetings offer a space for private voluntary organizations to provide insight and suggestions on the revised Food for Peace strategy, with each day focusing on a different topic. Sessions will be held at the FHI 360 Conference Center.

You can visit the FSN Network site to register for the meetings.

Please note the January 12th meeting will be rescheduled due to inclement weather.

Watch recent webinar recordings

Ebola & Nutrition: How Programs Are Responding and the SBC Tools they are Using (12/17/2014)

Supply Chain Management Tools for CHWs: Getting the Data You Need to Manage Stocks (10/28/2014)

Applying Learning Principles to Our Work in the World: A Two Part Series (9/11/2014, 9/30/2014)

ENGAGE-TB: Integrating Community-Based TB Services into the Work of NGOs and other CSOs (8/26/2014)

What Factors Affect Sustained Adoption of Clean Water and Sanitation Technologies: A Systematic Review of Literature (8/25/2014)

Make the Most of Your Membership

and the Community Health Network!

As a CORE Group Member or Associate, your peers and you can connect with individuals and agencies dedicated to advancing community health and ending maternal and child deaths. Please help us spread the power of learning and sharing by getting organizations, colleagues, and yourself involved through:

Joining CORE Group on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter for the latest Community Health updates and event announcements.
Inviting your colleagues to sign up for Working Group listservs, Interest Group listservs, the CG Community listserv, or the eNewsletter.
Planning a webinar to share an important topic with the Community Health Network. CORE Group provides logistical, promotional, and technical support.

Help CORE Group advance community health worldwide

Donate now to contribute to CORE Group's mission of advancing community health worldwide.

CORE Group is a proud member of the Combined Federal Campaign: CFC # 81108

DBA: Health for underserved women, children, and communities worldwide.

ABOUT CORE GROUP: CORE Group improves and expands community health practices for underserved populations, especially women and children, through collaborative action and learning. Established in 1997 in Washington, D.C., CORE Group is an independent 501(c)3 organization and home to the Community Health Network, which brings together CORE Group member organizations, scholars, advocates, and donors to support the health of underserved mothers, children, and communities around the world.

Please renew or join membership with CORE Group in 2015.

Visit us at www.coregroup.org.

For inquiries, contact us at contact@coregroupdc.org