What's New for the CORE Group Community: Summer 2015 eNewsletter

American College of Nurse-Midwives
Christian Blind Mission-US
Community Partners International
D-tree International
Edesia
eHealth Africa
FHI 360
Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS)
Grandmother Project
ICF International
Institute for Reproductive Health, Georgetown University
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
Living Goods
Loma Linda University School of Public Health-Department of Global Health
Medair
Medtronic Philanthropy
Partners of the Americas
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)
University Research Co., LLC (URC)
Women's Refugee Commission

INDIVIDUAL

ASSOCIATES

Susan Aradeon
William Brady
Jean Capps
Loretta Dostal
Paul Freeman
Christy Gavitt
Devasena Gnanashanmugam
Lenette Golding
Kamden Hoffman
Ruth Hope
Adelbert James
Yun Hee Kang
Sandra Keller
Susan Kingston
Bonnie Kittle
Grace Kreulen
Judy Lewis
W. Meredith Long
Karen McClure
Judiann McNulty
Leonora Nyawata
Shana Paterson
Marydean Purves
Jessica Rockwood
Graciela Salvador-Davila
Donna Sillan
Joanne Spicehandler
Circey Trevant
Doreen Weatherby
Sandra Wilcox

Complete the 2015 Communications Survey

CORE Group created a short communications survey to get feedback on how you use CORE Group services and tools, as well as your understanding of our Community Health Network.

You can complete the survey online here, and it should take about 10 minutes. The survey will close September 30 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

The Fall 2015 Global Health Practitioner Conference is happening October 8-9 in Washington, D.C. The theme is Trending Topics in Community Health. October 8 will feature a keynote presentation on Implications of the Sustainable Development Goals for Community Health Programming, led by Moses Ngulube, with World Vision's Southern Africa Regional Office, and A. Tianna Scozzaro, with the Sierra Club. The first day will also feature four concurrent sessions, two separate times for Working Group discussions, a new information circuit showcase, and a social networking reception. October 9 is a one-day workshop on Be havior Change in the Age of Complexity: Implications for Monitoring and Evaluation, hosted by CORE Group's Social and Behavior Change Working Gr oup.

Online regist ration closes September 30, and on-site registration is open October 8 and 9.

View Draft Agenda .

Submit content for the next Member Highlights eNewsletter

CORE Group's first Member Highlights eNewsletter came out in Summer 2015 . We're now accepting submissions for the Fall 2015 eNewsletter, which are due September 15 by 11:59 p.m. EST. Please submit items online here.

FSN Network hosted several facilitation events

August 17 & 5, July 20, and June 18, 2015

The TOPS FSN Network Knowledge Management Task Force hosted four facilitation events this summer:

Two Mini-workshops on Participatory Facilitation Techniques on August 17 and July 20. The curriculum for these workshops was based on one CORE Group developed and used in the Facilitation Techniques to Make Working Groups Lively and Fun! session that was held prior to the Spring 2015 Global Health Practitioner Conference.

Considerations for Planning Hybrid Events with Online and In-Person Participation on August 5

Virtual Meetings: Participatory Approaches to Facilitating Meetings Online on June 18

Follow-up Twitter workshop held

July 15, 2015

Washington, DC

The TOPS FSN Network Knowledge Management Task Force and CORE Group hosted The Twitter Toolbox: A Hands-on Workshop. Participants learned how to build professional connections on Twitter, condense ideas to be tweet-length friendly, and promote their organizations' and their own personal brands. The workshop was an extended version of one originally held on November 12, 2014.

Food for Peace hosted USAID consultations

June 25 and April 22, 2015

Washington, DC

The TOPS Program and CORE Group hosted two USAID Office of Food for Peace consultations:

USAID Consultation on the FY2016 RFA Refine and Implement Pilot in the Democratic Republic of Congo
on June 25. This consultation followed on the original "Refine & Implement" consultation held on August 7, 2014.

USAID/FFP Consultation for Environmental Compliance Budgeting Toolkit on April 22. The TOPS Program facilitated a consultation designed to solicit feedback on the draft toolkit, Aligning Budgets for Implementing Environmental Compliance Safeguards in USAID Development Food Assistance Programs. Based on comments, the toolkit was updated and is available online.

CORE Group Spring Conference held in April

April 13-17, 2015

Alexandria, VA

The Spring 2015 Global Health Practitioner Conference, Advancing Community Health Across the Continuum of Care, drew 311 participants from 93 organizations and 11 countries. The April 13-17 event had a keynote address from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Dr. Sara Bennett, who spoke on the theme's relevance to health systems. In total, the event had 24 concurrent sessions, 20 new info circuit tables, five lunchtime roundtables, five plenary sessions, and a poster session. Additionally, a speed networking session took place and there was a social networking reception. Two pre-conference workshops were held on April 13: 1) Facilitation Techniques to Make Working Groups Lively and Fun! and 2) Community Health in Conflict Settings: Trauma-Aware Programming and Practice.

Keynote speaker Dr. Sara Bennett talks with presenter and attendee, Anthony Kisanga, the CORE Group Polio Project Secretariat Director in South Sudan.

View the report, session descriptions, and other conference resources online here.

Two new staff members join CORE Group

CORE Group welcomes Erin Murray, our Manager of Network Operations, and Adrienne Toleda, our Knowledge Management Coordinator.

Erin manages CORE Group's office operations, membership, and event planning for conferences and webinars. She previously worked in operations and administration for non-profit organizations, including a D.C. charter school, an alternative energy association, and an international educational non-profit.

Adrienne supports both CORE Group and the TOPS Program with online content creation and management, event planning, and overall community engagement through the FSN and Community Health Networks. She previously worked with content creation, media outreach, and events management with non-profit and non-governmental organizations, including Accion International, The African Foundation for Development, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Make Me a Change Agent guide published

The TOPS Program and CORE Group published Make Me a Change Agent:
A Multisectoral SBC Resource for Community Workers and Field Staff
in June 2015. The social and behavior change guide offers lessons for workers
on the ground to use communication, storytelling, and other techniques to promote behavior change in international development.

Ebola CARE Group Module posted online

Along with several member organizations and partners, CORE Group released the Ebola Care Group Module, with five lesson plans, in June 2015. The plans are designed for use in countries with active Ebola outbreaks and cover what to do during a declared epidemic; what to do when someone has Ebola; recovery and decontamination steps; and community support for Ebola orphans, survivors,
and affected family members.

Four additional lesson plans on preventing and preparing for Ebola, for use in countries without active Ebola cases, should be completed by the end of 2015.

Gender-sensitive Food Security resources available

CORE Group, the TOPS Program,
WI-HER, and USAID published both a technical resource brief and guide on Enhancing Nutrition and Food Security during the First 1,000 Days through Gender-sensitive Social and Behavior Change in April 2015. The guide offers a rationale, critical actions, best practices, resources, and tools for integrating gender-sensitive social and behavior change into project activities. It's intended for development practitioners to use with pregnant and lactating women and children under two.

Revised Nutrition Program Design Assistant published

Version 2 of the Nutrition Program Design Assistant: A Tool for Program Planners was released in April 2015. The updated guide and workbook help organizations design the nutrition component of their community-based maternal and child health, food security, or other development program, focusing on prevention and recuperation for acute malnutrition. This version includes the new 1,000 days and Scaling Up Nutrition initiatives, revisions to the World Health Organization micronutrient guidelines, and new program guidance from donors.

CORE Group, the FANTA III project, FHI 360, Save the Children, and USAID co-produced the guide.

Updated Nutrition and Hygiene Framework published

An updated Essential Nutrition Actions and Essential Hygiene Actions Framework came out in April 2015. There are separate training guides and reference manuals for community workers, as well as health workers and nutrition managers, which are accompanied by an overview flyer.
The framework can be used for advocacy, planning, training, and delivery of an integrated package of interventions to reach the high coverage (>90%) needed to achieve public health impact.

A French version of the documents will be available by the end of 2015.

Save the Date!

Spring 2016 Global Health Practitioner Conference

May 16 - 20, 2016

Portland, Oregon

Watch recent webinar recordings

SBC Journal Club: "Why Do Evaluations of eHealth Programs Fail? An Alternative Set of Guiding Principals" (8/13/2015)

Should an Emphasis on community participation be an essential part of all community level Child Survival Programs? (7/1/2015)

SBC Journal Club: "Social Networking to Maximize Population Behaviour Change: a cluster randomized controlled trial" (6/10/2015)

Measurement of Social Capital (5/20/2015)

Using the TIPs methodology for IYCF formative research (5/12/2015)

SBC Journal Club: The Power of Heuristics (4/29/2015)

Enhancing Nutrition and Food security during the first 1000 days through gender-sensitive social and behavioral change (4/28/2015)

Make the Most of Your Membership

and the Community Health Network!

As a CORE Group Member or Associate, 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