From July 24-27, 2023, the Home Office in Washington, D.C. held an in-person all-staff gathering with about 60 Home Office staff, including those from our Colombia and Mexico Country Offices, as well as the Board of Directors. The gathering focused on team-building and strategic planning, and concluded with the International and Foundation Board Meetings. We look forward to coming together in person again in October to keep building valuable connections across the organization.

In June 2023, our Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteer, Jo Anne Cohn, supported the women's coffee farmers' association, Aroma de Campo in Colombia. She worked alongside the association to define a business plan for their coffee shops initiative, and provided training in business administration and marketing principles. The association now has a concrete road map to implement their business plan and members strengthened their entrepreneurial skills.

On July 17, 2023, our Cacao for Development (C4D) program held the first Circle of Knowledge of Cacao and Complementary Crops event live on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook. The event sought to establish a regional community of practice to coordinate efforts and investments and shared preliminary results of the project. 

Last month, the Frente Auténtico del Trabajo (FAT), an implementing partner of Partners’ U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL)-funded Mexico Awareness Raising Project (MAP), held a meeting of union leaders and labor experts in Oaxaca, Mexico. FAT, with the support of MAP, coordinated the event, inviting key labor actors, such as the U.S. lead labor attaché in Mexico, along with 66 union leaders and representatives. Participants discussed the status of implementing the 2019 Mexican Labor Reform, the function of local labor conciliation centers across Mexico, and the experiences of various unions in Oaxaca in legitimizing their collective bargaining agreements.

On June 29, 2023, our Juntos Aprendemos project hosted a webinar on the rights of Venezuelan students in Colombia. The event, which was co-hosted by the Colombian Ministry of Education and Voices of Venezuela, covered topics such as access to education, permanence in school, and regularization of immigration status. Over 100 people participated in the discussion, which provided a valuable opportunity to increase awareness of the rights of Venezuelan migrant and refugee students. The speakers clarified frequent doubts and presented clear pathways for Venezuelan students to access education in Colombia.

In July, our 100,000 Strong in the Americas program continued its call to register for a capacity-building workshop at the Conference of the Americas on International Education. The event will discuss effective practices for expanding international student mobility and competing successfully for 100K grant resources on November 8, 2023.

On July 20, 2023, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee and the Community & Volunteer Engagement Unit held the event, “Disability Projects in the Americas" to share the importance of disability rights and to commemorate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the U.S. During the event, our District of Columbia and Yucatán, Mexico Chapters shared how they are working to improve the lives of people with disabilities through their projects, including lessons learned and success stories.

As a benefit to all of our Chapter members across the Americas, members can book professional meeting spaces for free at our Washington, D.C. Home Office. All of our conference and meeting rooms are perfect for trainings, meetings, and events. Our newly renovated spaces are equipped with medium-to-large tables, comfortable seats, high-quality video-conferencing technology, wireless internet, and well-stocked coffee and tea stations. Individual members can also use one of our “hot desks,” which are individual offices with chairs and monitors that connect to your laptop. When Chapters visit D.C., they will have a place to convene and change lives. Please email membership@partners.net or click here for more information.