JUNE NEWSLETTER
Stay safe, we are in this together! The Partners Community virtually came together from across the Americas to wish everyone safety and wellness during this difficult time. Watch now!
  • Use a Face Fabric Covering to Help Slow COVID-19 Propagation (May 22, 2020) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides information in Spanish about the importance of wearing face masks in public, how to use your mask safely, and how to properly clean it. 
  • Breathing Through COVID-19 – This article shows breathing exercises to follow in order to help reduce and manage your anxiety during this health crisis. The page details every step with images and addresses questions about the benefits of each exercise. 
  • COVID-19 Tips for Keeping Kids Safe During This Summer (June 18, 2020) – Fun can still happen this summer while staying safe. This article answers helpful questions parents may have on how to keep children in good health. 
Child Protection Unit
On Friday, June 12, 2020, the CPU commemorated the  World Day Against Child Labor 2020 , with the theme, "Protect children from child labor, now more than ever." This year, the annual observation of the World Day Against Child Labor (WDACL) focused on the impacts of COVID-19, as the health crisis is anticipated to result in increased rates of child labor. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF, the number of people in extreme poverty is projected to rise by at least 20 percent in 2020 and poverty commonly leads to increased rates of child labor, as households use every available means to survive. To commemorate the day, the CPU’s U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL)-funded Colombia Avanza and Palma Futuro projects virtually attended a webinar held by the Ministry of Labor in Colombia with keynote remarks by President Iván Duque to share the projects’ efforts in response to COVID-19. Throughout the week, our USDOL-funded project Paraguay Okakuaa shared messages to promote WDACL and its focus on COVID-19 and provided relevant resources for its network. Through extensive communications campaigns regarding COVID-19 prevention and reporting, the CPU continues to mitigate the pandemic's effects on rural communities and agricultural sectors of Paraguay and Colombia. In late June 2020, Colombia Avanza published its Digital Press Kit that includes information about Colombia Avanza, its allies, testimonies, and success stories. To learn more about the CPU’s continuous efforts to address child labor during COVID-19, read our  blog and USDOL's blog .
Economic Development and Health Unit
The Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) and AVOP teams continue to provide support to farmers, small and medium enterprises, and entrepreneurs throughout Latin America and the Caribbean through remote technical assistance. The F2F program is currently working with 31 volunteers who are providing support and guidance to hosts in each of the F2F core countries through Zoom webinars, interactive presentations, document sharing, brainstorming sessions, and more. A few assignments of note:

• Melissa Delzio, Rob Alan, and Peter Buechler are supporting Yogi Super Foods  (YSF) in Guatemala to build out their online presence by updating their website and designs for their products to make them marketable in an online space.

• Michael Lowery is supporting Black Genesis Bees with strategic planning for his apiary and honey processing plant in Jamaica. Through document sharing, Q&A, and brainstorming sessions, Michael and Black Genesis Bees are making substantial changes to their business model to increase the production of local Jamaican honey.

• Robert Spencer and Myriam Kaplan-Pasternak are supporting CEPROR in the Dominican Republic to provide value-added processing for rabbit-based products. Robert has conducted trainings on sausage production from rabbit meat while Myriam has advised CEPROR on pelts processing from rabbit fur and tails.
Membership Unit
In 2020, Partners would like to congratulate 18 Chapters for achieving milestone anniversaries. These include nine Chapters celebrating 55 years, two Chapters celebrating 35 years, and seven PartnersCampus Student Chapters celebrating five years within the Network.


55 Years
Alabama Chapter
Arkansas Chapter
Colorado Chapter
Illinois Chapter
Wisconsin Chapter
Capítulo de Minas Gerais, Brasil
Capítulo de Paraíba, Brasil
Capítulo de Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Capítulo de São Paulo, Brasil

35 Years
Capítulo de Chile
Washington Chapter
 
5 Years
PartnersCampus Colegio Militar Antonio Nariño, Colombia
PartnersCampus Universidad de La Guajira, Colombia
PartnersCampus Universidad de la Salle, Colombia
PartnersCampus Panamá, Panamá
PartnersCampus Universidad de San Andrés, Argentina
PartnersCampus Universidad del Atlántico, Colombia
PartnersCampus Universidad del Norte, Colombia
 

Congratulations to all! Partners looks forward to celebrating with you and to many more years of making a difference.
Education and Global Citizenship Unit
On June 24, 2020, the U.S. Alumni Network and Capacity Program launched its first virtual event, “How to Sell Your International Experience” as part of Career Connections Global+. The event is a series of virtual professional development sessions bringing together U.S. alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs with expert career coaches, professionals from diverse fields, and international leaders. Whether exchange alumni are changing careers, looking to advance, or just starting out, these sessions provide invaluable opportunities to network with leaders in their communities. The 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund (100K) hosted a webinar on June 25, 2020, to discuss cutting-edge practices in virtual/online program development and delivery with a focus on Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), which was developed at the State University of New York (SUNY). Panelists included 100K program leaders from various higher education institutions to share lessons learned and best practices. In July, the EGC Unit will promote Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 for quality education as a part of the International Day of Education for Global Citizenship. In 2014, the United Nations declared July 18 as this day " to empower learners of all ages to assume active roles, both locally and globally, in building more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive and secure societies.”
Kansas and Paraguay Chapters Strengthen Communities During COVID-19 and Beyond
The Comité Paraguay Kansas (CPK) and Kansas Paraguay Partners (KPP) Chapters are developing new ways to support activities and strengthen communities during the pandemic and beyond. These relationships forged through more than 50 years of collaboration are empowering and gratifying during these current challenges.
Combatting Child Labor During COVID-19 on the World Day Against Child Labor 2020
As a crisis that heavily impacts vulnerable populations, the COVID-19 pandemic could push millions of vulnerable children into child labor. On the World Day Against Child Labor (WDACL) Partners commemorates its dedication to preventing child labor in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Child Labor: The Response to the Current Situation in Colombia
"We cannot be passive spectators in circumstances where thousands of children and adolescents in the region are at risk of seeing their rights violated." Eduardo Bejarano, the director of our Colombia Avanza and Palma Futuro projects writes that we must take concrete, responsible, and quantifiable actions to combat child labor in Colombia.
COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean: Together We Can
Since the start of COVID-19, epicenters of the virus have moved across borders, across continents, and across hemispheres. Now, as of mid-May, Latin America is the newest region suffering from the most cases of and subsequent deaths due to the novel-coronavirus. Will this health crisis lead to another lost decade in Latin America and the Caribbean?
Open Job Opportunities
Partners of the Americas is hiring! We are currently seeking a Chief Financial Officer, IT Support Specialist, Chief of Party, Monetization Agent, and a CPU Monitoring and Evaluation Officer.
Open Internship Opportunities
Partners of the Americas is looking for interns! We are seeking a 2020 IT Intern, EDH Intern, CPU Fall Intern, Comm Fall Intern, Program Development Intern, Finance and Accounting Intern, and a Business Management Intern to join our team.