In May, our Cacao for Development (C4D) program shared its progress at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) headquarters in Washington, D.C. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Associate Administrator, Clay Hamilton, and Partners' President & CEO, John McPhail, led the opening remarks. During the presentation, the C4D Chief of Party, Pablo Ramirez, shared key findings on Colombian cacao farmers' living income, the existing poverty gap, and how C4D addresses and strengthens farmers' livelihoods through its robust agricultural extension and complementary crop strategy. 

In May, Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Volunteer Bo Sterk supported Bodles Research Station's Apiculture Unit in Jamaica as an Apiculture Woodwork Specialist. He trained stakeholders on the proper procedures involved in the manufacturing of beekeeping equipment. If you are interested in participating in a F2F assignment and traveling to one of our host countries, please email farmertofarmer@partners.net with your resume or CV attached.

This month, Partners’ U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL)-funded Palma Futuro project started its final evaluation. The assessment, led by an external contractor and conducted in close collaboration with both Partners and USDOL, seeks to identify the impact of the project's efforts to promote compliance with labor rights and the prevention of child labor and forced labor in the palm oil sectors of Colombia and Ecuador. The evaluation consists of interviews, surveys, and focus groups held with the project’s private sector partners and workers in the palm oil industry across both countries. Once the data collection phase concludes, results will be analyzed and conclusions will be drawn to provide USDOL and Partners with a holistic understanding of the successes and lessons learned from the project. 

On May 3, 2023, our 100,000 Strong in the Americas program launched its first Alliance for Climate Action (100K CLIMA) grant competition. This 100K Innovation Fund competition, generously supported by CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, is designed to support innovative, inclusive training and exchange programs for students through strategic, institutional partnerships between the U.S. and Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Learn more.

During May, USAID education experts visited Medellín and Barranquilla, Colombia, to participate in our Juntos Aprendemos project's strategies. They were impressed by the importance of youth-led activities in Medellín and the achievements of Accelerated Educational Models in Barranquilla. Through interactions with students and teachers, experts witnessed the profound impact of Juntos Aprendemos in enhancing education and fostering positive development for both youth and their communities in Colombia, reaffirming the project's significance.

In honor of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee held an event on May 22, 2023, with Partners' staff to celebrate our cultural diversity, promote dialogue, and embark on a development journey together. Staff from around the world were invited to virtually share their stories, listen to others, and engage in conversations in a diversity of languages. 

Venezuelan children and adolescents can access the educational system in Colombia, regardless of their documentation or immigration status, but they face challenges to educational inclusion. In 2023, our Juntos Aprendemos program continues to strengthen Accelerated Educational Models to help Venezuelan children and adolescent migrants and refugees overcome alienation and feel included in schools.

Marelvis Cotes Ramírez has been teaching at an agricultural school that serves over 200 students from five surrounding Wayuu Indigenous villages in La Guajira, one of the poorest departments in Colombia. These five Indigenous communities face the critical and complex challenges of water scarcity and contamination. Looking for ways to address these realities, the school and Fundación María Luisa requested our Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer and water quality specialist, Jan Surface, to provide trainings for teachers like Cotes on applicable water management, desalinization, and purification techniques to teach their students and families.

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.