Why do certain educational reforms endure and flourish while others fade away, or only take root in specific schools or with certain teachers? What does it truly require to maintain new teaching practices at large scale over the long haul? In a concerted effort to answer these questions, earlier this year Chemonics spearheaded a collaboration…
This case study focuses on changes in how the USAID/Ukraine Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities (AGRO) Activity team manages their relationships with local partners, handles communications, and continues to learn and adjust to maintain progress in project activities in response to instability caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine. CLA approaches have helped AGRO adjust to changing…
In fragile and conflict-affected regions, development projects encounter unique difficulties that require innovative solutions. The USAID Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities (AGRO) project, which Chemonics began implementing in 2019, was designed to accelerate the economic development of rural Ukrainian communities with the greatest need through a better governed agricultural sector that encourages more productive, modern, and…
Viktoriia Gultai is the Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Advisor on the USAID Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities Activity (AGRO) in Ukraine.
In the face of rapid urbanization and ongoing political unrest, Ethiopia’s secondary cities face significant challenges in meeting citizens’ needs while contending with overstretched resources, especially for essential WASH services. Ensuring that strong and reliable WASH services are available to everyone is paramount, especially within vulnerable communities. In addition, water and sanitation services must adapt…
Lagos, Nigeria is a densely populated city with rapidly growing urban and peri-urban areas and over 200 informal settlements that pose unique challenges for water supply access. These challenges are exacerbated by poor performance of existing water utilities, inadequate public financing, insufficient water infrastructure, and lack of revenue generation. The lack of access to safe…
Trust is a vital but often overlooked element of international development. Whether in formal spaces such as state healthcare or informal projects like community campaigns, trust has the power to make or break development initiatives. If those involved in a project trust each other, the chances of its success and sustainability are vastly improved. Yet…
Trust flavors our life choices. It lays the foundations of our social and professional relationships. It colors the way we engage with organizations, services, and people. Globally, trust in public institutions appears to be decaying. The ‘fake news’ phenomenon has damaged perceptions of traditional media. The COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to widespread vaccine hesitancy, in some…
“Research enables us to identify how best to address the challenges that impact society. The good thing is that governments are starting to acknowledge the potential for research to drive national development.” Joy is unequivocal, and her belief in her work is easy to see. “This is my passion: ensuring that evidence can impact policy…
Dr. Jennifer Simpson is a highly driven and accomplished research and evaluation expert, experienced in study design, ethics, project management, data management, new business, and community-led development. At Chemonics, she leads development, testing, and quality improvement of applied research methods, with an emphasis on design and development of priority learning agendas, and development of rigorous…
How do we build inclusive spaces when developing geospatial services? How can we ensure that the services developed by SERVIR benefit all of society—particularly the most vulnerable—in the context of a rapidly changing climate? SERVIR applies a user-centric and collaborative approach to answer these questions, applying Earth observations, geospatial science and technology to address development…
Recently discovered reserves of natural gas and minerals have bolstered Mozambique’s economy. With 13 million Mozambicans living in poverty, many citizens have yet to feel the benefits of increased national prosperity, further eroding trust in government. Boosting provision of and access to health, education, water, and sanitation public services will not only help address pressing…