Illuminating Lebanon in Its Darkest Times

Water will soon flow again in Majdel Aanjar. And for that, local residents can thank an innovative new program that harnesses the power of the sun. The small farming community in northeastern Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley — equidistant from Beirut and Damascus, the respective capitals of Lebanon and Syria — has suffered from a severe water…

Fernando Calado

Fernando Calado is a migration and human rights expert with over 20 years of experience managing complex donor programs and over 15 years of implementation in Colombia. A three-time Chief of Party for USAID-funded programs, he currently serves as the IDIQ manager for the $160 million USAID/Colombia Venezuela Response and Integration Activity (VRI) and Chief…

Mauricio Lopez

Mauricio Lopez is a project leader with more than 25 years of experience promoting economic and financial access to vulnerable populations in Colombia, including 14 years supporting USAID activities that focused on vulnerable populations, including migrants, from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Mauricio is currently the Chief of Party for the $40 million USAID/Colombia…

Sergio Barraza

Sergio Barraza is a private sector development specialist with more than 12 years of experience designing and implementing projects that promote the economic integration of vulnerable communities and developing sustainable value chains in urban and rural areas. Sergio is currently the Deputy Chief of Party – Technical for the $40 million USAID/Colombia Economic Integration in…

Parvez Asheque

Parvez Asheque is a finance and private sector engagement specialist with more than 20 years of experience in health system strengthening, resource mobilization, and market development.

Rethinking Technical Assistance in Rapidly Changing Socioeconomic Environments

Lebanon is passing through the toughest economic and financial crisis of its history, starting in October 2019 and still ongoing. The country’s GDP has shrunk from $52 billion in 2019 to $22 billion in 2021, due to the combined impacts of regional politics, high levels of public waste and corruption, COVID-19, and the 2020 Beirut…

Championing Migrants’ Integration in Colombia

More than 2 million Venezuelans have migrated to Colombia since 2016, fleeing social, economic, and political hardship in search of employment and essential services. This massive population influx, coupled with sizeable numbers of Colombian returnees displaced by 50 years of armed conflict, has acutely strained public and private services and systems, particularly in urban areas…