Winter 2014/2015
In This Issue
Happy New Year!
Essential Newborn Action Training of Trainers conducted
CORE Group hosts Fall Global Health Practitioner Conference
CORE Group presents two workshops at The Network: Towards Unity for Health Conference
CORE Group holds panel at 2014 APHA Annual Meeting
MCSP and CORE Group host Community Health Worker Forum
Consortium Management Workshop held
Dr. Pieter Ernst receives 2014 Dory Storms Award
Care Groups Policy Guide published
Ethiopia Resilience Meeting discusses climate change
TOPS hosts workshop on strengthening food security
Thanks to our Fall Conference sponsors
New staff join CORE Group
Save the date for 2015 Food for Peace meetings
Watch recent webinar recordings
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Anne Wilson
Happy New Year!

CORE Group hopes everyone had an enjoyable holiday season and new year celebration.

We are proud of and grateful to our partners for all the accomplishments they helped us achieve in 2014 and look forward to 2015's activities.

Elhadji Issakha Diop (photo by JSI)
Essential Newborn Action Training of Trainers conducted 

December 8 - 12, 2014

Washington, DC


CORE Group, JSI, and Helen Keller International brought together 23 participants from 11 countries for a weeklong, participatory Training of Trainers Workshop in the updated Essential Nutrition Actions and Essential Hygiene Actions Practices for health workers and community volunteers.

 

The training accelerated partners' use of the practical Essential Nutrition Actions toolkit globally by developing new cadres of trainers with mastery of the content, behavior change communication techniques, and learner-centered methodologies. A TOPS Microgrant funded the training. CORE Group is editing the curriculum based on participant comments, and it will be available at our website by the end of January.


CORE Group's Fall 2014 Global Health Practitioner Conference brought together 205 individuals from 89 organizations and five countries. The first day of Strengthening Community Health Systems through CHWs and mHealth, featured five concurrent sessions, three lunchtime roundtable discussions, a plenary focused on the theme, and 15 new info circuits. A review paper was developed from the conference highlighting new learning and next steps across three areas: community-based systems within national health frameworks; the vital role community health workers (CHWs) play in strengthening community-based health systems; and the use of mobile technology for capacity strengthening, support, and improved CHW performance.

A half-day symposium on Ensuring Equity for Non-Communicable Diseases in Women's Health Throughout the Lifecourse was held in partnership with the Taskforce on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Women's Health. Sessions featured community education and mobilization and integrating NCDs into clinical services.  A series of next steps focused on advocacy followed. An afternoon seminar on the Essential Care for Every Baby Training Module was provided by the Maternal and Child Survival Program and American Academy of Pediatrics.

 

Visit the website to see the agenda and view videos from the conference.

CORE Group presents two workshops at The Network: Towards Unity for Health Conference

November 19-23, 2014

Fortaleza, Brazil

 

Karen LeBan and Judy Lewis, CORE Group's Executive Director and Board Chair, respectively, presented two workshops at the Women and Health Taskforce and The Network: Towards Unity for Health annual conference. The participatory workshops elicited recommendations and better practices for strengthening implementation research through partnerships among academic institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and communities. Mary Mikhail from Global Health through Education, Training and Service (GHETS) and Godwin Aja from Babcock University in Nigeria joined the CORE Group representatives.

CORE Group holds panel at 2014 APHA Annual Meeting

November 17, 2014

New Orleans, La.

Morrow, Bath, Weiss, Lewis, and d'Harcourt at the APHA Meeting
A CORE Group panel presented on Working together to improve community health around the globe for a Monday session at the American Public Health Association's 142nd Annual Meeting and Exposition. The event was held November 15-19. Panel representatives were Judy Lewis with the University of Connecticut and CORE Group Board Chair, Gillian Bath with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Jennifer Weiss with Concern Worldwide, Emmanuel d'Harcourt with the International Rescue Committee, and Melanie Morrow with the Maternal and Child Survival Program.

 

The panelists discussed the importance of partnerships between NGOs and the U.S. government in improving global public health and how CORE Group's tools and member network contribute to reducing maternal and child deaths and expanding community health.

CORE Group and MCSP host Community Health Worker Forum

November 12, 2014

Washington, DC

 

USAID's flagship Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) called this meeting to inform its Community Health workplan activities so they are complementary to other USAID-supported activities.

 

The daylong event consisted of presentations and small group discussions on key communication needs surrounding Community Health Worker (CHW) programs, such as the definition of a CHW. Participants also reviewed the CHW Reference Guide and Case Studies and recommended creative ways to disseminate the vast amount of information it contains. The day concluded with updates on partners and their work, including new resources on CHWs that are available on http://www.chwcentral.org. Forty one individuals from more than 20 organizations attended.

Consortium Management Workshop held

November 6, 2014

Washington, DC

 

With funding from USAID TOPS, CORE Group hosted a one-day Consortium Management workshop with participants primarily working in food security to discuss how to better align programs across agencies, improve decision making, and develop a common learning agenda. Both one-day and two-day curricula useful for the global and country levels will be available in mid-January.

Dr. Pieter Ernst receives 2014 Dory Storms Award

October 16, 2014

Washington, DC

 

Since 2001, CORE Group has presented a dynamic individual impacting children's health through non-governmental organizations with the annual Dory Storms Child Survival Recognition Award. The award is named after Dr. Dory Storms, who led the USAID-funded Child Survival Support Project based at Johns Hopkins University.

 

Dr. Pieter Ernst received the 2014 honor for his work in creating and disseminating the Care Group Approach, an effective volunteer- and community-based delivery strategy for improving maternal, neonatal, and child health in high-mortality, resource-constrained settings. Dr. Ernst moved to Mozambique from his native South Africa in the 1990s, implementing the first Care Group project with World Relief from 1995-1999 in Gaza Province. The project trained 1500 volunteers in 141 Care Groups, reaching 34,000 children under five and women of reproductive age in a total population of 91,200 people. Dr. Ernst also oversaw a second Child Survival Program (CSP) from 1999-2003 and the follow-on Expanded Impact Project from 2004-2009. An independent mortality assessment of the population reached by the second CSP measured infant and under-five mortality reductions of 49% and 42%, respectively. Dr. Ernst continues to work with World Relief in Mozambique.

 

Dr. Ernst sent a recording of his remarks as he was unable to attend the 2014 Fall Global Health Practitioner Conference in person.

Care Groups Policy Guide published

July 31, 2014

 

CORE Group, with support from USAID TOPS, published a paper for policy makers and donors on An Effective Community-based Delivery Strategy for Improving Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health in High-Mortality, Resource-Constrained Settings following a Technical Advisory Group Meeting on the Implications of Current Innovations, Scale-up and Research of Care Groups. The meeting was held May 28-29 in Washington, D.C. The 10-page guide covers what Care Groups are, why they're important, and their effectiveness and costs in being conducted and adapted in different countries.
Ethiopia Resilience Meeting discusses climate change

December 2, 2014

Washington, DC

 

Tim Frankenberger, president of TANGO International, 
spoke of how pastoralist populations in Ethiopia are adapting to climate change and handling shocks that affect poverty, food security, and children's nutritional status in their areas. Frankenberger conducted an evaluation of Pastoralist Areas Resilience Improvement and Market Expansion (PRIME), a USAID-funded project working on food security; household incomes; and resilience to stressful, changing situations. His talk presented results from the Resilience Impact Evaluation of PRIME, which he conducted. Greg Collins, Deputy Director of the Resilience Secretariat of USAID, moderated the talk. One key evaluation finding is resilience appears to be higher among pastoralists versus agro-pastoralists and non-pastoralists.

 

CORE Group, USAID, TOPS, and TANGO International co-sponsored the talk. Frankenberger's full evaluation will be available online soon.

TOPS hosts workshop on strengthening food security

August 21-21, 2014

Harare, Zimbabwe


The CORE Group TOPS Knowledge Management team worked with the USAID/Office of Food for Peace in Zimbabwe to plan and run a workshop to strengthen the impact of food security in the country through stakeholder learning and planning.

 

The USAID/Zimbabwe Knowledge Summit: Lessons Learned drew 58 attendees who included staff from local and international NGOs; Zimbabwean government officials; and representatives from USAID, the European Union, the United Nations, and the UK's Department for International Development.
Thanks to our Fall Conference sponsors

Core Group appreciates the following organizations' support in making the two-day event possible:






New staff join CORE Group

 

CORE Group is pleased to welcome Community Health and Civil Society Advisor, David Shanklin, and Communications and Partnerships Manager, Whitney Isenhower. Shanklin comes to CORE Group after consulting and working with ChildFund International, and Isenhower most recently assisted polio campaigns in Cameroon.

 

You can read more about their backgrounds on CORE Group's staff page.

Save the date for 2015 Food for Peace meetings

January 12, 28, and February 11, 2015

Washington, DC

 

Food for Peace will hosts a series of public consultations in early 2015. The three, half-day meetings offer a space for private voluntary organizations to provide insight and suggestions on the revised Food for Peace strategy, with each day focusing on a different topic. Sessions will be held at the FHI 360 Conference Center.

 

You can visit the FSN Network site to register for the meetings.

 

Please note the January 12th meeting will be rescheduled due to inclement weather.

Make the Most of Your Membership
and the Community Health Network!

As a CORE Group Member or Associate, your peers and you can connect with individuals and agencies dedicated to advancing community health and ending maternal and child deaths. Please help us spread the power of learning and sharing by getting organizations, colleagues, and yourself involved through:
  • Joining CORE Group on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter for the latest Community Health updates and event announcements.
  • Inviting your colleagues to sign up for Working Group listservs, Interest Group listservs, the CG Community listserv, or the eNewsletter.
  • Planning a webinar to share an important topic with the Community Health Network. CORE Group provides logistical, promotional, and technical support.

Donate now to contribute to CORE Group's mission of advancing community health worldwide.

CORE Group is a proud member of the Combined Federal Campaign: CFC # 81108

DBA: Health for underserved women, children, and communities worldwide.  
ABOUT CORE GROUP: CORE Group improves and expands community health practices for underserved populations, especially women and children, through collaborative action and learning. Established in 1997 in Washington, D.C., CORE Group is an independent 501(c)3 organization and home to the Community Health Network, which brings together CORE Group member organizations, scholars, advocates, and donors to support the health of underserved mothers, children, and communities around the world.

Please renew or join membership with CORE Group in 2015.

 

Visit us at www.coregroup.org.


For inquiries, contact us at contact@coregroupdc.org