Millennium Water Alliance Welcomes Global Communities as Newest Member

This press release was originally published on the Millennium Water Alliance website.

Washington, DC, October 28, 2020 – The Millennium Water Alliance Board of Directors has approved the membership of Global Communities, a development and humanitarian assistance organization with operations in 26 countries in the Western  Hemisphere, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, as the newest member of the Alliance.

“At a time of unprecedented global health challenges, Global Communities looks forward to working with the Millennium Water Alliance to advance safe hygiene and access to clean water for communities around the world,” said David A. Weiss, CEO of Global Communities. “We see opportunities to learn from MWA’s highly respected members, to share our experiences and innovations, and to strengthen our voice in the critical water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector in Washington and globally.”

Global Communities is committed to working in partnership with communities to bring about sustainable change that improve the lives and livelihoods of the vulnerable. Innovation in rural water and sanitation infrastructure and WASH behavioral change are among its areas of expertise. In April 2020, Global Communities, headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, merged with Project Concern International.

In addition to WASH, Global Communities is focused on food security and agriculture, economic development, civil society capacity, financial inclusion, health, governance, and urban management. Global Communities strengthens local systems and capacity to advance locally-led responses to development challenges and achieve sustainable impact.​

Also, Global Communities has in-house expertise in systems strengthening for WASH governance, market creation, private sector engagement  and entrepreneurship, and integrating WASH with nutrition and other health services, agriculture and food security, and youth and women’s empowerment. Global Communities is a very active national advocate on U.S. government development policy and funding.

“We are delighted to welcome Global Communities to MWA’s growing and diverse membership,” said MWA Executive Director Keith Wright. “Global Communities has expertise across a wide range of sectors, and can share with MWA members their technical expertise in integrating global health, food security, and governance.”
MWA, founded in 2003 and headquartered in Washington, DC, now has 19 member organizations, working in a total of more than 90 countries around the world.

Current Global Communities WASH programs include:

The USAID/Ghana WASH 4 Health program, which seeks to accelerate sustainable improvement in water and sanitation access and to improve hygiene behaviors in target districts. The work includes improved household sanitation, improved community water supply services, improved sector governance and policies, key hygiene behaviors, leveraged public-private partnership investment, and infrastructure for schools and health facilities.

The Honduras Dry Corridor Micro-Watershed Management and Conservation project works with local and regional governments and communities to protect, maintain and/or restore the flow of water in terms of quality and quantity.  This program generates investments and improves management of river micro-basins in the western departments of La Paz, Intibucá, and Lempira to provide sustainable access to water for both consumption and irrigation. Global Communities helps ensure environmental compliance, gender equality, accessibility measures for people with special needs, and sustainability of water resources.

Global Communities is also working on WASH in humanitarian settings in Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia, and Malawi.
Learn more about Global Communities’ WASH programming.