Global Communities works at the intersection of humanitarian
assistance, sustainable development and financial inclusion to save
lives, advance equity
and secure strong futures. They support communities at the forefront
of their own development in more than 30 countries, partnering with
local leaders, governments, civil society and the private sector to
achieve a shared vision of a more just, prosperous and equitable global community.
San Diego is the heart of the organization’s United States programming, where Global
Communities implements a diverse portfolio of work that focuses on
ensuring all communities access equitable, high quality and culturally
congruent supports in areas of health, safety, education and economic opportunities.
Some of their current and past projects in San Diego include:
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Healthy Start: Funded by the U.S. Health Resources and
Services Administration, this project provides free prenatal and
childbirth education, postpartum and breastfeeding support, with a
focus on Black families and immigrants in San Diego County, seeking
to improve birth outcomes and support early child development.
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Human Trafficking Prevention Initiative: Global Communities’
Human Trafficking Prevention Initiative addresses the problem of
human trafficking through raising awareness, building coalitions and
empowering youth to prevent the problem before it begins. Through
Project ROOTS, Global Communities educates and empowers at-risk
youth ages 8-13 and addresses the root causes of gender-based
violence, sexual exploitation and unhealthy relationships. Project
ROOTS is one of the three interventions in the San Diego Trafficking
Prevention Collective, an initiative to bring human trafficking
awareness and prevention education to every school district across
the county. In addition, Global Communities created the Employers
Ending Exploitation Alliance, a coalition to leverage the collective
power of the local business community to diminish human trafficking
in San Diego.
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COVID-19 Response Program: From August 2020 to June 2022,
Global Communities’ COVID-19 Response Program addressed health
equity issues across San Diego County by offering contact tracing
and providing vaccine education and outreach services through
partnerships with the County of San Diego Health & Human
Services Agency, San Diego Foundation and San Diego Wellness
Collaborative.
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Community Health Worker Training: Since 1999, Global
Communities has been instrumental in the development of programs to
train and deploy the community-based health workforce in San Diego,
having helped establish the Community Health Worker (CHW)
Certification Program at San Diego City College, a 10-week CHW
Leadership Academy to prepare individuals to pursue CHW careers.
Most recently, the organization started a Birth Worker Initiative
designed to increase access to high quality and respectful birth
support through a culturally diverse and language appropriate health
workforce in San Diego County. Global Communities organizes doula,
childbirth and lactation educator trainings, including coaching and
mentoring, to achieve this goal.
