Partners of the Americas
Encyclopedia
Partners of the Americas Partners of the Americas was inspired by President of the United States
John F. Kennedy
, who in 1963 launched the Alliance for Progress
, a program of government-to-government economic cooperation across the Western Hemisphere. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
headquartered in Washington, D.C.
.
Today, Partners has evolved into 120 volunteer chapters
linked in 60 partnerships. Chapters in U.S. states form partnerships with chapters in countries or states in Latin America
and the Caribbean
. Each volunteer chapter is organized as a private, nonprofit institution with by-laws and regularly elected officers. Partnerships build cultural awareness, respect and camaraderie. They create and implement projects that improve the quality of life of others. And they become leaders in their respective communities.
Partners implements programs and supports local projects that encourage young people’s participation in the development of their communities and countries. Its programs instill democratic values and emphasize experiential learning that empowers youth to be protagonists in their own growth.
With one of the largest portfolios in the Americas dedicated to youth development, Partners is a proven leader in:
• Partnering with the private sector and governments to improve prospects for market-oriented employment.
• Providing youth with skills to help them access educational, social and economic opportunities.
• Designing and implementing methodologies that integrate the arts, culture, and sports.
• Identifying social and familial risk factors that prevent youth from reaching success.
• Bringing together young people from a variety of social, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds to foster understanding, respect and appreciation for diversity.
Youth Ambassadors
Funded by the U.S. Department of State, this program brings academically gifted and motivated high school students from underprivileged communities in Latin America to the United States. While in the U.S., they engage in new experiences, interact with local youth and families, learn about society and institutions, share their own culture and prepare for a lifetime of leadership and service.
Youth Leaders
Youth Leaders is a program that provides outstanding students from Peru and Venezuela the opportunity to participate in a four-week leadership and cultural exchange focused on learning about US institutions and society, and sharing their experience and knowledge with US peers. Upon their return, the Youth Leaders implement small projects based on lessons learned during the exchange. They will also share their experiences with friends and neighbors, creating a multiplier effect.
CADI-Joven
The CADI-Joven program inspired disadvantaged indigenous young leaders from urban and rural Guatemala to build better lives for themselves and their communities. Building on ten years of similar experience in other parts of Mesoamerica, Partners trained 500 youth leaders to enable them to access better work opportunities and serve as leaders in their communities.
Educar/Educare
This program creates formal and non-formal incentives for families to send their children to school instead of to work. Educar/ Educare supports after-school activities and training in interactive teaching methods, targeting an improved education for more than 10,000 children in three Northeast Brazilian states and Guyana. Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Educar/Educare helps kids have the childhood they deserve in accordance with international child rights standards and laws.
PAIR and POMMAR
In an effort to combat commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of Brazilian youth, the PAIR program brought together federal agencies, local governments, businesses and nonprofits to reduce the prevalence of this crime. POMMAR promoted improved services to at-risk children and youth, which included sexual violence prevention, HIV/AIDS education and vocational training. This program helped Brazilian institutions become better equipped to assist and mobilize their communities.
A Ganar/Vencer
Inspired by the famed Brazilian soccer player Pelé, Partners and the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank crafted a pioneering project that extends the impact of soccer and team sports to preparing youth for the workforce. Working in partnership with the private sector, A Ganar/Vencer provides youth with mentors and teaches the skills they need to find and keep jobs. The project has over 1600 at-risk youth participating in Brazil, Uruguay, and Ecuador.
CENTER FOR CIVIL SOCIETY
The Center was created in 2003 to increase the capacity of Latin American and Caribbean civil society organizations to effectively participate in democratic processes and to strengthen government institutions on a national, regional and/or hemispheric level. Partners believes that citizen engagement and inclusion in decision making processes are crucial to the long-term advancement, progression and sustainability of a democratic hemisphere as well as to the promotion of the rule of law, good governance
and institutional strengthening.
OUR MISSION
The Center is committed to strengthening and institutionalizing civil society participation in Latin America and the Caribbean and to promoting good and accountable governance and the rule of law.
HOW WE WORK
The Center works through field offices, strategic alliances with key stakeholders, the establishment of grant programs to local CSOs, hemispheric forums, and participation in regional networks.
We have received and successfully managed grants and subcontracts providing technical services from US government agencies, multilateral organizations, international institutions, and foundations.
The Center works with a range of actors and stakeholders from civil society and government institutions. We have established collaborative relationships with government officials at the local and national levels, CSOs, citizens, and regional networks.
For more information contact civilsociety@partners.net.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Justice Reform Partners’ Center strengthens the design, implementation, and monitoring of justice reform initiatives in the region by providing legal education programming; developing CSO technical skills in advocacy, legal services provision, and conflict resolution; incorporating gender perspective into rule of law and reform initiatives; and engaging community members and justice officials in deliberative dialogue on community justice needs and the development of strategies and policies to meet those needs. Partners’ Center also works to increase access to justice for traditionally excluded and marginalized groups, rural and indigenous populations, women, and youth.
Participatory Budgeting PB fosters civic education and local government legitimacy as citizens gain a greater understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and limitations of local governments, and the need to prioritize public demands. Partners’ Center provides technical assistance to local government officials and community leaders in the preparation and implementation of PB initiatives at various stages of the process, including needs assessments, participatory decision making, and project monitoring.
Local Governance and Community Development Increased interaction between government officials and the community results in better solutions to local needs, greater public confidence in local government and democratic processes, and institutional strengthening within government offices. Partners' Center works closely with government officials and citizens to build community and individual capacities and improve democratic processes through dialogue and cooperation.
Our publications are available as free downloads at http://www.partners.net/partners/Publications_EN.asp.
Networks Civil society networks facilitate collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and resources among CSOs in areas such as advocacy, service delivery, and capacity building. Partners’ Center supports civil society networks by mobilizing organizations, facilitating communication and information sharing, and building technical and institutional capacities.
Summits of the Americas As the intermediaries between citizens and governments, CSOs play an important role in the process of identifying issues and formulating policies at the hemispheric level. Partners’ Center has worked to strengthen civil society participation in the Summits of the Americas by facilitating CSO monitoring of Summit commitments at the national level, engaging CSOs and governments in dialogue, disseminating information, coordinating civil society forums, and hosting online deliberative dialogues.
PROVEN METHODOLOGIES
Organizational Management in order to meet financial and programmatic controls that are responsive to government requirements and donor needs.
Network building of organizations across the globe to meet and improve programmatic goals and achieve strategic interventions.
Participatory mechanisms tested throughout the hemisphere that meet local needs and are responsive to local realities.
Deliberation that facilitates dialogue, reduces conflict, and identifies common ground among stakeholders.
Grant programs that build CSO organizational and technical capacity and facilitate cross-border collaboration.
Appreciative Inquiry for the participatory design, monitoring, and evaluation of programming.
Research and theoretical analysis that reflects on the challenges facing civil society in the hemisphere and provides recommendations for future work.
Partners has arranged more than 20,000 exchanges for participants who represent the wide array of ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds that make up the citizenry of the Americas.
Through exchanges and fellowships, Partners provides insights into U.S., Latin American and Caribbean society, culture and institutions. These programs nurture the development of committed professionals, many of whom are today’s leaders in government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private businesses.
Exchange programs also foster enduring relationships and poise Partners to respond quickly to emerging issues:
● Two-way exchanges between Kansas and Paraguay led the University of Kansas to award in-state tuition to Paraguayans interested in studying in the Midwestern state.
● When HIV/AIDS first spread through the Caribbean, Partners volunteers were raising awareness of the disease before it became a worldwide concern.
PROVEN METHODOLOGIES
Partners offers extensive expertise in implementing and managing exchange programs, which include:
Participant Placement
Demonstrated experience in forging creative alliances between government and non-governmental organizations to respond to participants’ professional needs and interests.
Cross-Cultural Communication
The ability to communicate with counterparts from the Americas in their respective languages and in a culturally appropriate fashion.
Monitoring and Support
With a network of 120 chapters that work in partnership throughout the hemisphere, Partners has thousands of volunteers available to provide resources and support to participants living in foreign environments.
In addition, Partners has proven leadership in providing a range of practices to ensure dynamic and efficient exchange programs:
● Sound planning, monitoring, evaluation and follow-on procedures.
● Effective methods for selecting participants with the necessary technical and language qualifications.
● Online orientation tailored to the participants’ background and needs.
SALIENT FELLOWSHIP AND EXCHANGE PROGRAMS
American Government and Business
Fellows Programs
Fellowship programs that engage civil servants and private sector professionals in hands-on work at host entities. Participants exchange expertise and establish institutional linkages through their work in organizations throughout the Americas. Both programs are funded by the U.S. Department of State.
Education and Culture
Provides funds for travel and small projects designed to strengthen associations between educational institutions, foster increased participation in community affairs and increase awareness and sensitivity to cultural differences. More than 2,000 people have benefited from these grants in the past 20 years.
Youth Ambassadors/Youth Leaders
Cultural exchange programs, funded by the U.S. Department of State, which bring academically gifted and motivated high school students from underprivileged communities in Latin America to the U.S. Participants interact with local youth and families, learn about society and institutions, share their own culture and prepare for a lifetime of leadership and service.
Partners/Kellogg Fellows
Over 18 years, this program developed a cadre of leaders from throughout the hemisphere committed to collaborative grassroots work, social responsibility and volunteerism. A total of 400 fellows participated in the program.
Partners works in marginalized rural areas where access to resources is limited or absent. Through a variety of programs, Partners provides technical assistance in areas such as animal husbandry, aquaculture, vegetable production, marketing, farm management and environmental protection.
In particular, the USAID-funded Farmer to Farmer Program brings together agricultural professionals and practitioners from the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean to improve economic opportunities in rural areas by increasing food production, promoting better farm and marketing operations, improving agribusiness and conserving natural resources. Since 1991, nearly 1,100 U.S. agriculturists have worked in 17 countries throughout the hemisphere. The current program targets high-value crops and products with good potential in local, regional, and export markets
For instance, through this program Haiti revitalized its production of honey, a traditional part of the Haitian diet. When political destabilization met with blight that eliminated more than three-quarters of the bee population, the industry was paralyzed. Farmer to Farmer volunteers responded with seminars and field visits focused on bee management, including disease control. Just one year after the program began its work, more than 1,000 beekeepers returned to raising bees. Honey production jumped from three to seven gallons per hive – significant income for Haitian beekeepers.
In another successful endeavor, the Guyana Dairy Development Project (GDDP) impacted 7,000 Guyanese cattle farmers by promoting sustainable dairy farming practices and new technologies. It also focused on milk processing as a critical component of the production-to-marketing chain, developing cheese, yogurt and other value-added products. And finally, it supplied milk supplements to needy children – an effort that garnered first place in a Pan American Health Organization competition.
Partners’ expertise reaches wide, and the outcomes demonstrate that people are true catalysts of progress. Consider:
• Farmers in the Santoy Cooperative in Jamaica have saved $5,000 - $7,000 annually by reducing pesticide use, and the Cooperative reports annual profit increases from $6,000 to $8,000 due to knowledge transfer on building High Tunnel Houses for production of exotic fruits and vegetables.
• Working with rabbit keepers in Haiti, volunteers providing technical assistance in areas such as tropical forage and livestock entomology have helped farmers realize a 600% increase in rabbit production.
• Through variety trials and improved production practices, participating farmers in Guyana increased their cassava production from 3,000 lbs/acre to 5,000 lbs/acre and their sweet potato production from 4,000 lbs/acre to 7,000 lbs/acre.
• In the heart of Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest, Partners provides technical assistance to the Iracambi Rainforest Conservation Centre, which empowers the local community to educate the world about the rich bio-diversity of this area.
volunteer health professionals, human rights activists, legal authorities, community leaders and domestic violence experts throughout the Americas to confront the most serious barriers to equal opportunity in the hemisphere. Collaborating with civil society organizations, this network of volunteers and innovative programs develop culturally appropriate solutions to gender violence, trafficking-in-persons, economic inequality and access, and political exclusion.
Partners’ programs yield dramatic change in Latin America and the Caribbean:
Young women in Brazil, Ecuador and Uruguay are learning market-driven job skills using a sport for development methodology that helps them enter the competitive workforce and opens new opportunities for themselves and their families.
In Colombia, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, women who once had no recourse for crimes committed against them are now supported by 787 legal rights promoters that guide them through the criminal justice system.
Fed up with the lack of legal assistance in their community, an indigenous women’s cooperative in Mexico’s rural state of Chiapas now provides human rights training, refuge and advice in a center that members helped build.
Guatemalan women have endured high levels of violence against them in recent years. In response, Partners helped strengthen the institutional capabilities of Guatemalan government ministries, universities and civil society organizations to improve capacity to enforce and advocate for women's legal rights, including developing a graduate program in gender and law for justice sector professionals, indigenous women and civil society advocates.
Partners ensures that all of its efforts address gender concerns at the outset. Staff collaborates with Partners’ local chapters, community groups and colleagues to incorporate gender analysis
in project planning, implementation and evaluation. By doing so, Partners guarantees that men and women participate in and benefit equally from all development activities.
IMPROVING WELL-BEING, ADVANCING RIGHTS
Partners provides training, technical assistance, tools and, when possible, seed money to groups in the Americas that promote reproductive health education. For instance, at the request of indigenous communities in Bolivia, the Utah Partners chapter has provided family planning education for more than 10 years. And in Colombia, a school for youth displaced by war now has a sexual education curriculum and library, with training for parents and teachers.
In countries stricken by conflict, women armed with resources and opportunity can be a powerful force for peace. In one recent example, the Women for Peace project mobilized marginalized women in Colombia, including those displaced by the country’s civil war. Through the two-year initiative funded by USAID/Colombia, Partners trained 663 women in political participation, income generation and conflict resolution. In the end, participants established six revolving credit associations for small business development, launched 11 economic development projects and implemented 49 advocacy projects. Four participants ran for political office.
Other examples of Partners’ commitment to equality include:
• Creating opportunities for at-risk youth to gain a better appreciation of their rights, gender equality, and self worth through education.
• Building women’s ability to defend their legal rights related to gender violence, sex trafficking and tourism in Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Mexico.
• Helping emerging female leaders in Haiti, Peru and Bolivia participate in the political process and advocate for their ideals and beliefs.
• Building an active network in Brazil to combat sexual exploitation and trafficking, as well as training courses on family violence for police and health care workers.
with U.S. counterparts.
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, who in 1963 launched the Alliance for Progress
Alliance for Progress
The Alliance for Progress initiated by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1961 aimed to establish economic cooperation between the U.S. and South America.-Origin and goals:...
, a program of government-to-government economic cooperation across the Western Hemisphere. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
How it works
At the heart of Partners is a “people-to-people” philosophy, which grew out of a 1962 call by President Kennedy for citizens of the Western Hemisphere to work together. Inspired by the challenge, Jim Boren, one of Partners founders, envisioned a two-way network of volunteer partnerships that would enable everyday people to contribute to the Americas.Today, Partners has evolved into 120 volunteer chapters
linked in 60 partnerships. Chapters in U.S. states form partnerships with chapters in countries or states in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. Each volunteer chapter is organized as a private, nonprofit institution with by-laws and regularly elected officers. Partnerships build cultural awareness, respect and camaraderie. They create and implement projects that improve the quality of life of others. And they become leaders in their respective communities.
What Partners Does
Partners programs work in many fields and cross a broad spectrum of society and the day to day lives of people throughout the Americas. Areas include: Youth and Children, Civil Society and Governance, Exchanges and Fellowships, Agriculture and Environment, and Gender and Equity. Partners works as a grassroots organization that use partnerships between U.S. states and Latin American countries or regions to foster cultural exhange and education. These partnerships are also used to address issues in the afore mentioned areas through volunteer service and technical expertise.Youth and Children
Partners believes that investing in youth is critical to the social, economic and political stability of Latin America and the Caribbean. In many nations, more than 40% of the population is under 25, such that the face and future of the region are indeed defined by youth.Partners implements programs and supports local projects that encourage young people’s participation in the development of their communities and countries. Its programs instill democratic values and emphasize experiential learning that empowers youth to be protagonists in their own growth.
With one of the largest portfolios in the Americas dedicated to youth development, Partners is a proven leader in:
• Partnering with the private sector and governments to improve prospects for market-oriented employment.
• Providing youth with skills to help them access educational, social and economic opportunities.
• Designing and implementing methodologies that integrate the arts, culture, and sports.
• Identifying social and familial risk factors that prevent youth from reaching success.
• Bringing together young people from a variety of social, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds to foster understanding, respect and appreciation for diversity.
Youth Ambassadors
Funded by the U.S. Department of State, this program brings academically gifted and motivated high school students from underprivileged communities in Latin America to the United States. While in the U.S., they engage in new experiences, interact with local youth and families, learn about society and institutions, share their own culture and prepare for a lifetime of leadership and service.
Youth Leaders
Youth Leaders is a program that provides outstanding students from Peru and Venezuela the opportunity to participate in a four-week leadership and cultural exchange focused on learning about US institutions and society, and sharing their experience and knowledge with US peers. Upon their return, the Youth Leaders implement small projects based on lessons learned during the exchange. They will also share their experiences with friends and neighbors, creating a multiplier effect.
CADI-Joven
The CADI-Joven program inspired disadvantaged indigenous young leaders from urban and rural Guatemala to build better lives for themselves and their communities. Building on ten years of similar experience in other parts of Mesoamerica, Partners trained 500 youth leaders to enable them to access better work opportunities and serve as leaders in their communities.
Educar/Educare
This program creates formal and non-formal incentives for families to send their children to school instead of to work. Educar/ Educare supports after-school activities and training in interactive teaching methods, targeting an improved education for more than 10,000 children in three Northeast Brazilian states and Guyana. Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Educar/Educare helps kids have the childhood they deserve in accordance with international child rights standards and laws.
PAIR and POMMAR
In an effort to combat commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of Brazilian youth, the PAIR program brought together federal agencies, local governments, businesses and nonprofits to reduce the prevalence of this crime. POMMAR promoted improved services to at-risk children and youth, which included sexual violence prevention, HIV/AIDS education and vocational training. This program helped Brazilian institutions become better equipped to assist and mobilize their communities.
A Ganar/Vencer
Inspired by the famed Brazilian soccer player Pelé, Partners and the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank crafted a pioneering project that extends the impact of soccer and team sports to preparing youth for the workforce. Working in partnership with the private sector, A Ganar/Vencer provides youth with mentors and teaches the skills they need to find and keep jobs. The project has over 1600 at-risk youth participating in Brazil, Uruguay, and Ecuador.
Civil Society and Governance
PARTNERS OF THE AMERICASCENTER FOR CIVIL SOCIETY
The Center was created in 2003 to increase the capacity of Latin American and Caribbean civil society organizations to effectively participate in democratic processes and to strengthen government institutions on a national, regional and/or hemispheric level. Partners believes that citizen engagement and inclusion in decision making processes are crucial to the long-term advancement, progression and sustainability of a democratic hemisphere as well as to the promotion of the rule of law, good governance
Good governance
Good governance is an indeterminate term used in development literature to describe how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources in order to guarantee the realization of human rights. Governance describes "the process of decision-making and the process by which...
and institutional strengthening.
OUR MISSION
The Center is committed to strengthening and institutionalizing civil society participation in Latin America and the Caribbean and to promoting good and accountable governance and the rule of law.
HOW WE WORK
The Center works through field offices, strategic alliances with key stakeholders, the establishment of grant programs to local CSOs, hemispheric forums, and participation in regional networks.
We have received and successfully managed grants and subcontracts providing technical services from US government agencies, multilateral organizations, international institutions, and foundations.
The Center works with a range of actors and stakeholders from civil society and government institutions. We have established collaborative relationships with government officials at the local and national levels, CSOs, citizens, and regional networks.
For more information contact civilsociety@partners.net.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Justice Reform Partners’ Center strengthens the design, implementation, and monitoring of justice reform initiatives in the region by providing legal education programming; developing CSO technical skills in advocacy, legal services provision, and conflict resolution; incorporating gender perspective into rule of law and reform initiatives; and engaging community members and justice officials in deliberative dialogue on community justice needs and the development of strategies and policies to meet those needs. Partners’ Center also works to increase access to justice for traditionally excluded and marginalized groups, rural and indigenous populations, women, and youth.
Participatory Budgeting PB fosters civic education and local government legitimacy as citizens gain a greater understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and limitations of local governments, and the need to prioritize public demands. Partners’ Center provides technical assistance to local government officials and community leaders in the preparation and implementation of PB initiatives at various stages of the process, including needs assessments, participatory decision making, and project monitoring.
Local Governance and Community Development Increased interaction between government officials and the community results in better solutions to local needs, greater public confidence in local government and democratic processes, and institutional strengthening within government offices. Partners' Center works closely with government officials and citizens to build community and individual capacities and improve democratic processes through dialogue and cooperation.
Our publications are available as free downloads at http://www.partners.net/partners/Publications_EN.asp.
Networks Civil society networks facilitate collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and resources among CSOs in areas such as advocacy, service delivery, and capacity building. Partners’ Center supports civil society networks by mobilizing organizations, facilitating communication and information sharing, and building technical and institutional capacities.
Summits of the Americas As the intermediaries between citizens and governments, CSOs play an important role in the process of identifying issues and formulating policies at the hemispheric level. Partners’ Center has worked to strengthen civil society participation in the Summits of the Americas by facilitating CSO monitoring of Summit commitments at the national level, engaging CSOs and governments in dialogue, disseminating information, coordinating civil society forums, and hosting online deliberative dialogues.
PROVEN METHODOLOGIES
Organizational Management in order to meet financial and programmatic controls that are responsive to government requirements and donor needs.
Network building of organizations across the globe to meet and improve programmatic goals and achieve strategic interventions.
Participatory mechanisms tested throughout the hemisphere that meet local needs and are responsive to local realities.
Deliberation that facilitates dialogue, reduces conflict, and identifies common ground among stakeholders.
Grant programs that build CSO organizational and technical capacity and facilitate cross-border collaboration.
Appreciative Inquiry for the participatory design, monitoring, and evaluation of programming.
Research and theoretical analysis that reflects on the challenges facing civil society in the hemisphere and provides recommendations for future work.
Exchange and Fellowships
The goals of Partners of the Americas to promote citizen participation, strengthen local organizations and educate emerging leaders have remained constant throughout its 44-year history. Fellowship and exchange programs are an effective vehicle to achieve these objectives using a people-to-people model.Partners has arranged more than 20,000 exchanges for participants who represent the wide array of ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds that make up the citizenry of the Americas.
Through exchanges and fellowships, Partners provides insights into U.S., Latin American and Caribbean society, culture and institutions. These programs nurture the development of committed professionals, many of whom are today’s leaders in government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private businesses.
Exchange programs also foster enduring relationships and poise Partners to respond quickly to emerging issues:
● Two-way exchanges between Kansas and Paraguay led the University of Kansas to award in-state tuition to Paraguayans interested in studying in the Midwestern state.
● When HIV/AIDS first spread through the Caribbean, Partners volunteers were raising awareness of the disease before it became a worldwide concern.
PROVEN METHODOLOGIES
Partners offers extensive expertise in implementing and managing exchange programs, which include:
Participant Placement
Demonstrated experience in forging creative alliances between government and non-governmental organizations to respond to participants’ professional needs and interests.
Cross-Cultural Communication
The ability to communicate with counterparts from the Americas in their respective languages and in a culturally appropriate fashion.
Monitoring and Support
With a network of 120 chapters that work in partnership throughout the hemisphere, Partners has thousands of volunteers available to provide resources and support to participants living in foreign environments.
In addition, Partners has proven leadership in providing a range of practices to ensure dynamic and efficient exchange programs:
● Sound planning, monitoring, evaluation and follow-on procedures.
● Effective methods for selecting participants with the necessary technical and language qualifications.
● Online orientation tailored to the participants’ background and needs.
SALIENT FELLOWSHIP AND EXCHANGE PROGRAMS
American Government and Business
Fellows Programs
Fellowship programs that engage civil servants and private sector professionals in hands-on work at host entities. Participants exchange expertise and establish institutional linkages through their work in organizations throughout the Americas. Both programs are funded by the U.S. Department of State.
Education and Culture
Provides funds for travel and small projects designed to strengthen associations between educational institutions, foster increased participation in community affairs and increase awareness and sensitivity to cultural differences. More than 2,000 people have benefited from these grants in the past 20 years.
Youth Ambassadors/Youth Leaders
Cultural exchange programs, funded by the U.S. Department of State, which bring academically gifted and motivated high school students from underprivileged communities in Latin America to the U.S. Participants interact with local youth and families, learn about society and institutions, share their own culture and prepare for a lifetime of leadership and service.
Partners/Kellogg Fellows
Over 18 years, this program developed a cadre of leaders from throughout the hemisphere committed to collaborative grassroots work, social responsibility and volunteerism. A total of 400 fellows participated in the program.
Agriculture and Environment
Partners of the Americas ensures that communities across the Western Hemisphere have the necessary skills to best fulfill their agricultural needs while also protecting the environment. Doing so promotes economic growth, produces healthier families and protects natural resources.Partners works in marginalized rural areas where access to resources is limited or absent. Through a variety of programs, Partners provides technical assistance in areas such as animal husbandry, aquaculture, vegetable production, marketing, farm management and environmental protection.
In particular, the USAID-funded Farmer to Farmer Program brings together agricultural professionals and practitioners from the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean to improve economic opportunities in rural areas by increasing food production, promoting better farm and marketing operations, improving agribusiness and conserving natural resources. Since 1991, nearly 1,100 U.S. agriculturists have worked in 17 countries throughout the hemisphere. The current program targets high-value crops and products with good potential in local, regional, and export markets
For instance, through this program Haiti revitalized its production of honey, a traditional part of the Haitian diet. When political destabilization met with blight that eliminated more than three-quarters of the bee population, the industry was paralyzed. Farmer to Farmer volunteers responded with seminars and field visits focused on bee management, including disease control. Just one year after the program began its work, more than 1,000 beekeepers returned to raising bees. Honey production jumped from three to seven gallons per hive – significant income for Haitian beekeepers.
In another successful endeavor, the Guyana Dairy Development Project (GDDP) impacted 7,000 Guyanese cattle farmers by promoting sustainable dairy farming practices and new technologies. It also focused on milk processing as a critical component of the production-to-marketing chain, developing cheese, yogurt and other value-added products. And finally, it supplied milk supplements to needy children – an effort that garnered first place in a Pan American Health Organization competition.
Partners’ expertise reaches wide, and the outcomes demonstrate that people are true catalysts of progress. Consider:
• Farmers in the Santoy Cooperative in Jamaica have saved $5,000 - $7,000 annually by reducing pesticide use, and the Cooperative reports annual profit increases from $6,000 to $8,000 due to knowledge transfer on building High Tunnel Houses for production of exotic fruits and vegetables.
• Working with rabbit keepers in Haiti, volunteers providing technical assistance in areas such as tropical forage and livestock entomology have helped farmers realize a 600% increase in rabbit production.
• Through variety trials and improved production practices, participating farmers in Guyana increased their cassava production from 3,000 lbs/acre to 5,000 lbs/acre and their sweet potato production from 4,000 lbs/acre to 7,000 lbs/acre.
• In the heart of Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest, Partners provides technical assistance to the Iracambi Rainforest Conservation Centre, which empowers the local community to educate the world about the rich bio-diversity of this area.
Gender and Equality
Through programs dedicated to Gender and Equality, Partners of the Americas unitesvolunteer health professionals, human rights activists, legal authorities, community leaders and domestic violence experts throughout the Americas to confront the most serious barriers to equal opportunity in the hemisphere. Collaborating with civil society organizations, this network of volunteers and innovative programs develop culturally appropriate solutions to gender violence, trafficking-in-persons, economic inequality and access, and political exclusion.
Partners’ programs yield dramatic change in Latin America and the Caribbean:
Young women in Brazil, Ecuador and Uruguay are learning market-driven job skills using a sport for development methodology that helps them enter the competitive workforce and opens new opportunities for themselves and their families.
In Colombia, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, women who once had no recourse for crimes committed against them are now supported by 787 legal rights promoters that guide them through the criminal justice system.
Fed up with the lack of legal assistance in their community, an indigenous women’s cooperative in Mexico’s rural state of Chiapas now provides human rights training, refuge and advice in a center that members helped build.
Guatemalan women have endured high levels of violence against them in recent years. In response, Partners helped strengthen the institutional capabilities of Guatemalan government ministries, universities and civil society organizations to improve capacity to enforce and advocate for women's legal rights, including developing a graduate program in gender and law for justice sector professionals, indigenous women and civil society advocates.
Partners ensures that all of its efforts address gender concerns at the outset. Staff collaborates with Partners’ local chapters, community groups and colleagues to incorporate gender analysis
Gender analysis
Gender analysis is a type of socio-economic analysis that uncovers how gender relations affect a development problem. The aim may just be to show that gender relations will probably affect the solution, or to show how they will affect the solution and what could be done...
in project planning, implementation and evaluation. By doing so, Partners guarantees that men and women participate in and benefit equally from all development activities.
IMPROVING WELL-BEING, ADVANCING RIGHTS
Partners provides training, technical assistance, tools and, when possible, seed money to groups in the Americas that promote reproductive health education. For instance, at the request of indigenous communities in Bolivia, the Utah Partners chapter has provided family planning education for more than 10 years. And in Colombia, a school for youth displaced by war now has a sexual education curriculum and library, with training for parents and teachers.
In countries stricken by conflict, women armed with resources and opportunity can be a powerful force for peace. In one recent example, the Women for Peace project mobilized marginalized women in Colombia, including those displaced by the country’s civil war. Through the two-year initiative funded by USAID/Colombia, Partners trained 663 women in political participation, income generation and conflict resolution. In the end, participants established six revolving credit associations for small business development, launched 11 economic development projects and implemented 49 advocacy projects. Four participants ran for political office.
Other examples of Partners’ commitment to equality include:
• Creating opportunities for at-risk youth to gain a better appreciation of their rights, gender equality, and self worth through education.
• Building women’s ability to defend their legal rights related to gender violence, sex trafficking and tourism in Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Mexico.
• Helping emerging female leaders in Haiti, Peru and Bolivia participate in the political process and advocate for their ideals and beliefs.
• Building an active network in Brazil to combat sexual exploitation and trafficking, as well as training courses on family violence for police and health care workers.
Partners' work in Brazil
Partners has 19 chapters currently active in BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
with U.S. counterparts.
External links
- http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/289513/118766324657.htm
- http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1212553.html
- http://www.thekansan.com/stories/112102/fro_1121020020.shtml
- http://www.joe.org/joe/1990summer/iw5.html
- The University of Texas at San Antonio houses a collection of records for the Texas chapter of Partners of the Americas. The collection spans the years 1978-1993, but predominately covers 1987-1989. These years represent the tenure of Dr. Joe Neal as Vice-Chair of TPA for Mexico Partnerships in 1988-1990, as well as his work with TPA's El Camino Real Economic Seminar (1988-1989), Higher Education Committee (1987), Nominating Committee, and other activities of Texas Partners. The papers consist of annual plans, bylaws, charters, correspondence, and letters of understanding which provide considerable information about the partners, projects and activities of the Texas Partners.