Global Communities (formerly CHF International) is an international development and humanitarian aid organization that operates in approximately 25 countries per year. The non-profit organization was founded in 1952 as the Cooperative Housing Foundation and provided affordable housing for low-income families in rural and urban America. Global Communities began working abroad in the 60s, and today, the organization implements a variety of programs in the areas of economic development; micro, small and medium enterprise (SME) and housing finance; governance and urban development; construction and infrastructure; civil society and municipal development; global health and emergency response.
Our mission is to create long-lasting, positive and community-led change that improves the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable people across the globe. Our central goal is to build the capacity of communities to direct the development of their own lives and livelihoods. Empowered communities are able to drive change when they recognize everyone’s needs, understand their rights and the natural and market forces that affect them, and are able to take collective action. Once empowered, communities are better able to build constructive relationships with government institutions, the private sector and civil society in ways that are sustainable. In turn, local government, the private sector and civil society have a greater ability to address community needs.
Our values are four commitments that we use to define our work, our approach and who we are. We use these to guide our work and our behavior as partners for good. They are:
- We do what we do because it is the right thing to do. We work with passion, enthusiasm, a belief in our mission and in our people, and we are determined to ensure our work results in tangible, long-term good worldwide.
- We work through relationships based on trust, respect and equity. We are diplomatic and sensitive to cultures. We work and employ locally. We believe that equality, shared responsibility and complementary strengths are at the core of our partnerships. We are accountable and insist upon ethical behavior in how we interact with the world around us.
- We bring together communities, the private sector, governments, organizations and the full range and resources of our networks to improve dialogue, create prosperity, stability, peace and positive change. We learn from each other. We embrace technology as a means to better connect the world around us.
