2024 was marked by major global events that will continue to shape the evolving foreign assistance landscape. Counterpart and our local partners remained steadfast in working toward our mission, from feeding school children in Africa to protecting civic space in Bangladesh. We made strides in building better futures around the world in 2024. We celebrated the end of 12 years of USDA-funded programming in Guatemala, while new projects, such as the Iraq Civil Society Activity, hit the ground running.

In reflection of what we accomplished over the past year, take a look at Counterpart’s top 10 stories of 2024.

Strengthening Iraqi Civil Society Through the Power of Convening

The Iraq Civil Society Activity held its first Inter-Provincial Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue in Erbil on July 30 to discuss the trends and innovations that are reshaping civic engagement, including artificial intelligence, media and campaign strategies, localization, and financial sustainability.

We’re connecting Iraqi civil society organizations with high-level government officials to explore new ways to collaborate. Read more to find out how we’re taking civic engagement to the next level.

Counterpart’s Legacy in the Kyrgyz Republic Giving a Voice to Civil Society

Counterpart staff working in the Kyrgyz Republic in the 1990s.

Our locally led approach to civil society strengthening was ahead of its time. We sat down with a former Counterpart staff member who worked with our team in the Kyrgyz Republic in the 1990s to learn his firsthand experience.

Giving Back to Her Community: Fostering Financial Freedom for Women in Guyana

Shamela John now shares the knowledge gained from the program to help other entrepreneurs navigate the financial needs of organizations to achieve better growth and improve conditions for women in their own communities.

Shamela John is the founder of RESYSCO, a financial management firm based in Guyana. An accountant by trade, she faced many obstacles on the way to creating her own business in the country’s male dominated society. Read more about how our Global Women In Management program gave her the tools to fulfill her dream of owning a business.

Showcasing School Feeding in Mozambique

Primary school student in Matutuine, Mozambique practices his writing and reading skills.

The USDA deputy secretary witnessed the far-reaching effects of our McGovern-Dole school feeding program in Mozambique. Read more about the project’s impact providing more than 14 million daily school meals.

Event Highlights Achievements, Learning in Guatemala’s Agricultural Sector

Rony Jimenez works in a greenhouse in Santiago Atitlán, Sololá. Farmers participating in PROCAMPO received loans to boost their agricultural productivity.

After 12 years of implementing USDA-funded Food for Progress in Guatemala, read more about the project’s enduring impact. For example, the project distributed $60.5 million in agricultural loans to rural farmers and coffee producers earned $6.2 million in revenue.

Public-Private Partnership Provides Clean Drinking Water in Bangladesh Slum

Awareness raising campaign on planned urbanization in Khulna, organized by Shushilan.

More than 60% of households in Khulna’s slums lack access to clean water, trash removal, and drainage. Read more about how our team in Bangladesh turned this around through forging public-private partnerships.

Making Gains for Better Public Transparency, Integrity in El Salvador

The graduation of the first training process for representatives of civil society organizations, implemented by National Development Foundation (FUNDE). San Miguel Centro, October 2024.

Counterpart’s USAID-funded Transparency and Integrity project made important strides in strengthening public institutions and fostering a culture of transparency in El Salvador. Read more about the project’s achievements in 2024.

Supporting Our Local Counterparts for Citizen-Led Change

In Lospalos, Timor-Leste, a local NGO partnering with Counterpart’s USAID NGO Advocacy for Good Governance Activity, supports a women’s group working together to produce and sell coconut oil.

In the 2024 fiscal year, Counterpart disbursed a record high of $11.8 million to local partners, which represents 30% of its total direct project cost. Read more about our Local Partner Funding Metric and how it empowers our teams with reliable data to hold ourselves accountable to our mission, strengthen local partnerships, and maximize cost effectiveness.

Until We Find Them: Reunifying Families Separated During Salvadoran Conflict

Flor de Luz Acosta embraces her biological family in El Salvador for the first time since she was separated from them 40 years ago.

How did Flor de Luz Acosta find her long-lost siblings? Read this heartwarming tale from a partner on our USAID-funded Rights and Dignity project in El Salvador inspired hope.

Mauritania’s Path to Increased School Meals Programming

Students from the government school of Bouhdida in the Brakna region enjoy a hot school meal.

In October 2024, we handed over 21 school feeding programs to the government of Mauritania following the close of our McGovern-Dole project, “The Future is Ours.” This achievement marks a significant commitment of the government to the well-being of Mauritanian children and speaks to the sustainability of Counterpart’s work. Read more here.