Think Creative Spring 2024

Think Creative by Creative Associates International

Letter from Leland Kruvant President & CEO Creative Associates International

CREATIVE SENIOR LEADERSHIP

Founder & Board Chair Charito Kruvant

President & CEO Leland Kruvant

Executive VP & Chief Innovation Officer Pablo Maldonado

I was in Guatemala in mid-January when I was invited to meet the reform-minded newly elected President who upended the country’s political predictions. I felt honored to meet President Bernardo Arévalo so soon after his inauguration. While my expectation was a quick courtesy visit, that was not the case. President Arévalo entered the room and spent 30 minutes enthusiastically discussing his plans to engage marginalized groups and the need to strengthen civil society, among other topics. The President’s grasp of current development projects in Guatemala—including Creative’s

implementation of two USAID programs—was impressively detailed and without notes. Together, we spoke about the keys to sustainable programming and the shared goals between his government and USAID. President Arévalo recognized the USAID/OTI-funded CARI Guatemala program for its support during the electoral process that took place in late 2023 by supporting community based organizations, the government-elect, and the dialogues between them. In addition, we spoke about the USAID Tejiendo Paz peacebuilding project, which is working in the

Western Highlands to strengthen civil society, support indigenous communities and increase social cohesion. It actively looks for opportunities to connect communities with other actors and resources to collaborate on their recognize both programs’ hard work, as well as commend their local ownership and focus on marginalized communities, was a highlight of our visit to Guatemala. peacebuilding initiatives. Hearing the new President

Chief Programs Officer Noy Villalobos

Chief of Staff Tim Kernan

SVP, Business Development Sharon Cooley

Acting Chief Financial Officer Mark Miebach

VP, External Relations Jessica Kruvant

VP, Education Corey Heyman

Sincerely,

VP, Economic Growth Eileen Hoffman

VP, Communities in Transition Sharon Van Pelt

EDITORIAL STAFF

Senior Director, Communications Michael J. Zamba

20 Feature Stories

Art Direction Amanda Smallwood

20 // On the Front Lines of Fire Safety: Firefighters are saving lives, improving local governance in northeastern Syria 22 // The Café Connection: The surprising influence that coffee and bread are having on transparency in Honduras 24 // Balancing the Scale: How one entrepreneur is creating fair trade opportunities for women and youth in rural Côte d’Ivoire

Communications Manager Marta S. Maldonado

The Café Connection 22 p.

Senior Strategic Content Manager Ashley Williams

Writer & Editor Pariesa Brody

Contributing Writers Daniel Lynx Bernard Evelyn Rupert

25 Creative Life A mission-driven community 26 // Staff Spotlight: Gladys Ekoto 27 // Staff Celebrates Lunar New Year at HQ

Think Creative is published three times a year by Creative Associates International, a global development organization dedicated to supporting people around the world to realize the positive change they seek. The content is produced by Creative and does not represent the policies or positions of its clients, partners or host governments. Reproduction of any or all of Think Creative is prohibited without prior written permission. Copyright ©2024.

Balancing the Scale 24 p.

26 p. Meet Gladys!

For more information about Think Creative , please email us at ThinkCreative@CreativeDC.com

28 // Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress: Celebrating the advancement of women in Creative leadership 30 // Walk this Way: A day in the life of Megan McCune, Senior Field Operations Manager

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Photos by Skip Brown (Leland Kruvant); Jim Huylebroek (Honduras, Côte d’Ivoire); Amanda Smallwood (Gladys Ekoto)

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