Partnerships making a difference in Latin America, Caribbean, Southern Africa and U.S.

This piece was originally published on the Kellogg Fellows Leadership Alliance (KFLA) blog.

Across the globe, Kellogg Fellows are collaborating closely with each other to support healthier children, families and communities. Consider these recent stories from Southern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the United States.

Latin American Kellogg Fellows collaborate closely for common good

Since last year’s KFLA Global Summit on Food Security, the KFLA Latin American and Caribbean cohorts have launched a number of exciting collaborations to support food security, social equity, community development, indigenous cultures and economic sustainability in Columbia, Peru, Mexico and other nations, reports Carmen Villa, KFLA’s Latin America and Caribbean Coordinator.

“In Latin America and the Caribbean, we do not have as many foundations or companies with charitable donations as in the United States,” she says. “For many regions, it is very difficult to find financial resources to get a plan into action. So, when there is an opportunity to create something meaningful that might lead to change, Kellogg Fellows are very willing to work together to get funding and share strategies, program models and research.”

Southern African Kellogg Fellows team up to address challenges

Southern African KFLA cohorts started collaborating even before last year’s summit, but those relationships have only strengthened since the event.

Dr. Mary Hlalele (KILP-01) explains:

“We want Fellows here to look to the KFLA network as a gathering point, as a place to come together and revive our work. By looking at what people are doing now and their main priorities, we have figured out that we can work together collaboratively and help maximize the results of our joint efforts for the good of children, families and women in our communities.”

Learn how Kellogg Fellows are supporting herd-boys, school children, educators, miner widows and villagers, as well as finding mentoring opportunities for underemployed or unemployed Fellows.

Kellogg Fellow launches nation’s first racial equity-oriented financial institution

In Michigan, several Kellogg Fellows have formed Rende Progress Capital. This emerging, racial equity-oriented Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) is unique in the United States. The CDFI targets the nation’s racial wealth gap with affordable loans to Entrepreneurs of Color, according to co-founder Eric Foster.

“Entrepreneurship is an anti-racial wealth gap tool,” explains the Kellogg Fellow. “St. Louis Federal Reserve and numerous reports point out that families where the household head of color was self-employed had a median net worth five times that of households where the head of the household worked for someone else.”