💬 “One of the key messages [of MSS 2025] was the power of networks and how they’re evolving into new ways of connecting as systems and spaces change.”
— Cathy Phiri, Corus Senior Director for Technical Services – Market Systems
As the development landscape continues to shift, Corus and Lutheran World Relief were eager to join market systems actors, policymakers, and fellow development practitioners at this year’s Market Systems Symposium in Durban 🇿🇦 to discuss ways to adapt, innovate and drive systemic change together. 🌍🤝
💭 “Being here with grassroots players—farmers, cooperatives and market actors—and hearing their realities firsthand was invaluable... It’s how we stay connected, adjust our thinking and redeploy our strategies for greater impact.”
— Mahmoud Bah, Corus Chief Operating Officer
Rigorous evaluation isn’t easy in fragile, conflict-affected settings — but it can inform how we can save more lives in a crisis.
From Nov. 2023-2024, Corus organization Lutheran World Relief implemented an emergency nutrition program for malnourished children under 5 in Mali, funded by the Gates Foundation. Committed to generating and sharing high-quality evidence on what works in humanitarian crisis response, we are pleased to share this new evaluation of our programming.
📋 About the evaluation
Conducted across 9 health facilities in Gao and Tombouctou, this mixed-methods study reviewed 1,806 child treatment records and conducted 36 caregiver interviews to assess outcomes against Sphere international standards. Despite operating amid conflict, displacement, and flooding, data verification achieved 99% accuracy—a rare benchmark in humanitarian programming evaluation.
📊 Key results
✅ 97.3% recovery rate — surpassing the 75% Sphere standard
✅ Zero mortality and only 1% dropout
✅ Median recovery time of 28 days — significantly faster than regional averages
✅ 97% adherence to follow-up visits — achieved without incentives
✅ Universal caregiver satisfaction with health care staff
✅ 80% of caregivers reported improved trust and ongoing use of health services
🔎 Next steps
Recommendations include scaling the integrated humanitarian response model that drives demand for quality local health services, digitizing facility records, engaging men in health care decisions, and supporting local production and testing of nutrition supplements to enhance sustainability and health outcomes.
🧠 Why it matters
This evaluation provides robust evidence that integrated service delivery—combining therapeutic feeding, food vouchers, counseling, and community engagement—can accelerate recovery and strengthen health systems. It also demonstrates the feasibility of rigorous monitoring, data integrity, and ethical evaluation in emergency contexts.
From health to employment, lasting change happens when business, government, and civil society work together.
Corus organization Lutheran World Relief recently joined partners from the pharmaceutical industry, private enterprise, and public institutions in Honduras to explore how cross-sector collaboration can strengthen community health systems, expand youth employment opportunities, and drive shared economic growth across Central America.
Through innovative initiatives ranging from an integrated workforce wellness and hiring app to partnerships with the pharmaceutical sector, we’re connecting purpose with possibility—creating sustainable pathways out of poverty and toward opportunity.
💬 “Our goal is to generate sustainable value through strong partnerships that boost both employability and entrepreneurship.” — Galo Quizanga, Managing Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Corus International
🔗 Read more about how these partnerships are shaping a more resilient future in Central America: https://bit.ly/49vDbyx
10/30/2025
This week, Corus was pleased to participate in the Market Systems Symposium 2025 in Durban, South Africa, hosted by the Vikāra Institute. Bringing together nearly 200 participants from 40 countries, the event explored how those seeking to positively impact market systems can adapt to a rapidly shifting development landscape.
Our Chief Operating Officer, Mahmoud Bah, opened the first panel with an insightful discussion on how international development organizations must evolve toward more sustainable models. He highlighted three essential shifts for success:
1️⃣ Political and Country Ownership – Building an enabling environment for efficient market systems.
2️⃣ Capacity Building – Empowering individuals, cooperatives and small businesses to engage effectively with market actors.
3️⃣ Networking and Collaboration – Strengthening connections among all market participants, including between buyers and sellers.
Later, during a session on business development services (BDS), Cathy Phiri, our Sr. Director for Technical Services - Market Systems, shared Corus’ innovative Producer Enterprise Agent (PEA) model. The PEA model can be used to employ local community members, especially women and young adults, to provide agricultural extension services in fragile contexts. Learn more about the PEA model: https://bit.ly/3WwHT7z
💡We’re inspired by the ideas and partnerships that emerged at and look forward to continuing the conversation next year!
10/29/2025
Big thanks to the organizers and all fellow participants at the African Cocoa Summit & Awards for the important conversations on how we build a sustainable African cocoa ecosystem. 🌍 🍫
From discussions on digital traceability and low-carbon financing to research on resilience and cocoa economics, the Summit reinforced that collaboration, data-driven solutions, and farmer empowerment are key to shaping a fair and thriving cocoa future.
We’re grateful to have had the opportunity to share our ongoing work in strengthening cocoa value chains and traceability systems across Africa—and to continue learning from and partnering with others to advance this vital mission at the Summit.
🤝🏾 Together, we can ensure that Africa’s cocoa is fair, traceable, value-driven, and centered around farmers.
Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa-COFAAA
10/27/2025
In rural communities, smallholder farmers often face barriers that limit their growth—lack of access to inputs, training, and markets.
Our innovative Producer Enterprise Agent (PEA) model is changing that.
By embedding trusted, trained agents within communities, the PEA model connects farmers to the resources, markets, and knowledge they need to thrive. From cocoa in West Africa to horticulture in Togo, this approach has empowered over 225,000 producers globally, boosting productivity, incomes, and resilience.
💡 Read more about how this locally led, tech-driven model is transforming agricultural systems and empowering women and youth as leaders in farming: https://bit.ly/4nuFQvV
📍OR if you’re at the Market Systems Symposium in Durban this week, stop by our booth to learn more!
Oh! We also have chocolate. 🍫 ...so we'll see you soon! 😉
World Food Prize Foundation
10/21/2025
Corus is excited to be participating in the African Cocoa Summit & Awards in Ghana this week, and we’d love to see you there.
📍 Stop by our booth to learn more about how we work to ensure that Africa’s cocoa is fair, traceable, value-driven, and centered around farmers.
🍫 And don’t miss out on Nene Akwetey-Kodjoe, head of our cocoa programming in Nigeria, speak to our ongoing cocoa value chain and traceability development work in country.
Let’s connect to see how we can support the future growth of African cocoa and drive sustainable impact for farmers together. See you there! ✨
At Corus, we’re helping people around the world not just grow food, but build resilient food systems that nourish families and futures.
Through our organizations like Lutheran World Relief, IMA World Health, and Ground Up Investing, we work alongside farmers, businesses, and governments to:
🌱 Promote sustainable, regenerative agricultural practices
💰 Strengthen rural markets
🐄 Restore agricultural land, livestock, and livelihoods in regions facing crisis, like the Sahel.
Because food security isn’t just about calories — it’s about dignity, stability, and hope.
When farmers succeed, communities thrive — and the ripple effects reach us all. 💚
10/10/2025
💚 For Dayana Fuentes, mental health support was the bridge between struggle and success.
At just 19, she’s building a future many young people in Honduras dream about — working as an accounting assistant, paying for college, and pursuing her goal of joining the Central Bank of Honduras.
But her journey began when she learned to care for her emotional well-being through the Creating Spaces for Youth Employability (CREE) project, which integrates job skills training with mental health support.
Read Dayana’s story and explore how prioritizing young people’s mental health not only empowers them to build resilient futures but also delivers substantial benefits for their employers.
Last week, Corus organization IMA World Health joined partners at two critical global forums advancing the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs):
📌 The Annual Programme Review Meeting on Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL)
📌 The NTD NGO Network (NNN) Conference
From field experiences in South Sudan to global working groups on responding in conflict and humanitarian emergencies, our team shared practical insights on how collaboration drives progress toward eliminating VL and beating NTDs.
👏 Thank you to our colleagues at the Ministry of Health - Republic of South Sudan, The END Fund, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), and all partners who are working together toward a healthier future.
We believe in leveraging local expertise and global partnerships to transform health systems and strengthen resilience in the world’s most challenging places.
10/03/2025
Don’t you just love the smell and taste of coffee? Sara Molina and Rommel Melghem have made coffee tasting their careers. As professional cuppers and graders at COMSA — a coffee cooperative in Honduras — they follow a formal process to analyze the quality and flavor profiles of coffee samples. In partnership with Corus organization Lutheran World Relief, they also help local farmers understand how to improve their coffee ... just by smelling and tasting it!
With one sniff, Sara and Rommel can identify whether a crop was blighted by fungus, fermented improperly — or if it’s just right. Although you might not have their years of training or finely tuned palates, you can practice cupping at home.
Visit www.lwrfarmersmarket.org to order a bag of delicious coffee, produced by farmers in our network around the world. Use code BREWGOOD to enjoy $10 off your order of $50 or more until October 15!
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In August 2016, a wave of violence swept through IMA World Health’s project regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. More than 3 million people were affected, and several health centers we support shut down due to mass population displacement. Yet we met or even exceeded annual targets for several important health services. Thanks to our longstanding relationships with local chiefs, we even negotiated the passage of medicines for resupplying health zones that were cut off from receiving supplies for many months.
When famine struck in South Sudan, IMA’s longstanding relationships with local partners helped to ensure rapid access to emergency care for those facing imminent starvation. Our presence in the world’s youngest country has survived this famine, the ravages of war and extreme drought since 2009.
IMA World Health works in some of the world’s most fragile areas, where stability can be fleeting and there are no guarantees. A devastating hurricane in Haiti or violence in eastern DRC could have forced us to pack up and leave.
We didn’t. Our projects overcome because the people overcome. Person by person and community by community, together we rebuild, we reconvene, we rediscover hope again and again. We are able to continue operating in these fragile places because we invest in each community we serve. We are committed to change that lasts. This is resilience, and we believe IMA’s best work is in empowering individuals and communities with skills and tools to turn this ineffable quality into real-world solutions for overcoming their health challenges.
In our 2017 Annual Report, we present some of the highlights of IMA’s work the past year. As you read, we encourage you to look beyond the numbers to see how IMA is building resilience to create lasting impact in the communities we serve. Please know we are deeply grateful for how you, our donors and partners, share in our vision and make this work possible.
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