About CORE Group

CORE is the only player in its field that convenes the practitioners and public health professionals in global community health to share knowledge, evidence, and best practices, and then translates these into the real world with a direct impact, creating new standards in clinical and public health as it advances dialogue at the country and global levels.

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Mission & Vision

Mission

Improve and expand community health practices for underserved populations, especially women, children, and adolescents, through collaborative action and learning.

Vision

Communities where everyone can attain health and well-being.

Photo Credit: Hari Prasad Upadhyay, World Vision International Nepal
Photo Credit: Hari Prasad Upadhyay, World Vision International Nepal

Values Statement

Values Statement

  • We believe that access to health care is a basic human right and that essential health care for all is attainable through a whole-health-systems approach. All people and communities must have access to safe, affordable, and high-quality health services without having to risk financial hardship. Universal health coverage must be fully implemented in policy and in practice to build a healthier world.
  • We see communities at the center of our efforts. Community-led decision-making, power, and resources are essential to attaining sustainable and strong health systems.
  • We believe in decolonizing global health. International health efforts must center the voices of regional, country-level, and local stakeholders and normalize these stakeholders’ leadership in decision-making.
  •  We amplify the voices of vibrant communities whose health care systems do not meet their needs. Understanding the experience and priorities of our members and centering individual and collective voices in their health advocacy helps to effect wide reach and change.
  • We lift the voices of women and girls. Respecting, learning from, and engaging women and girls in communities whose needs are not met by existing health systems can provide important lessons on priorities, practices, and policies to help achieve health care and well-being for everyone.
  • We seek an end to racism and discrimination. Equal opportunity for all people can be achieved through dialogue, learning, and advocating in collaboration with and among Black and indigenous communities, people of color, women, gender and sexual minorities, people living with disabilities, and all those who experience hatred and bigotry around the world.
  • We thrive on collaborative learning and action, which drive innovations to advance health equity. Health equity can be achieved through learning, collaboration, and the application of resulting tools and approaches among all stakeholders engaged in the health system: public and private sector actors, donors, community leaders, religious leaders, mothers, and youth all have an important role to play.
  • We strive for health equity for all and seek gender-transformative approaches in programming and policies. Equitable approaches, including community-led research and advocacy, can promote gender equity by breaking down barriers to ensure access to high-quality health care for all populations. Ensuring health and gender equity measures, implementation guidelines, and clear policies are essential to achieve health equity for all communities.
  • We trust science. Evidence-based programs are necessary to effectively support and improve global community health.
  • We believe in the urgency of addressing climate change and its myriad effects on communities. We strive to protect the environment and commit to environmentally sustainable practices as an organization.

Photo by CGPP Nigeria
Photo by CGPP Nigeria

History of CORE Group

CORE Group emerged organically, beginning in 1997, when a group of health professionals from non-governmental development organizations saw the value of sharing knowledge and ideas about how to best help children survive. What began in this simple spirit of openness quickly gained momentum as participants realized significant savings in time, thought and resources—all made possible by collaborating. The group realized that this “community of practice” model was also fertile ground for the creation of new knowledge and ideas. In 2001, the group’s original moniker, The Child Survival Collaborations and Resources Group, was streamlined, and the newly named CORE Group incorporated as a coalition of non-profit global health organizations. Though the original scope has broadened from child survival to include women’s health and infectious diseases, the organizing principle for CORE Group membership remains the same: technical excellence in integrated, community-based global health programming.

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Annual Reports

In our commitment to transparency and financial accountability, CORE Group publishes an annual report that highlights our accomplishments and financial information for each fiscal year. Our annual reports since 2005 are available below. Reports for 2004 and earlier were only published in hardcopy.

2022 Annual Report (990 form)

2021 Annual Report (990 form)

2020 Annual Report (990 form)

2019 Annual Report (990 form)

2018 Annual Report (990 form)

2017 Annual Report

2016 Annual Report

2015 Annual Report

2014 Annual Report

2013 Annual Report

2012 Annual Report

2011 Annual Report

2010 Annual Report

2009 Annual Report

2008 Annual Report

2007 Annual Report

2006 Annual Report

2005 Annual Report

Our Impact

CORE Group has worked since 1997 to advance the field of community health by developing case studies and analyzing research data from the field, creating training curricula and conducting workshops, developing monitoring and evaluation trainings and tools, fostering in-country collaboration, diffusing Innovations, and advocating for Community Approaches to Health.

Contributions to the Field

CORE Group has worked since 1997 to advance the field of community health by:

– Developing case studies and analyzing research data from the field so others can understand what works on the ground level and how it might be replicated.

– Creating training curricula and conducting workshops that address community-level prevention and care, with a focus on social and behavior change, childhood illness, maternal mortality and management of infectious diseases.

– Developing monitoring and evaluation trainings and tools that enable field staff to collect standardized data. More Information, please visit the Monitoring and Evaluation Tools and Resources.

– Fostering in-country collaboration to assist NGOs and global partners in developing secretariats and networks. Recent efforts include malaria, polio, and pandemic preparedness activities in India, Nepal, Ethiopia, Angola, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

– Diffusing Innovations. NGOs working in isolation often create innovative solutions to improve child health outcomes by overcoming common obstacles to development. CORE has worked to diffuse several NGO innovations that have demonstrated improvement in the effectiveness, sustainability, equity or scale of child health outcomes.

– Advocating for Community Approaches to Health. Core Group has partnered with several global initiatives–such as Roll Back Malaria, Stop TB, and the U.S. Coalition for Child Survival—in order to ensure that community approaches to health are integrated into health advocacy efforts.

Impact

Testimonials

NGOs working in community health often create innovative solutions to improve maternal and child health outcomes by overcoming obstacles to effective implementation. Many of these obstacles (lack of community ownership, ineffective referral, drug unavailability, low use of services, and low retention of community health agents) are present in communities around the world. Innovations created by one organization can assist others in improving mother and child health; however they are often not developed or transferred in a way that would enable others to learn about, evaluate and uptake the innovation for wider benefit. CORE Group is interested in diffusing NGO innovations that demonstrate a proven track record in improving the effectiveness, sustainability, equity or scale of maternal child health outcomes. CORE Group facilitates a peer review of promising evidence-based innovations, provides guidance to ensure that the product will be practical, and supports trainings and diffusion through its Community Health Network so the innovation can be used worldwide.

Who We Are

Staff

L Hilmi

Lisa M. Hilmi

Executive Director

Rachel Wax

Senior Director of Programs

Robert Yamoah

Interim Finance Director

Kate Kabore

Global Health Fellow

Dr. Brooke Farrenkopf

Dr. Brooke Farrenkopf

Humanitarian Immunization Technical Advisor

Sophia Ladha

Project Manager, Small Grants for Scaled Impact Project

Chantal McGill

Chantal McGill

Learning and Project Manager – Humanitarian Immunization Partnership

Maurice Ocquaye

Senior SBC Research Advisor, USAID Agency4All Project

Arafat Safi

Operations and Membership Manager

Board of Directors

The CORE Group Board of Directors is the governing body of the organization and is dedicated to advancing CORE Group’s mission, values, strategies, goals, priorities, and policies.

Chair, Save the Children/U.S.

Irene Koek

Vice-Chair CGPP-GHS

Ahmed Arale

Treasurer, World Learning

Kote Lomidze

Secretary, IPPF Africa Region

Dr. Enow Awah Georges Stevens

Tosin Ajayi

At-Large, Clinton Health Access Initiative

Tosin Ajayi

At-Large, Handicap International – Humanity & Inclusion

Alessandra Aseru

At-Large, Camber Collective

Lindsay Horikoshi

At-Large, Catholic Relief Services

Sarah Ford

Nomagugu Masuku

At-Large, Hemocue AB

Nomagugu Masuku

At-Large, IntraHealth International

Nikolos Oakley

At-Large, Corus International

Beth Outterson

Susan Otchere

At-Large, World Vision

Susan Otchere

At-Large, Abt Associates

Caroline Quijada

At-Large, DAI

Stephen Rahaim

Kelly Saldana

At-Large, Abt Global

Kelly Saldana

Fernando Unzueta

At-Large, Mercy Corps

Fernando Ramiro Unzueta

Co-Chairs

Cora Nally, PHD(c), MPH

Americares

Kristen Mallory

Children International

Dr. Adugna Kebede

Action Against Hunger

Diana Allotey

Vitamin Angel Alliance Inc.

Charlotte Block

NCBA/CLUSA 

Albertha Nyaku

Results for Development (R4D)

Shelley Walton

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Laura Raney

FP2030

Devina Shah

World Relief

Lisa

Lisa Sherburne

JSI

Joel Mercado

World Vision US

Barbara Muffoletto

Curamericas Global

Rachel Chaikof

Chemonics

Laura McGough

URC

Grace Peters

Smile Train

Annie G. Toro, JD, MPH

What to Expect Project

Dr. Arti Varanasi

Advancing Synergy

Dory Storms Child Survival Recognition Award

Since 2001, CORE Group has presented the annual Dory Storms Child Survival Recognition Award to a person or persons who demonstrate courage, leadership, and commitment to helping non-governmental organizations have an impact on and effectively implement programs that end child deaths. The award is named after Dr. Storms, who was a founding member of the CORE Group and led the USAID-funded Child Survival Support Project, which was based in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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