The Cloudburst Group

After completing the first module of the USAID/PPL Local Evaluation and Evidence Support (LEES) training, 18 participating Zambian organizations gathered for a Corporate Capabilities Statement writing workshop. The LEES project is designed to identify networks of host-country research and evaluation entities that USAID, other international organizations, and local government can engage for evaluation and learning activities; strengthen their technical and organizational capacity; help them market their services to potential clients; and support them as they begin to conduct evaluations and learning activities. The Corporate Capabilities Statement writing workshop taught participants how to develop capability statements tailored to their organizations. Cloudburst’s Global Development Practice Area Strategy Lead and Senior Evaluation Specialist Aleta Starosta and LINC's Country Coordinator Chisenga Chimege led the workshop. Ms. Starosta facilitated a peer review using a rubric and Cloudburst's capabilities statement as an example. The 28 participants also had the opportunity to give an elevator pitch to their peers over tea and refreshments. Multiple participants were excited to incorporate the feedback into their statements so they could start using them right away. Organizations reported how valuable the first month of training was: "I realized we do have a capabilities statement but it is not structured in this manner. This session motivated me to structure it in a more visually engaging format that is more specific and highlights our strengths"—Derrick Mwape, Cavendish University For more on Cloudburst’s global development work, visit: https://lnkd.in/ghei-F-9 #WorkwithUSAID #wosb #evaluationmatters #evaluation #globaldevelopment #internationaldevelopment #capabilitystatement #partnership #training #LEES

We are delighted to share that Cloudburst's Heather Duchscherer, Senior Technical Assistance Provider on the Housing and Community Development team, is attending the 2024 National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference (NAEH), 7/8 - 7/10, in Washington, D.C. Heather provides training and technical assistance to communities so that their homeless response systems are accessible, racially equitable, trauma-informed, and effective in permanently housing community members. The NAEH Conference is bringing together service providers, system leaders, advocates, and people with lived experience of homelessness to learn from each other, discuss best practices, and share new innovations in the field. If you are attending the NAEH Conference this week please reach out and say hello to Heather. They would love to hear from you! To learn more about Cloudburst's housing and community development work, please visit: https://lnkd.in/ezcTgePe To learn more about the National Alliance to End Homelessness, please visit: https://lnkd.in/gVvdzvw5 Photo (left to right): Maseta Dorley, Senior Associate, Technical Assistance Collaborative, and Heather Duchsherer attending the pre-conference session, "Coordinated Entry: How Can We Match People to Services" #NAEH2024 #endhomelessness #racialequity #housing #communitydevelopment #fairhousing #capitolhillday #nationalconference

In recognition of Independence Day, may we continue to work in partnership to make freedom a reality for all people, especially vulnerable populations. #independenceday2024 #freedom #vulnerablepopulations #partnership

Brian Roccapriore, the Cloudburst Group Homeless Assistance Disaster Lead, and Disaster Subject-Matter Expert Sara Hicks-West were invited to attend the Building a Trauma-Informed Approach to Disaster Recovery Leadership Workshop, June 12-13, at the White House with the Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President. Brian and Sara joined a diverse group of disaster leaders from across the United States in dialogue around trauma-informed approaches to disaster recovery. During this event, Dr. Melinda J. Baldwin of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services facilitated a trauma-informed disaster response workshop for leadership. Attendees were able to share their experiences in disaster recovery, develop personal and organizational solutions for a more trauma-informed disaster response, and provide feedback to help improve training of disaster responders. The workshop topics included: • Understanding trauma and its impact • Applying trauma-informed care techniques • Creating a trauma-informed organizational environment • Managing self-care during disaster recovery Responder self-care is often not prioritized or modeled among leadership in a response setting, and focusing on it ensures that responders can show up and provide survivors with healthy, trauma-informed support.  As an organization that provides direct support to survivors as well as local disaster response providers, this training was an important reminder of the self-care the Cloudburst team needs to practice and help others practice. To learn more about Cloudburst’s homeless assistance and disaster recovery work: https://lnkd.in/gzyuXqfi #traumainformed #disasterrecovery #disasterresponse #homelessassistance #selfcare #whitehouse #wosb

In recognition of World Rainforest Day, June 22, the Cloudburst Group’s Environmental Review team is debuting a series of tips that will explore common issues, suggested actions, and other environmental compliance and review-related issues. We begin this series with the definition of environmental compliance and its importance to mitigating negative impacts to the environment. Environmental compliance is the practice of following environmental laws, regulations, restrictions, and requirements to minimize impacts of construction on the surrounding ecosystem, local community, and wildlife. Environmental regulations can push developers beyond compliance and into innovative practices and sustainable resourcing to further combat pressing environmental issues such as pollution, habitat destruction, climate change, and vulnerability to disasters.   Congress enacted the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1969, which requires Federal agencies to assess the significant environmental consequences of their proposed actions and to inform the public of their decisions. The Office of Environment and Energy (OEE) ensures that environmental compliance under NEPA is advanced and sustained within projects and programs funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), by managing HUD’s environmental review process.   An environmental review is the process of determining whether a project complies with NEPA as well as state and local government regulations. All HUD-assisted projects are required to undergo an environmental review to evaluate and mitigate their potential environmental impacts before funds, regardless of source, are committed. You can learn more about the various levels and extent of environmental review here. Cloudburst’s Environmental Review Team works with our clients to facilitate the environmental review process once their projects receive HUD funding. Our mission is to achieve sustainable environmental development through accessible environmental review training, ensuring a thorough analysis of the physical, biological, and social impacts of clients’ projects. Our efforts also ensure that indigenous, vulnerable, and marginalized communities are prioritized in the face of construction and development impact as well as climate and disaster resilience, response, and recovery. Image: Adobe Stock / © Galyna Andrushko #worldrainforestday #sustainability #environmentalcompliance #climateresilience #environmentalreview Additional Resources: HUD Environmental Justice: https://lnkd.in/dCU8wQ9M HUD Environmental Assessment Guide https://lnkd.in/dHCe3iXK Environment and Climate Resilience: https://lnkd.in/d4NQ7MsX

Starting this Friday with mutual gratitude and admiration. Happy Friday, everyone! May your weekend be filled with all rest, replenishment, and joy.

As we continue to recognize the critical need for fair and affordable housing beyond Fair Housing Month, Cloudburst was engaged by HUD’s new Office of Technical Assistance to provide fair housing and disaster response training to the Puerto Rico Department of Housing (Departamento de la Vivienda de Puerto Rico). For this training Cloudburst partnered with On Point Strategy, a certified 8(a) business and Puerto Rico-based grants management consulting firm with prior experience supporting recovery efforts.    Cloudburst’s fair housing expert, Jay Dworin, worked with On Point Strategy to develop a culturally competent training delivered to fair housing staff, senior leadership and legal staff that helped to increase their knowledge and skills on key elements of the fair housing act in relation to recipients of disaster relief funds. The training for leadership also provided a focus on best practices related to fair housing community outreach, language access planning, reasonable accommodations, and navigating the complaint process.    Cloudburst is grateful for this opportunity to partner with its new colleagues in Puerto Rico and looks forward to continuing its work in fair housing. Photo credit: Departamento de la Vivienda de Puerto Rico Photo 1: Jay Dworin, The Cloudburst Group Fair Housing Manager, answers questions on fair housing to the Puerto Rico Department of Housing (Departamento de la Vivienda de Puerto Rico) Photo 2: Carmen A. (Mely), On Point Strategy Visionary Officer and Founder, delivers fair housing training to the Puerto Rico Department of Housing (Departamento de la Vivienda de Puerto Rico) #housing #fairhousing #disasterresponse #puertorico #HUD #reasonableaccommodation #leadership

On June 4, the USAID/PPL Local Evaluation and Evidence Support (LEES) training was officially launched with an in-person event in Zambia to a group of 55 participants—38 men and 17 women—from 25 local research and evaluation organizations. The LEES training is designed to improve local organizations’ familiarity with USAID, including evaluation and procurement policies, systems, processes and the legal requirements therein. The goal of the USAID PPL/LEES course is to provide an understanding of how to work with USAID to conduct the evaluation process. The training was led by Breah Dean, Capacity Building Specialist; Aleta Starosta, Cloudburst’s Global Development Practice Area Strategy Lead; and Chisenga Chimenge, LINC's Country Coordinator. The training applies adult learning theory and combines videos, worksheets, primers, and guides with in-person events, networking, and one-on-one coaching for organizations to master the material at their own pace, customized for their current interests and organizational capacity. The training materials were debuted by Ms. Dean in the innovative LEES Google Classroom where participants can access the materials across different devices. Google Classroom is a free web-based platform developed by Google for schools. It enables trainers and teachers to share assignments, give feedback, and connect with participants all in one place. When participants were asked what about the LEES training they were most looking forward to, several said receiving business development support and learning about USAID terminology, impact evaluations, Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) analysis, and how to understand a request for proposals. Participants have been engaging with each other in the virtual classroom. The Global Development team is excited to strengthen the participating firms’ technical and organizational capacity, help them market their services to potential clients, and support their business operations and growth. #WorkwithUSAID #businessdevelopment #LEES #capacitybuilding #empowerment #localization #adultlearningtheory Photo credit: Aleta Starosta Photo 1 and 2: Participants in Zambia learning how to navigate the LEES content in the Google Classroom with Breah Dean, LEES Capacity Building Specialist.

The Cloudburst Group recognizes and celebrates Juneteenth, June 19, the anniversary of the emancipation of the last enslaved African Americans in the United States. Juneteenth is a day for joy, reflection, and action. Here are 10 activities that honor the past while supporting ongoing efforts for equality and justice today. Educate yourself: • Read books such as Juneteenth: A Novel by Ralph Ellison or The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. • Watch documentaries like 13th, directed by Ava DuVernay, or Eyes on the Prize. Read more below: #Juneteenth #FreedomDay #dismantlediscrimination #dismantleracism #equity #inclusion

As summer begins, HUD is taking action to ensure Public Housing Authorities know the steps they can immediately take to reduce the threat of extreme heat for their residents. ☀️🏠 Read more about the new guidance: https://lnkd.in/eTATSf_d