Charito Kruvant on working with communities in transition
In the wake of conflict, it makes a difference for communities to see that women are among the humanitarian aid and development workers responding to their vital safety, security and livelihood concerns.
Charito Kruvant, president and CEO of Creative Associates International, brings the perspective of a woman entrepreneur to the high-stakes field of post-conflict transitions. Hers was the first woman-owned firm to achieve 8(a) status under the Small Business Administration's program for minority-owned businesses in the United States.
The state of woman leadership in the development field
Devex spoke with Kruvant about how her firm has worked both to ensure its transition programs address women's needs, and also to empower a class of women professionals capable of serving at the front lines of the post-conflict transition agenda.
Kruvant, who established Creative Associates International with 3 female friends in 1977, also discussed where the international development community stands today in terms of its own inclusion and promotion of women leaders.
Want to learn more? Check out She Builds and tweet us using #SheBuilds.
She Builds is a month-long conversation hosted by Devex in partnership with Chemonics, Creative Associates, JBS International as well as the Millennium Challenge Corp., United Nations Office for Project Services and the U.K. Department for International Development.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
