Resources
The BetterTogether final report shines a spotlight on the considerable impact of the USAID-supported solver organizations funded by the challenge, as well as lessons learned to benefit future programs, especially those operating in non-permissive or crisis and conflict environments. The breadth of the challenge’s reach across geographies and technical sectors is a testament to the magnitude of the crisis, as well as the ingenuity of solvers from the affected communities and from across the globe.
Events
Supporting Venezuelan Migrants and Host Communities Through Innovation

February 24, 2022
What are transformative approaches to address key issues faced by Venezuelan migrants and host communities? How can innovative partners on the ground work towards solving these issues in collaboration with the international community? Hear promising solutions from some of the BetterTogether Challenge projects, as USAID and the IDB mark the multi-year initiative’s close-out. The speakers include:
- Michael Eddy, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator & South America Affairs Director, Latin American and Caribbean Bureau, USAID
- Gustavo Tarre, Executive Director, Venezuela, Inter-American Development Bank
- Jamille Bigio, Senior Coordinator, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, USAID
- Irene Arias Hofman, Chief Executive Officer, IDB Lab
- Sara Cohen, Director General, South America and the Interamerican System, Global Affairs Canada
Looking Back, Looking Forward

December 7, 2020
Learn about eight innovations funded by the BetterTogether Challenge that are improving the lives of Venezuelans, Venezuelan migrants, and their host communities in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. The speakers include:
- Katherine Donato, Professor, Georgetown University.
- Joel Hellman, Dean of Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
- Mauricio Claver-Carone, Former President, IDB
- John Barsa, Former Acting Administrator, USAID
- Irene Arias Hofman, CEO, IDB Lab
- Nery Santaella, Co-Founder, Art for Impact
- Daniel Bellisimo, Director, International Youth Foundation
- Marlene Charles, Project Director, Democracy International
- Claudia Esparza, CEO, Loop
- Daniella Rubio, Director, Premise Data
- Jonathan Berezovsky, Founder and CEO, Migraflix
- Cristina dos Anjos, Project Manager, Caritas Brasileira
- Marcello Carbon, Manager, IDB
Working With Venezuelan Migrants in Brazil

June 9, 2020
What are the challenges faced by the Venezuelan community living in Brazil? And what are the new and innovative approaches being used to solve them? USAID and IDB talk with the Avina Foundation about what is working, what is not, and why. The speakers include:
- Glaucia Barros, Director Avina Foundation LAC
- Ted Gehr, Mission Director, USAD Brazil
- Morgan Doyle, IDB representative in Brazil
- Paulo Sergio de Almeida, Livelihood Officer, UN Agency for Refugees, Brazil
- Juan Pablo Lopez Gross, Senior Innovation Specialist, IDB Lab
Launching the BetterTogether Challenge

October 21, 2019
USAID and the IDB launched the BetterTogether Challenge in Miami, Florida in October 2019. The speakers included:
- Mark B. Rosenberg, President, Florida International University
- Alexis Bonnell, Chief Innovation Officer, USAID
- Mario Diaz-Balart*, Representative, U.S. House of Representatives
- Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Representative, U.S. House of Representatives
- Ted Deutch, Representative, U.S. House of Representatives
- Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Representative, U.S. House of Representatives
- Carlos Vecchio, Venezuelan Ambassador to the U.S.
- John Barsa, Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean, USAID
- Irene Arias Hofman, Chief Executive Officer, IDB Lab
- Veronica Ruiz del Vizo, Chief Executive Officer, Mashup Interactive Agency
Other Resources
November 2021 Newsletter: Learn About the Success of Some of Our Challenge Innovators
June 2021 Newsletter: Catch Up on the Latest From the Challenge Innovators
May 2021: Newsletter Celebrating May Milestones!
April 2021 Newsletter: Exciting News From Our Innovators
March 2021 Newsletter: Exciting News From Our Innovators
February 2021 Newsletter: Exciting News From Our Innovators
January 2021 Newsletter: Exciting News From Our Innovators
December 2020 Newsletter: Catch Up on the Latest From the Challenge This Holiday Season
November 2020 Newsletter: Catch Up on the Latest From the Challenge
October 2020 Newsletter: Celebrating the One-Year Anniversary of the BetterTogether Launch
September 2020 Newsletter: Catch Up on the Latest Challenge News!
August 2020 Newsletter: Catch Up on the Latest Challenge News!