ZemiTek Joint Venture Awarded USAID Inclusive Development Hub Institutional Support Contract

 ZemiTek, Global Solutions Ventures joint venture partner, Dexis Professional Services (DPS) and Greenleaf Integrated Services (GIS), will provide institutional support to the USAID Inclusive Development Hub (ID) in the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI) and its missions overseas. The ID Hub helps offices and missions analyze inclusive development issues in their country or sector; supports research on what works in promoting the empowerment and inclusion of marginalized groups and combatting stigma and discrimination; and implements activities to improve the lives of the most at-risk populations. The GSV team will provide technical assistance and oversight of activities related to all ID Hub technical areas: 1) Inclusive Development; 2) Children in Adversity; 3) Youth; 4) Disability Rights and Inclusion; 5) Rehabilitation; 6) Assistive Technology; 7) Mental Health and Psychosocial Support; 8) Indigenous Peoples rights and inclusion; 9) LGBTQI+ rights and inclusion.

GSV recognizes how vital inclusive development considerations are for aid and development work to be effective and sustainable. GSV combines the strengths of ZemiTek and Dexis, both experienced USAID contractors with active contracts and projects designed to protect vulnerable and marginalized peoples around the world. GSV’s breadth of expertise in the nine technical areas listed above as well as years of experience in implementing successful large-scale institutional support contracts for the government, make it an excellent choice to implement this contract. In addition, GSV has teamed with Greenleaf Integrative Strategies, a small business that supports USAID in program design, assessment, and relationship-building to respond to complex community traumas in cross-sectoral programs.

Ms. Lovesun Parent is ZemiTek’s Project Director for the ID Hub contract.  Ms. Parent has more than 15 years of experience designing and implementing development programs, providing strategic guidance across sectors, and coordinating and delivering services to vulnerable populations. She has developed a unique perspective while supporting inclusive development, from providing technical support across the program cycle to direct services for program beneficiaries, and to administrative management and oversight of USAID programs and contract staff. This experience includes nearly four years in USAID/Haiti’s program office in addition to work in Afghanistan, Liberia, Haiti, Canada, Egypt, and the United States. Ms. Parent brings a wealth of experience working with local, new, and underutilized partners through previous experience as the External Partnerships Director for USAID’s DDI Bureau New Partnerships Incubator (NPI).

“I am proud to be part of a transformative initiative that seeks to elevate women and girls’ needs and marginalized groups, including Indigenous communities; LGBTQI people; persons with disabilities; and racial, ethnic, and religious minorities,” says Lovesun.

ZemiTek is pleased to support USAID in promoting a nondiscriminatory, integrated development approach that ensures that all people can fully participate in and benefit from development programs and processes.

 ZemiTek, LLC is a woman-owned, SBA-certified 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) based in the Washington, DC metro area. ZemiTek has a strong record of delivering innovative, high-quality products and solutions to clients. Founded in 2007, ZemiTek continues to provide professional, mission-focused advisory, analytical and institutional support services, including in-country expertise and cultural understanding. From delivering solutions in multiple languages to adapting its capacity and capability-building services, ZemiTek’s high rate of success in project implementation is due to its focus on client needs and the cultural and political environment of client missions. In addition, ZemiTek builds the capacity of its clients and their implementing partners through training and knowledge management systems.

Global Solutions Ventures (GSV)

Global Solutions Ventures (GSV), a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) holding OASIS Pool 1 SB, is an international development and professional services Small Business Administration approved joint venture comprised of ZemiTek, LLC (ZemiTek) and Dexis Consulting Group (Dexis).