Tag: Notes from the Field
Crossroads International: Empowering women
Fatou Kiné Fall felt trapped. For more than two years, the Senegalese woman suffered at the hands of her abusive husband. She desperately wanted to leave with her children, although she knew that she had no way to support them. Finally, when Fall’s husband deliberately spilled a bowl of scalding porridge on her legs, resulting […]
International development: More than safe bets
It’s rare that you get to see the fruits of development work up close, let alone hold it in your hands or feed it to cows. Earlier this year, I went on a three-country tour of Engineers Without Borders Canada’s work in sub-Saharan Africa. I started in Kenya, where there’s a distinct feeling of “Just […]
Agents of change in global conservation
Painted in black and red, donning their best plumed headgear and armed with bows, arrows and the staunchest determination, they were dressed in full war attire and blocking the entrance to the Palacio do Planalto (the seat of the Brazilian government) in Brasília in early February. “They” were a group of about 50 Kayapó men […]
Helping after the Philippines’ Typhoon Haiyan
Typhoon Haiyan — the strongest storm ever to hit landfall — ripped through central Philippines in November 2013, killing more than 6,000 people and destroying more than one million homes. More than 14 million people were affected in some way. Typhoon Haiyan left complete devastation in its wake by sweeping away houses, uprooting coconut trees, […]
Home is where the heart is
In the aftermath of a disaster, access to shelter — along with the other basic human needs of food, water and health care — is essential to survival. Access to shelter is central because of the role a safe and decent home plays in rebuilding communities long after the disaster or crisis, as families begin […]
Shipping help inside a tourist’s suitcase
When an Ottawa couple lost their 11-year-old daughter to a condition she’d had her whole life, they were understandably devastated. But it gave them some small solace — a bit of hope that her memory would be honoured — when they were able to donate the girl’s two wheelchairs to worthy recipients two worlds away. […]
Aga Khan Foundation: Bringing world-class health care to hard-to-reach communities
The lush hills of Tanzania’s Uluguru mountain range have many things to offer: 100 plant species found nowhere else in the world, a forest-capped peak towering at 2,630 metres high and rushing rivers that form the main source of water for the urban population of Dar es Salaam. But there is one feature strikingly absent […]
CARE Canada: A powerful catalyst for change
When we talk about development, we don’t usually think of little grocery stores. However, in a small village in Pakistan’s Punjab province, one little shop is testament to how an international organization can inspire a community. But before we get to the store, we need to talk roads. In Pakistan, CARE Canada is currently administering […]
Inspiring through educational opportunity
I founded ACCESO International in 1996 to address the disparity between my own educational and scholarship opportunities and those of underprivileged students in developing countries of the Americas, a disparity that struck me during my travels in the region. ACCESO International is an Ottawa-based Canadian charitable organization that is completely volunteer-operated. In my work with […]
‘The world is our emergency room’
“My responsibility is to use those opportunities I’ve been given and try and put some good back into the world,” says physician and humanitarian AnneMarie Pegg. Pegg, who is from Yellowknife, is currently part of a crisis team working in Central African Republic and is one of hundreds of Canadians who work overseas every year […]
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