Canada

Bringing the MDGs to Life (2007-2012)
Informed and engaged Canadian citizens play an enormous role in alleviating global poverty. Bringing the MDGs to Life aims to introduce Canadian students to the Millennium Development Goals through interactive process theatre, poverty simulations, interactive games and discussions, and professional development for teachers. Our famous 12-foot puppets engage the imagination and help create truly global citizens who will make a positive impact well into the future.

Sierra Leone

CAUSE Kids (ongoing)
CAUSE Kids is a child sponsorship program that take an holistic approach to helping children break free of the cycle of poverty. CAUSE Kids benefits the Koinadugu District of Sierra Leone – a region home to the poorest of the poor. Focusing on education, CAUSE Kids provides a children with:

• tools for education, food, and a health program for the children;
• microfinance and sustainable livelihood development programs for their families;
• agricultural development, immunization, and potable water projects for their communities.

CAUSE Kids Integrated Nutrition and Education Project (2007-2012)

Receiving an education is about much more than having a school to attend. Students also need meaningful materials to study, adequate nutrition so they can concentrate, and well-informed and engaging teachers. This project takes an holistic approach to education: organic school gardens, breakfast and lunch programs, school fees and uniforms, appropriate learning materials, and teacher training are all integral to an system that addresses the roots of poverty. This project is one component of the ongoing CAUSE Kids child sponsorship program.

Project Summary (PDF)

Integrated Learning Centre (ILC)
The people of Sierra Leone are hardworking and eager to improve their communities, but they often lack the resources to make the most of their initiative. The ILC is being constructed and supplied in Kabala, Northern Sierra Leone. The ILC provides the community with a meeting place, a much-needed library, computer and science labs, resources for teachers, and a staff person to help find and use resources.

Project Summary (PDF)

Sierra Leone Birthing Huts Program (2008-2010)
Sierra Leone has the world’s highest infant and maternal mortality rates. Currently, 1 in 8 women in Sierra Leone dies of childbirth complications. The Birthing Huts Program addresses the primary causes of infant and maternal mortality through enabling women’s community groups to monitor perinatal health, training Traditional Birth Attendants, and building 21 birthing huts where women and babies receive adequate care and rest in a sanitary and socially familiar environment. The Birthing Huts Program is an extension of the Cordaid-sponsored Maternal and Infant Survival Intervention Project.

Project Summary (PDF)

Women’s Integral Empowerment Program (2007-2012)
Over 5 years, the Women’s Integral Empowerment Program (WIEP) will provide 3400 women in Sierra Leone with training in basic literacy and numeracy, business development and leadership. In addition to microfinance opportunities, these skills help women build socio-economic security and assert themselves in community and household decision-making.

Project Summary (PDF) -same summary for Honduras and Guatemala Project

West Africa

West Africa Peacebuilding Project (2008-2010)
In recent decades,  West Africa has been one of the most volatile regions of the world. Violent civil conflicts in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cote d’Ivoire have been characterized by the use of child soldiers, amputations, cross-border movement of guns, drugs and refugees, and the abduction and rape of women and girls. Being the most adversely affected by war as well as among the most marginalized members of society, a successful strategy for sustainable peace must involve the input of women and youth. The West Africa Peacebuilding Project engages women and youth organizations in policy formulation, best practice knowledge-sharing, and cooperation.

Project Summary (PDF)

Central America

GUATEMALA: Women’s Integral Empowerment Program (2007-2012)
Over 5 years in the highlands of Guatemala, this program will empower 2250 impoverished women to take greater control of their lives and improve the well-being of their families through acquisition of literacy skills, basic financial training and business development, and accumulation of savings.

Project Summary (PDF) --same summary for Sierra Leone and Honduras Project

HONDURAS: Women’s Integral Empowerment Program (2007-2012)
The 5 year program addresses the practical needs and strategic interests and aspirations of 1550 highly marginalized women on coastal Honduras. The propgram is aimed primarily at building the capacity of women to become more effective leaders, businesspeople and caregivers in their homes and communities.

Project Summary (PDF) --same summary for Sierra Leone and Guatemala Project