Dear Friend,

It has been several months since we last shared the CAUSE Canada newsletter. I am honoured that you trust CAUSE Canada to make an effective difference in people’s lives – this work would not continue to happen without you.

Equity is so important to CAUSE Canada – it is one of our core values. We believe everyone should have the chance to reach their full potential. Yet we know that people living in poverty live on the margins and are often challenged daily by discrimination – because of their poverty but also because of other identities such as being female, Indigenous, a religious minority, among others.

You know that for women and girls, life can be much more difficult, just because they are a girl. It is heartbreaking to think of how many lives could be lifted out of poverty if we included half the population as equals.

Thank you for being part of this solution. In this newsletter, you will find a few examples where, with your support, a significant difference is being made in helping all people, and especially girls and women including:

1. In Honduras, where health service providers are learning about and establishing protocols to meet the special needs of survivors of gender-based violence, one of Honduras’ most serious social challenges.

2. In Guatemala, where new training is being integrated into microfinance programming to further empower women as business leaders.

3. In Sierra Leone, where adolescent girls are participating in training to help them engage as leaders in the future of a more equal country.

I hope you will read this newsletter, be inspired knowing you are helping to create change, and consider how you might be able to do more. In the next few months, we have a lot going on at CAUSE Canada. We hope you will join us in helping people to leave poverty and have an opportunity to reach their full potential.

With gratitude,

Lise* and her husband had some farmland high up on a steep hillside near to Todos Santos, Guatemala. The area was perfect for growing coffee, but coffee plants can be susceptible to diseases such as leaf rust, berry disease, and fungal infections. These challenges had been circulating among many of the fincas (coffee plantations) near Lise’s husband’s land.

Lise hoped she could develop a successful coffee plantation if she could buy more resilient plants, but she needed to invest more into high-quality seedlings. She knew CAUSE Guatemala had the ability to support impoverished women who might have an idea for a good business.

She approached CAUSE Guatemala and showed them her husband’s land. They discussed her business plan and the best return on her investment in coffee plants and other resources for her plantation.

The loan to Lise helped Lise’s husband to see her as a partner in developing a growing coffee business and increased gender equality within their family. The advice and support that the CAUSE team provided Lise, and her husband has been invaluable in maximizing their investments and developing their finca to be more resilient to not only diseases but also to the erratic weather in the regions caused by climate change. Access to business support and capital has helped change Lise’s and her family’s lives.

Beginning this month, we are thrilled to announce an exciting new partnership with our good friends at Good Trade Coffee Company. Good Trade Coffee Company is dedicated to ethical coffee commerce and driven by a passion for positive change. They have created a special roast just for us, with all proceeds directly supporting female entrepreneurship and child education for women like Lise in the coffee-growing region of Todos Santos.

To experience this special collaboration for yourself, visit Good Trade Coffee Company’s Kensington or Crossroads locations in Calgary or purchase online.

*Name has been changed

In the heart of Kabala, Sierra Leone, on a rugged dirt road, lives Zainab, a bright and determined young woman. Every morning, we see her as we walk to get bread, always eager to lend a hand to her single mother. Despite attending a crowded school with underqualified teachers, Zainab’s potential shines brightly.

Zainab, now in grade 12, is the pride and joy of her mother. A few years ago, her education was at risk due to financial struggles. However, everything changed when Zainab joined the CAUSE Canada Peer Literacy and Bursary Program.

Every August, young women from grades 7 to 12 in the Peer Literacy and Bursary Program participate in a month-long training in literacy, tutoring, career guidance, public speaking and health education. The results are immediate and profound: their reading skills improve dramatically as they gain foundational literacy skills. During the school year, these young women, known as Peer Literacy Facilitators (PLFs), lead afterschool literacy programs for children in grades one and two. In return, CAUSE Canada supports PLFs in many ways including mentorship, weekend training, and university bursaries.

The impact of this program is nothing short of remarkable. Time and again, we witness these young women seizing new opportunities. Take Zainab, for example. On the brink of dropping out, she has soared to new heights. This past April, she represented her school in a nationwide debate, winning first place for best debater with her compelling argument on the importance of gender equality.

In a country where few girls reach the 12th grade, Zainab has become a powerful advocate for educational opportunities for girls.

The CAUSE Canada Microfinance Program has been empowering Indigenous women in Guatemala through small business training and loans for over 15 years now. This transformative initiative reached a significant milestone last year when we appointed our first female country director in Guatemala, Deidy.

Deidy is an extraordinary woman from San Marcos. Though not Indigenous, she is committed to mastering the Mayan Mam language, spoken by the communities CAUSE Canada serves in Guatemala. Deidy is also studying English to better communicate with her Canadian colleagues and visitors.

With a background as an accountant and nurse, and as a mother of several young children, Deidy initially led the maternal newborn and child health program as its coordinator. Now, as the Country Director, her dedication to living her faith through serving vulnerable communities with love and compassion is driving the growth of the microfinance program in innovative ways.

Recognizing that business training, negotiation skills, and financial management are vital, Deidy also identified the importance of fostering women’s solidarity and mutual support. Under Deidy’s leadership, the program now includes new training components where women learn, laugh, and collaborate, creating a strong community network.

Deidy herself has become a guide of inspiration. In Guatemala, it is uncommon for women to hold such prominent leadership positions. Deidy’s role as Country Director has reinvigorated the program, reminding us of CAUSE Canada’s core principle: the most successful initiatives are those where beneficiaries see themselves reflected in their leaders.

Often, development work is focused on basic health, nutrition, education, and economic growth. However, a few years ago, women in CAUSE Canada’s maternal and child health programs highlighted a crucial issue: to truly support healthy pregnancies, we needed to help them address the violence in their families and communities. This insight has driven our efforts to tackle sexual and gender-based violence, filling a significant gap in health and development initiatives.

We know that development stalls or even reverses when there is conflict. It’s challenging to build schools during a war. When we think about the devastating conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and elsewhere, the idea of rebuilding seems almost impossible. Yet, meeting people’s basic needs through development is essential for peace to flourish.

While Honduras is not officially at war, it is one of the most violent places in the world:

• For women, Honduras has the fifth-highest rate of violence globally.

• Children and adolescents face the highest youth homicide rate worldwide.

• Boys in Honduras have a one-in-nine chance of being murdered in their lifetime.¹

Given this harsh reality, incorporating violence prevention and response into all our work is crucial. Development cannot thrive without a foundation of peace.

Understanding CAUSE Canada’s impact in helping Hondurans prevent and respond to gender-based violence is challenging but vital. Recently, we met with the Director of Health for one of the municipalities to discuss the PODER program, which aims to reduce adolescent pregnancies and address violence. She explained that before the program, all survivors of violence were treated the same – they received medical treatment for their wounds and were sent home. CAUSE Canada’s training on recognizing sexual and gender-based violence, along with our efforts to build systems that increase the municipality’s capacity to support survivors, has transformed health system protocols. Now, survivors receive specialized care, including finding safe places to go.

The Health Director envisions expanding this training to all municipalities. According to her, these seemingly small changes are radically improving outcomes for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, providing them with new opportunities to break the cycle of poverty.

Thank you for your support, which is essential in continuing this critical work. By contributing to CAUSE Canada, you help create safer, healthier communities where development can truly take root. Join us in making a profound difference.

¹ Small Arms Survey, Geneva and the Violence Observatory at the National Autonomous University of Honduras.

Join us on Friday, October 4th at the Carriage House Hotel for an inspiring evening of storytelling dedicated to empowering girls and cultivating brighter futures.

This year, CAUSE Canada’s fall event will provide an opportunity to listen and consider how together we can establish sustainable health, nutrition and education programming.

Mark your calendars and stay tuned for details on this exciting event!