The young and the selfless

Young Taphatna Duncan of Burnaby, B.C., celebrated her birthday this year in a unique and generous way. She asked her friends to take what they would spend on a present and share it with children living in Haiti’s House of Hope orphanage. We are so pleased to have been the bridge between Taphatna’s generous act and the children we support in Haiti. Read all about it in The Vancouver Sun.

High-energy community

The Canadian Electrical Industry has united across the country to bring good nutrition to children around the world. The Hungry for Change campaign set out to mark World Food Day on October 16 and support children who are affected by poverty and the world food crisis. Check out the long list of caring companies who have contributed to making things better for children at www.hungryforchange.ca

Brand new Best Gift Ever

Board member and star of CBC’s Little Mosque on the Prairie, Sheila McCarthy, is hot on the campaign trail to promote the Best Gift Ever – a chance to bring children what’s missing from their lives, from nutrition to clean water to education. The 2008/09 catalogue has just been mailed to our supporters, along with our fall newsletter, and the online version is now ready to do its work. A beautiful greeting card helps to spread even more joy with each gift. Visit bestgiftever.ca

Right now in Ethiopia

A group of 18 Canadians made their way to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, recently to visit this beautiful country and see our programs for children up close. We feel honoured to lead this trip of lifetime and proud to introduce supporters to our community partners and some of the families we support. A few of the travellers are keeping us updated with stories and compelling photos of their day-to-day activities. Explore it here.

Reaching out

Community volunteers are ready to bring comfort, counselling and care to families affected by HIV/AIDS in Bugiri, Uganda. With our partner UCOBAC, we provided bikes, home-based care kits and training to these caring and enthusiastic women, thanks to funding from IDRF, MAC AIDS Fund and our individual supporters. In September, one of the volunteers explained just how much this support means to them and the children and parents they serve. In any language, the impact is clear. Play video.

Haiti aftermath

Our supporters responded quickly and generously to our appeal for support in providing emergency aid to the victims of Haiti’s recent hurricanes. So far we’ve been able to direct $20,000 to our community partners to help distribute food and medicine and address other vital needs in the hard-hit villages of Cameau and Cabaret. Your support truly makes a difference for families who have suffered so greatly these past weeks. Thank you for sharing.