We eat lunch every day where conversation ranges from Hollywood movies (Titanic is a favourite) to funding for programs. “Donors like to put their logos on things – tell them we will put their names on donkey carts,” she tells me. We all break out laughing. Donkey carts are actually a main means of transportation so the coverage would be extensive!

Mwadda is originally from Khartoum but came to West Darfur after graduation as this is where her father is from.  She wanted to work for a charity for the variety of experiences it would offer and took a job with War Child as a Lifeskills Officer, using drama, music and other mediums to teach topics like reproductive health.

She recalls one instance where she was speaking to a group of men for a while and then asked them about their views on women. “Do you listen to women?” she asked. “NO!” replied one of the men. “Well, you just listened to me for a few hours!” she quickly responded. The man took the point.

She later transitioned into the Human Resource Officer for War Child, the position she currently holds and a job she loves. “I get to work with everyone,” she says. I asked her what she saw herself doing ten years in the future and she says she wants to stay in human resources; she loves her job.

“I want to thank Canada for the work that War Child is doing,” she says. “The work is important and the way we are doing it is simple and effective. People understand what you are trying to teach. Knowledge is important.”

War Child wouldn’t be the organization it is without amazing people like Mwadda. I love that I’ve had the opportunity to get to know her and I especially love that our conversations have covered everything from the War Child’s work to the Bold and the Beautiful, Bollywood and which country makes powered milk. I asked her what she wants everyone to know about Darfur. “The hospitality of the people here, that they are very kind.” 

I’m going to miss her when I leave here.
 

War Child built this classroom, and one more like it, at a primary school I visited today in El Geneina, West Darfur (pictured). National standards say that there should be no more than 55 students per class. This one was built for 70 and as soon as it was done it was over capacity. We can’t keep up with the demand.

The school itself has a total of 1,400 primary students, three times what it should be. But with a lack of schools and an even more serious lack of teachers (this one has only 21), every school is packed beyond capacity.

Despite the infrastructure challenges, this school is a huge success. War Child worked with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to start up a small, for-profit business. The income generated goes towards helping extremely vulnerable children and last year alone the PTA supported 45 orphans and disabled students who otherwise would not have been able to attend.

In the last round of exams, the school’s Grade 8 students scored highest out of all schools in their Administrative District (15 schools total) and ninth in all of West Darfur for final exams. Of the 64 students at the school who wrote exams, 62 passed. More incredibly, 43 of those were girls. The school credits this success to War Child who provided textbooks for each student. At other schools there is one textbook per class and the teacher keeps it; students are left to study only from the notes they may or may not have taken throughout the year.

With success come added challenges. The school now has an excellent reputation in the community which means increasingly expanding enrollment. Seven of the classrooms are still simple structures of metal rods covered by bamboo matts and tarps (see photo); in the next heavy rain, they’ll see serious damage. So, while much has been achieved, much remains to be done. War Child is committed to completing the job to ensure that all the children of Darfur are educated.
 

It’s hot as expected. It’s dusty as expected. There’s large piles of mud bricks everywhere. Not expected.

What I find interesting about visiting different areas across sub-Saharan Africa are the small and sometimes not so small differences and similarities. Here a big difference is the bricks. I’ve never seen so many.

The first thing you notice leaving the airport are large kilns on the side of the road. These are not unique to Sudan. They look like large towers of bricks (10-15 feet high), distinguishable by the multiple, rectangular openings on the bottom.

The problem with the kilns is that they need large amounts of firewood and, thus, can contribute to local deforestation issues. An attempt was made to switch to cement/sand/straw bricks but those weren’t as stable and buildings started showing cracks within months.  So, back to mud bricks it was. And they are piled everywhere.

I’m interested in the bricks for two reasons. Firstly, I never got out of the ‘why’ phase as a child. I still ask why about everything I see. I probably don’t make the best travel companion. But secondly and far more importantly, is the market flooded with them?

War Child has been working here since 2005 on a combination of programming, including livelihoods training. This essentially means that we work with people to help them find viable ways of earning a living, long-term; children benefit when families have sustained income levels. All our work is based on assessments of local markets. Why train 200 people to be brick makers if there are already too many bricks? They won’t be able to get a job. What if what’s missing is someone to make the shovels needed to put the mud for the bricks in molds?

In fairness, the bricks are just an example of how we begin to look at market needs. Our prior assessments of local markets have found that generally the needed skills are in metal work, woodwork, masonry, food processing, shoe making and tailoring. And so that’s the training we provide, combined with business skills and small start-up grants of materials or equipment, to ensure we’re not just providing training but a long-term opportunity. 

On Monday, May 6th, we will be launching the Best Seats in the House online auction for Jackson-Triggs’ 100th concert weekend with SOLD OUT performances by two long standing War Child supporters, Sam Roberts Band on June 14th and Chantal Kreviazuk on June 15th. The auction items will be sold through eBay and the bidding will close on May 16th.

We have fantastic packages available for each of these must-see shows:

June 14th Sam Roberts Band SOLD OUT show:

3 Best Seats in the House GOLD packages available which include 2 tickets, a post show Meet and Greet with Sam Roberts Band, reserved premium seats with the best stage view in the amphitheatre and more.

• GOLD Package #1 - Bid Here Now!
• GOLD Package #2 - Bid Here Now!
• GOLD Package #3 - Bid Here Now!

3 Best Seats in the House SILVER packages available which include 2 tickets, reserved premium seats with a fabulous stage view and more.

• SILVER Package #1 - Bid Here Now!
• SILVER Package #2 - Bid Here Now!
• SILVER Package #3 - Bid Here Now!

June 15th Chantal Kreviazuk SOLD OUT show:

5 Best Seats in the House GOLD packages available which include 2 tickets, a post show Meet and Greet with Chantal Kreviazuk , reserved premium seats with the best stage view in the amphitheatre and  more.

• GOLD Package #1 - Bid Here Now!
• GOLD Package #2 - Bid Here Now!
• GOLD Package #3 - Bid Here Now!
• GOLD Package #4 - Bid Here Now!
• GOLD Package #5 - Bid Here Now!

5 Best Seats in the House SILVER packages available which include 2 tickets, reserved premium seats with a fabulous stage view and more.

• SILVER Package #1 - Bid Here Now!
• SILVER Package #2 - Bid Here Now!
• SILVER Package #3 - Bid Here Now!
• SILVER Package #4 - Bid Here Now!
• SILVER Package #5 - Bid Here Now!

Stay tuned for more Best Seats in the House packages as they will be offered for the entire Jackson-Triggs’ 2013 summer concert series line up:

July 6th - Steven Page
July 13th - Natalie McMaster
August 10 - Sprit of the West - Bid Here Now - auction ends May 23rd
August 30 - Bruce Cockburn
August 31 - Great Lake Swimmers & Elliott Brood
September 6 - Alan Doyle

Please make sure to drop by the War Child table that we’ll have set up at each concert throughout the summer, with raffle opportunities and a nightly silent auction, featuring a guitar autographed by the night’s artist and a signed bottle of wine.
 

War Child Canada, therefore, welcomes the joint G8 Declaration on the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict, agreed today in London, UK. By making such a statement, the G8 Ministers are sending a strong and resolute message that sexual violence in conflict zones will not be tolerated and that perpetrators can no longer rely on the culture of impunity that is embedded into conflict-affected societies.

War Child Canada also applauds Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird’s promise today - not only of the extra investment to combat sexual violence - but also of Canada’s long-term commitment to this issue.

War Child Canada has seen through our work that there are no easy or short-term solutions to what has become a pandemic of sexual violence in conflicts across the world.    We also understand first-hand the relevance of investment in women and children to the building of strong communities capable of recovery from conflict.  While international diplomacy is important, equally vital are more concerted efforts at a local level to offer better responsive support to victims, engage local communities in prevention strategies, and strengthen justice systems.

Today’s Declaration is a significant step forward and we look forward to the G8 countries taking the action necessary to make its vision a reality.

Dr. Lorna Read is Chief Operating Officer of War Child Canada.

The War Child auction item includes:

• An electronic Epiphone LP Special II guitar signed by Metric
• 2 VIP tickets to see Metric with City and Colour, Jimmy Eat World, Serena Ryder and Yukon Blonde live at Butler's Barracks in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Saturday June 29, 2013

An independent rock and roll band empowered by their innovative approach to the music business, Metric self-released their fourth album Fantasies on five continents without the benefit of a label. They earned themselves multiple radio hits around the world, two Juno Awards, a Grammy nomination and went on to sell over a million singles and 500,000 albums worldwide. Their fifth full-length studio album, Synthetica (out now) has been described as "sonically futuristic yet organic" and represents the culmination of all the music the band has made in their ten years together. Metric will perform at The Commons @ Butler's Barracks National Historic Site in Niagara-On-The-Lake on Saturday, June 29th along with City and Colour, Jimmy Eat World, Serena Ryder and Yukon Blonde.

Bidding is only open for one week from Thursday, May 23rd to Thursday, May 30th at www.warchild.ca/auction. Please note tickets will be picked up at will-call with valid photo ID only. VIP tickets include access to a VIP area with optimal main stage viewing, bleacher seating, VIP bar, shaded area, premium food vendors, VIP washrooms, and fast pass VIP entry. Show is all ages.

The auction will take place at 99 Sudbury in Toronto on April 25th. It will be preceded by a preview on April 20-21st at Waddington’s Auction House. Tickets for the live auction are $60.00 and can be purchased online or by calling the War Child office at 416.971.7474.  The auctioneer for the event will be contemporary art specialist Stephen Ranger of Waddingtons Auction House. Online bidding has opened here. 

“There is a strong connection between art and War Child’s mission to restore normalcy to children’s lives in the fragile aftermath of conflict,” said Dr. Samantha Nutt, War Child Founder and Executive Director. “Art and culture can help children realize that their heritage is not just war. It acts as a thread of continuity to what went before. It goes a long way to creating an environment in which childhood can once again thrive, and the return to violence becomes less and less likely.”

“Now in its second year, the partnership between ArtBarrage and War Child demonstrates how individuals can support children in conflict zones by using their own skills to raise much-needed funds,” said Ronald Mann, Chair of FreeHand 2013. “Sale of FreeHand auction pieces will benefit War Child’s work with war-affected children.”

FreeHand is curated by Walter Willems and Kelly McCray, who said “The FreeHand auction showcases the poignant insights of the contemporary visual art community while supporting the vital War Child programmes that help restore communities decimated by the ravages of war,” said McCray. “This year, works have been donated by an incredible group of contemporary artists, and have been selected based on excellence in their respective mediums as well as commentary on the War Child vision.”

FreeHand’s 2013 collection includes works from Jeannie Thib, Sarah Anne Johnson, Sanaz Mazinani, John Nobrega, Camilla Singh, Jordan MacLachlan, Tomori Nagamoto, Eldon Garnet, Douglas Walker, Kotama Bouabane, Bill Burns, John Brown, Seth Scriver, Alex McLeod, Geoffrey Pugen, Tibi Tibi Neuspiel, Clive Holden, Michael Adamson, Scott Everingham and Rob MacInnis, whose Julianne 1 is pictured above (detail).

War Child’s mission is to work with war-affected communities to help children reclaim their childhood through access to education, opportunity and justice. With extensive experience working with children in conflict and post-conflict communities globally – War Child’s expertise has been widely recognized by international governments, United Nations agencies and local and other international NGOs. War Child currently works in Afghanistan, DRC, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.

War Child’s Canadian-based program staff to answer any questions you might have regarding War Child, our operations, and questions you might have about getting into the industry.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP at info@warchild.ca with “Information Session RSVP” in the subject line. Space is limited, so please RSVP soon. Our address is 489 College Street, Suite 500.

Look forward to seeing you soon.

Following the gang rape that killed a 23 year female student on a bus in Delhi, the attack on Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan for daring to want an education, and the horrific upsurge of rape in eastern Congo, the world is suddenly focused on the issue of violence against women and girls - and how to prevent it.  It is the central theme of the 57th meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations, taking place this week in New York.

70% of women face physical violence in their lifetimes and often this violence is sexual. In states affected by armed conflict – states that are home to 1.5 billion people – violence against women and girls is rampant, while the men responsible act with impunity. In the Congo alone, studies suggest that approximately 50 women are raped every hour.

After so much violence perpetrated by men against women and girls, one would hope that when conflict ends, women would take a leading role in the peace building process. Sadly this is not the case. Despite a  UN resolution signed in 2000 (Resolution 1325) that specifically calls for such female participation, very little action has been taken to make it happen. In fact, over the last 25 years, only one in 40 signatories to peace treaties has been a woman.

At War Child, we understand, from first hand experience, the relevance of investment in women in the building of strong communities capable of recovery from conflict, and, importantly, in creating stable environments in which their children can thrive. It can take at least a generation to move from conflict to development, and along the way there is always a serious risk of deterioration back to full conflict. The role of women in preventing this is vital.

On this, International Women’s Day, we call on the international community to act on Resolution 1235. If communities are to successfully transition out of conflict, actions – not words – are needed to ensure that woman do not continue to be silenced when their voices are most urgently needed. And we call on you, our supporters, to donate today and help War Child directly empower women in the fragile states in which we work.

Quite often, we hear from supporters that want to know how efficiently their donations are spent, and how much is going to “the cause.”

The easy answer is to refer them to our most recent Annual Report and audited financials here on our website, but that doesn’t answer the how and why our spending is what it is.  Every donor dollar is spent with careful consideration, regardless of being for administration or program expenses.

War Child has gone to great lengths to build key strategic partnerships that have allowed us to keep our direct spending on overhead low. We think it extremely important to be transparent with our donors about how this achieved, and why it is important. That is why we’re launching a 3 part series of articles here on our website to tell each of you what is happening behind the scenes to make the absolute most of your donations.

Part 1: Travel

Any NGO that works abroad has to earmark funding for the transportation of staff to and from the field, or for local staff while in-country. War Child is no different. Our North American HQ is in Toronto, while our field offices are spread throughout Africa and Asia.

War Child employs primarily local community members to run our programs and to partner with existing community programs. This dramatically cuts down on the amount of overseas travel. All of the day-to-day communications between the field offices and HQ happens via email or Skype.

But, we do need to travel sometimes. Internationally, our Directors occasionally have to meet with and assess programs firsthand, as well as consult with local partners. Domestically, it isn’t uncommon that travel is required for meetings in Ottawa, Vancouver, or another major city. Covering these costs is where we come to our first major partnership: Aeroplan’s Beyond Miles program.

War Child launched its partnership with Aeroplan’s Beyond Miles Program in November of 2008. Beyond Miles has grown to include ten charitable partners from a variety of backgrounds across Canada. Aeroplan’s Beyond Miles Program generously provides us with millions of Aeroplan Miles each year, as well as showcasing us as a charity to which Aeroplan Members can donate miles. Since 2008, Aeroplan Members have donated more than 9.6 million miles to War Child, which is an amazing figure!

War Child is able to use these miles for any Aeroplan eligible travel, including flights, hotel stays and car rentals if needed. And, if at year-end we have some remaining miles we can even redeem them for rewards like a new laptop for our Ugandan field office.

The support from Aeroplan’s Beyond Miles program really is essential to keeping our travel costs minimized, and without them our investment directly to our programs would be seriously impacted.
Your donor dollar is going further because of Beyond Miles.

Keep an eye out for Part 2: Advertising