CARE Canada

Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading international humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE works with the poorest communities in 94 countries to:
•Improve basic health and education
•Enhance rural livelihoods and food security
•Increase access to clean water and sanitation
•Expand economic opportunity
•Help vulnerable people adapt to climate change
•Provide lifesaving assistance during emergencies

CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls living in poverty because, equipped with the proper resources, women and girls have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty.

CARE is a global leader within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty. We are known everywhere for our unshakable commitment to the dignity of people.

Our Mission: CARE works around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice.

Our Vision: We seek a world of hope, inclusion and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and all people live with dignity and security.

Our Focus: We put women and girls in the centre because we know that we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities.
For more details please visit www.care.ca

In the Okanagan, we have a volunteer committee  that raises awareness and funds for CARE’s work around the world. The signature event is the annual Walk In Her Shoes event that takes place every March – it takes place in over 60 countries around the world (and across Canada) which is a fun, family friendly event where we walk 10,000 steps in solidarity with women and girls in the developing world. This is the average distance a woman or girl has to walk every day for the necessities of life, such as water, food and firewood.
The event is largely volunteer run with CARE’s staff support.

For more details on the walk please visit www.care.ca/walk

Are you passionate about making positive changes in the lives of women, girls, and their families in the developing world? Do you want to inspire others to help eliminate global poverty? Are you looking to volunteer with one of Canada’s most respected international development and humanitarian agencies? Then CARE may the right fit for you!

We have various volunteer roles available for the Walk In Her Shoes committee – based on your interests and talents! Includes sponsorship, logistics, awareness building, community engagement, marketing, social media and more!

The Okanagan walk committee has “adopted” a project to follow and support – Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies that addresses the root causes of malnutrition in Southern Africa (specifically in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique).

Specifically in 2017 CARE was:
– present in 93 countries
– provided emergency relief to more than 120,000 people from Myanmar
– provided emergency nutrition support to 500,000 people in South Sudan
– working on many long-term development projects that focus on: food, nutrition & resilience to climate change; sexual, reproductive & maternal health; women’s economic empowerment.

Financially, 96% of funds raised went directly to programs (3% administration and 1% fundraising).