By Nadeesha Jayasinghe, Uniterra Volunteer, Lanka Impact Investing Network, Sri Lanka In Sri Lanka, Micro-Small-Medium Enterprises contribute to 45% of GDP. Yet, only 25% of entrepreneurs are women. Low confidence, limited access to credit, and lack of financial literacy are some of the barriers which contribute to low representation of women’s entrepreneurship. Here is the…

The story of Sondas Bashiri Each day, Sondas Bashiri looks forward to attending the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) in her hometown of Irbid, Jordan. Here, she is enrolled in the Medical Office Assistant (MOA) program. Upon graduating from the program, she wants to work in medical administration. Prior to enrolling in this program, Sondas worked…

Tourism is an important economic driver in Vietnam, one that currently employs close to two million workers and contributes 10% to national GDP. With the right skill set, workers in the tourism sector have the potential to earn wages that are double the national average. Unfortunately, the vast majority of young graduates are underqualified and…

The Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC) and World University Service of Canada (WUSC), in collaboration with the trustees of the Lewis Perinbam Award, are pleased to announce the recipients of the Impact and Innovation Awards in Honour of Lewis Perinbam. Jim Cornelius, the Executive Director of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, and iDE Canada are this year’s individual and…

Last year was a very exciting one for WUSC. From the completion of two initiatives on women and youth economic empowerment, to the implementation of new programming on improving girls’ access to education, we have many successes and accomplishments to celebrate, presented in our Annual Report. Here are just a few of the highlights from…

In 2019, the Inter-Agency Network on Education in Emergencies (INEE) released a new Gender Guidance Note, a document designed to equip policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and civil society organisations with the knowledge and tools to deliver education that is relevant to the needs of girls and boys. This Guidance Note is tailored to people working in…

Although Mongolia is the second largest cashmere producer in the world, after China, the Mongolian fibre sector is facing challenges in growth — one of the key constraints being the dramatic decrease of newcomers to the workforce in recent years.  In 2015, 65 percent of the fibre sector workforce was under the age of 35 — some…

Today marks the start of the first-ever Global Refugee Forum (GRF), hosted by the UNHCR. The Forum takes place at a crucial time, when the refugee population is higher than it has ever been, at over 25 million worldwide. In the last decade, the global population of forcibly displaced people has grown from 43.3 million…

WUSC’s Student Refugee Program (SRP) transforms the lives of many — especially formerly sponsored students. After their studies, formerly sponsored students (or SRP alumni as they are known) have gone on to do many diverse things in Canada and globally. These range from ordinary — working and supporting a family — to extraordinary — playing…

By: Arianne Leclerc, Local Committee alum, and Rhoda Philip, SRP alum Recently, WUSC representatives took part in the second annual event: Engaging Student Voices to Support the Global Compacts, held by the University Alliance for Refugees and at Risk Migrants UARRM at the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Student leaders, policy makers, practitioners, and post-secondary education leaders came…