Learn more about this leading approach in economic development Market Systems Development is an approach in economic development that focuses on the role of markets in poverty reduction, systems analysis, incentives, sustainability, and scale. The Market Systems Development approach was first developed in the UK and has since been adopted by various government organizations, such…

New Ways to Sponsor Refugees with WUSC The latest global trends report from UNHCR shows that the global refugee crisis continues to worsen, with a record high of 70.8 million people displaced around the world in 2018. With Canada being a world leader in refugee resettlement, new initiatives have been emerging across the country to respond…

Welcoming former refugees at airports across the country each August marks a significant milestone for our Student Refugee Program. Each student that arrives to begin their post-secondary education journey in Canada reflects the culmination of months of hard work among our Local Committee network and school administrations, and the generosity of our donors to create more…

By: Muneeb Khan, Education Manager, WUSC Innovations in technology are rapidly disrupting industries across sectors, from ride-hailing mobile apps, such as Uber, challenging traditional taxi services, to digital stores creating new competition for brick and mortar outlets. The education industry is no exception; it is also in a state of digital transformation. Learning apps, such as…

Optimizing Development Impact in the Global South The innovations of social entrepreneurs can create new, cost-effective pathways toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Canada and around the world. The overall aim of social enterprises is to apply business methods to solve social problems, including poverty, unemployment, social exclusion, climate change, food insecurity, gender-based…

Commissioned as a background paper for the development of the 2019 Global Education Monitoring Report, Migration, displacement and education: Building bridges, not walls report, the paper Higher Education for Refugees written by Martha K. Ferede in 2018, provides a critical global overview of refugee access and participation in higher education.  Higher Education for Refugees outlines the barriers refugees face at…

Gender Lens Investing in Ghana, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam What is Gender Lens Investing? Pioneered by the Criterion Institute, a think tank based in the United States, and taken up and adapted by an increasing variety of actors over the past decade, Gender lens investing (GLI) is defined as “the incorporation of a gender…

Our vision is a better world for all young people. When WUSC first began in the 1920s, our mission was to mobilize students, faculty members, and staff at Canadian universities to provide material relief to post-secondary students in post-war Europe. Since then, we have evolved into a Canadian global development organization working in over 25…

Volunteering for sustainable development Whether it is in Canada or overseas, the work that we do greatly depends on the generous spirit of our volunteers. This year, more than 1,000 Local Committee members on 95 campuses across Canada have volunteered their time to raise awareness on development issues, and provide postsecondary education opportunities for refugee…

We are pleased to announce that the recipient honoured with the 2018 Lewis Perinbam Award is the Honourable Senator Ratna Omidvar, C.M., O.Ont. Ratna Omidvar is an internationally recognized voice on migration, diversity and inclusion. She came to Canada from Iran in 1981 and her own experiences of displacement, integration and citizen engagement have been the foundation…