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…

No matter which social or economic indicators are used to rank the world’s poorest countries, Malawi consistently rises to the top. The development prospects for this small, landlocked country in southeastern Africa are uncertain; its challenges on the economic front – among others – significant; and its record for women’s rights, disastrous. Despite this, Driana…

A new paper on creating and implementing gender-inclusive policies within the transportation sector from WUSC’s women’s economic empowerment initiative in Jordan. By: Emilie MacIsaac, Program Officer, WUSC As Jordanians make their way to work, the voice of famous singer Fairuz can be heard ringing through the opening store fronts and rolled-down car windows. Long, intertwined lines…

Join us in discussion on the challenges and solutions to education for women and girls around the world. Globally, more than 130 million girls are not attending primary or secondary school. During times of crisis and displacement, the situation worsens; refugee girls at the secondary level are only half as likely to enroll as refugee…

Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 Local Committee of the Year Award, York-Keele Local Committee! Announced annually at the WUSC and CECI International Forum, the Local Committee of the Year Award is awarded by the Board of Directors to recognize the recent contribution of a group of students to international development and the Student…