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In the summer of 2000 a newly-formed international association "Friends of the Mennonite Centre in Ukraine" purchased the former Girls' School in Molochansk as the focus of a program of Mennonite humanitarian assistance in southern Ukraine. We shared the expectations of Molochansk Mayor Alexandra Saenko, who, in negotiations for the privatization & purchase of the building, said: "I know Mennonites quite well. I think that the Centre offers our devastated people hope. Perhaps the school will become a 'light on a hill'. We are eager to work with you". Since the USSR collapse, Ukraine has been passing through a harsh subsistence, health & economic crisis which continues. At risk are seniors and children. Food, medical, & social assistance initiatives were begun in 2001, followed by educational programs. We have partnered with local government, hospitals, orphanages & schools to offer help & hope to Ukrainians in tangible ways, regardless of gender, ethnic background or religion.

The Human Development Foundation has been operating community-building programs in the several poverty-stricken areas of Pakistan for 10 years. HDF follows the Human Development philosophy of "helping people help themselves" HDF has mobilized and organized communities and helped them build and staff health care facilities, open and staff schools, build dams and water pumps so entire villages could have fresh, safe drinking water, build roads to join communities and create micro-credit programs that allow individuals and communities to break the cycle of poverty and have a sustainable opportunity for self-sufficiency. HDF provides a grassroots level, multidisciplinary approach to development that is increasingly being viewed as the most applicable by both academics and practitioners in the field. In each year of its existence, it has grown and has helped, at the grassroots level, more and more people. Today, over 200,000 have been direct recipients of HDF services.

We believe that education is the most powerful and effective way to change lives. Wakadogo is a nursery and primary school for over 300 students in a remote village in Gulu, northern Uganda. The name Wakadogo means “for the little ones” in Swahili, the language of East Africa. We provide our students with a nutritious school meal every day so that they can learn on full stomachs. We also provide a free health care facility to treat common diseases like malaria. Putting the children at the heart of everything that we do has been our guiding principle from the very beginning. We work closely with the local community to ensure that this child-cantered approach is valued and practiced. The charity was founded in 2005 and serves children and an entire community rebuilding their lives after 23 years of war. Together, we’re making a big difference to these children’s lives. We can do even more with your help.

SEED invests in education by providing scholarships to around 100 high school and university students. Scholarships allow otherwise disempowered students to access much more than an education. Schools in Kenya provide students with food, health, counselling and community support. They allow students to evade tasks of subsistence and live out their childhood. Most importantly, education becomes a tool to combat poverty, allowing children to gather skills, pursue their dreams, and live up to their human potential. Scholarships cover costs for students' school fees, which pay for lunch fees, textbooks, and extra teaching. Many students are unable to afford these school fees, thus diminishing the likelihood of them completing their education. SEED also operates a primary school in Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya called SEED Junior Academy. SJA provides an education and lunch to around 60 children who would otherwise not be in school due to a lack of public education in the slum.

Imagine an African village where a 14-year old girl stands proudly to advocate for human rights. Where she is safe from violence. Where she can go to school and become a woman before becoming a wife. Where she and her parents join a community-wide movement for health, democracy, and peace. Where together they are transforming the social and family networks that will shape her future. Good. Now imagine a few thousand more. Momentum is building across West Africa for a brighter future for girls and their communities. Tens of thousands of girls are now able to dream of a life free from violence and strive towards a future filled with knowledge, choice, and opportunity. Thousands of communities are making human dignity a reality. The next few years present a rare opportunity to transform the lives of 1.6 million people. Join our Generational Change in 3 Years campaign. Find out more at www.tostancanada.org or www.tostan.org.

According to the World Health Organization, Haiti is the most water-impoverished country on the face of the Earth. They have water, it is just not safe to drink it! They are also the most economically impoverished country in the western hemisphere. They are our neighbours! We are working in Haiti through Clean Water for Haiti Foundation. We are employing Haitians to build and install bio-sand water filters for Haitians in their homes. These filters are very durable and extremely effective in filtering out all biological pathogens, producing safe, clean water from even the most contaminated sources. One bio-sand filter can produce enough clean water everyday to supply the needs of even large families. In Haiti, families can commonly be 8-12 people, sometimes more, and most of them are children. And children are always the ones most affected by water-borne illnesses. Water-borne illness is the second largest cause of death in Haiti and the #1 cause of death in children.

Since 1983 Children's Place has offered a wide range of flexible, accessible, FREE early learning & family support programs. Today we serve over 2000 families from 11 different locations in central west Toronto. Programs include: family drop-ins, child development activities focusing on & exploring senses & developing motor skills, occasional childcare, community outreach, family literacy, food & nutrition support, parent & caregiver support & education, peer contact & mutual support, play & recreation, health & safety promotion, information about & referrals to other resources, toy & book lending. Our staff and volunteers are able to communicate in different languages including English, Portuguese, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Somali, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu & Italian. Participants include: young children 0 to 6, parents, expectant parents, very young parents, parents/caregivers/children with special needs, grandparents, nannies & home providers, newcomer & immigrant families.

Soaring high since 1981, Owl has provided a nurturing environment and we are now welcoming second and third generations of children into our care. Owl has grown to seven centres in Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge, serving over 1000 children each day! Our vision, mission, values, beliefs, and accomplishments have all contributed to our success as being a leader in providing quality care for children 3 months to 10 years of age. With Owl’s friendly staff, nutritious snacks/lunches prepared on-site, and outdoor activities twice per day, it’s no wonder we have a strong reputation in the communities we serve. Our registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) use play-based learning to maximize each child's developmental potential. Play-based learning builds upon children's natural inclination to make sense of the world through play. The six primary areas of learning are; Creativity/innovation, Health & physical activity, Language, Numeracy, Personal and social development, and Science.

In a world that has enough food, medicine and technology, it is sad to see children still living in poverty, abuse and neglect. That is why Ashid K. Bahl founded the Society, to show people that we can make a difference by helping those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Locally, we have helped with specialized medical treatments, equipment and medicine not covered by our health care system and not accessible due to financial constraints. Special needs children have gained access to specialized walkers, van and porch lifts, communication devices, food, clothing, playgrounds, and the Annual Santa’s Express. Internationally, we have helped with water wells, educational supplies, toys, and have been able to build & support several orphanages and schools. 90% of our funding comes in the form of private and corporate donations. Our Society is 99% volunteer based, which keeps our administrative costs low and hence that money raised can be best spent helping children.

To enable each community to provide for school-age children a hot, nutritious, culturally reflective breakfast in a social educational and stimulating environment. ABOUT US For more than 40 years, The Children’s Breakfast Clubs has provided healthy meals and educational, cultural and recreational activities to children across Southern Ontario, in a respectful and dignified manner. While originally focused on breakfast, we have expanded our offerings to include lunch programs at select clubs, ensuring children receive nutritious meals throughout the day to support their growth, learning, and overall well-being. OUR HISTORY Our doors opened in 1984 after it was determined that many community needs and concerns could be addressed with a breakfast program. Today, The Children's Breakfast Clubs operate as a non-profit organization in over 39 clubs. OUR IMPACT Quite often, hunger is invisible to the untrained eye and children are less likely to disclose this information to adults. Starting the day with a healthy breakfast has a proven track record that leads to improved overall health, decrease in behavioral issues, higher self-esteem and confidence levels, as well as better academic performance and extra-curricular participation. Using a holistic approach, we also deliver educational, cultural and recreational programs that help children aged 5 to 18 develop social, physical and cognitive skills.

FIASCO THEATER is an ensemble theater company created by graduates of the Brown University/Trinity Rep M.F.A. acting program. Past shows include Cymbeline (TFANA/Barrow Street), Into the Woods (Roundabout, Old Globe, McCarter), Measure for Measure (New Victory), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Folger/TFANA) and Twelfth Night. Cymbeline was presented Off-Broadway twice, for nearly 200 performances, and was honored with the 2012 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for best revival. Into the Woods garnered the 2015 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Revival. Every year, Fiasco offers the Free Training Initiative—a three-week, conservatory-level classical acting intensive for professional actors, completely free of charge to students. Fiasco has been in residence with Duke University, Marquette University, LSU, and NYU-Gallatin. Their work has been developed at the Sundance Theatre Lab, the Orchard Project, SPACE at Ryder Farm (upcoming) and the Shakespeare Society, and Fiasco has led master classes at Brown University and NYU. OUR MISSION The mission of Fiasco Theater is to offer dynamic, joyful, actor-driven productions of classic and new plays, and to offer high-level theatrical training through classes and workshops. Our goal is to create a new model of fiscal sustainability whereby we remunerate our artists for their valuable work and offer our performances and training at low or no cost to our audiences and students. WHO WE ARE: We are a team of classically trained actors with a common aesthetic vision and a passion for teaching acting. We choose to work as an ensemble because we believe this allows us the possibility to create something greater than the sum of its parts. WHAT WE BELIEVE: The artists at Fiasco believe that thrilling theater is invented through dynamic rehearsal – exploring the play in a full, open, joyful way through the voice, body, and imagination. We believe the performer, the text and the audience are the only elements required to make great theater. These principles of the power of rehearsal inspire both the creation of our performances and the training of our students. A NEW FISCAL MODEL We believe that theater is a societal foundation. It brings communities together, teaches empathy and has the power to inspire, galvanize and heal people. It’s vibrancy is necessary for the health of a culture, and shouldn’t be a luxury only accessible to the wealthy. We also believe that people who choose to create art for a living should be able to make a living doing so and shouldn’t have to choose between creating art and a living wage. But the current producing wisdom demands that wages be kept low to minimize costs while ticket prices are raised to maximize the potential for profit. It is a wisdom that hurts artists and audience alike. Fiasco’s mission is to invert that equation: we seek to offer art to the public at affordable prices while paying the artists who create it a living wage. We do so by enlisting the generosity of donors, corporations and foundations in support of artist salaries and subsidized ticket prices. WHY FIASCO? Legend has it the word “fiasco” was first used to describe commedia dell’arte performances that went horribly (and hilariously) wrong. In those instances the performer would have to fare fiasco or “make a bottle.” In other words “You’re buying!” While we hope to avoid on-stage disasters, we do believe that it is only when artists are brave enough to risk a fiasco that the possibility exists of creating something special. We chose the name Fiasco to remind ourselves to brave the huge leaps in the hopes of reaping huge artistic rewards.