 |  | Ugandan Street Kids Find Hope at The Sanctuary January 24, 2012
For the former street kids living at The Sanctuary in Jinja, Uganda, a group home gives them more than just a safe place to sleep - it gives them access to education and vocational training with the power to truly transform their lives. Founded by Henry Wanjala in partnership with Melissa Maertens and Tom Dale, The Sanctuary is a project of International Teams Canada's Impact Uganda program.... [read more] |  |  |
Jamie Sanfilippo Appointed Director of Short-Term Teams January 24, 2012
Short-term teams have always been an integral part of International Teams Canada and are part of the strategy for many of our programs. Bob Fukumoto, Canadian Program Leader for Impact Romania, says that "short-term teams give an injection of encouragement, vision, and energy as they support existing work in the community." Due to the substantial growth of the short-term teams program over the past few years, ITCA has created a full-time staff position focused solely on leading this program.... [read more]
A Very International Christmas December 16, 2011
Christmas celebrations take on many different forms in the various countries where International Teams workers serve. Here is a small glimpse into what the Christmas season looks like for a few ITCA team members. I LOVE the Christmas season! I love whatever is in the air - the first snow, the parties, the food, hearing "O Holy Night" at the candlelight service on Christmas Eve ... people just seem to be in such a different mood, more generous and giving, nicer to each other. I will always... [read more]
Welcome Home Celebrates a Christmas Reunion December 15, 2011
One of the refugees currently living at Welcome Home Refugee Housing Community in Kitchener is Aitifa*, a 30-year-old first-time mother from Eritrea. Aitifa's Pentecostal church was forced by government persecution to move their worship services underground, to a large hole on a piece of property owned by a foreigner who allowed them to meet there in secret. Most of Aitifa's family was left behind in Eritrea, including her youngest sister, who has been in jail for five years, incarcerated... [read more]
Fall Brings Organizational Changes to Head Office November 17, 2011
Fall is always an exciting time of year for the team at the International Teams Canada head office in Elmira, and this year is no different. A number of changes have recently been made to program and department leadership that will better equip ITCA to serve widows, orphans, and refugees around the globe. Tarra Weber has been promoted to the role of Director of Finance with International Teams Canada. Alan Findlay, the previous Director of Finance, will continue in a valued role in the... [read more]
Give Hope, one holiday gift at a time November 14, 2011
For many people in Canada, there is often a feeling of conflict between what Christmas should be about - sharing the joy of Jesus' birth and the Christmas story, connecting with family and friends - and the reality of the season. It is stressful and busy, and everything is further complicated by the need to find the time and money to shop for gifts that aren't always needed or used. Last year, as a possible solution to this problem, ITCA created a Christmas catalogue filled with items... [read more]
New Online Services Department Makes Online Giving Easy October 21, 2011
International Teams Canada's new Online Services Department is an exciting step forward for ITCA's head office infrastructure, one that Neil Ostrander, CEO, believes will provide increased opportunities for genuine engagement with ITCA's people and programs. ITCA's total revenue has more than doubled in the past three years, an increase that he says was driven in large part by programs, people, projects, and teams leveraging online services as more donors choose the convenience, reliability,... [read more]
Ride for Refuge is a Family Affair October 19, 2011
Started in 2004 as a small local fundraiser with 25 cyclists raising money for refugees, the Ride for Refuge (also known as the "RIDE") has grown to a multi-site event in cities across the US and Canada. Each year, thousands of riders fundraise in support of refugees, orphans, victims of human trafficking, and homeless people, as well as projects that are approved by the Ride Partner Grant program. The RIDE is now offered by Blue Sea Philanthropy in partnership with International Teams... [read more]
Finance Announcement October 17, 2011
I'm very happy to announce that effective September 1, Tarra Weber has been promoted to the role of Director of Finance with International Teams Canada. Alan Findlay, our previous Director of Finance, will continue in a valued role in the Finance Department, focusing primarily on supporting our growing number of partnerships. Over the past several years, we have seen Tarra develop her skills, her leadership and her heart for the poor, first as an intern and then as part of our staff. Every... [read more]
Strategic Partnership with Careforce International October 3, 2011
Neil Ostrander, CEO of International Teams Canada (ITCA), and Philip Chester, CEO of Careforce International (CFI), are excited to announce a strategic partnership that will benefit both organizations as they work together to care for those in need in Canada and around the world. Effective September 29, 2011, this partnership represents a bold next step for the International Teams partnership strategy, and one that will help ensure the long-term future of Careforce International. The... [read more]
Southlake Churches Discover Their God-Inspired Vision September 16, 2011
Steve Klassen, Partnership Coordinator for TrueCity Southlake (TCS), says that the purpose of the new International Teams initiative is to help the existing churches in the Newmarket, Ontario area to truly thrive. "That can only happen through individuals within our local congregations getting their own God-inspired vision and deciding to follow it. God says 'I want you to do this' and we do whatever we can to help make that happen." A program called Clean Sweep, one of their first ministries,... [read more]
Skopnik Family Shares a Vision for Mission September 13, 2011
Ashlyn and Alyssa Skopnik, the daughters of International Teams Canada's Program Leader for Impact Southern Sudan, have mission in their hearts - and in their genes. After 10 years serving as missionaries in Germany and Austria, the Skopnik family returned to Canada, where Gord founded the Welcome Home refugee ministry in partnership with International Teams. Ashlyn says that the missionary life has always seemed quite normal to them. "Our childhood was spent in one country and our teenage... [read more]
Volunteer Opportunities Provide Hope for Romanian Orphans September 9, 2011
CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA - According to Bob Fukumoto, Canadian Program Leader for Impact Romania, the overcrowding that currently exists in Romanian orphanages is a tragic legacy dating back almost 50 years to the beginning of the Ceausescu regime.
"By 1966, the Romanian government had accumulated a huge foreign debt. To combat this problem, the dictator set in motion a law to ensure women had at least 5 children. Throughout all of this, the country was starving and the government was exporting... [read more]
Meeting the Needs of Iraqi Orphans September 6, 2011
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - Recent years in Iraq have seen the removal of the former president, establishment of a parliamentary democracy, increased civil violence, and the attempted destruction of minorities.
Unemployment along with an inflation rate of 70% has led to nearly 5.6 million Iraqis living below the poverty line. The living conditions of at least 40% of this number are quite desperate. These factors all lead to further instability, violence, and terrorism. According to Insaf Safou,... [read more]
Education Brings Hope to Children of Kenya August 30, 2011
NYAHURURU, KENYA - When the Pan African Christian Exchange (PACE) ministry was founded in partnership with International Teams Canada, one of the primary concerns they wanted to address was the issue of education for the orphans of Kenya and neighbouring countries.
Phillip Sheldon, Canadian Program Leader for Impact Kenya - PACE, explains that the government pays for education up to grade 8, but there are a limited number of positions available in high schools, most of which are boarding... [read more]
"Cultural Interpreters" Provide Help For Winnipeg's Vulnerable Teens July 21, 2011
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA - Tim Nielsen, Partnership Developer for City Connexions, a joint ministry of International Teams Canada and Winnipeg's City Church, believes that two key factors contribute to a high level of gang activity in Winnipeg: the unique structure of the city's core, and the violence and lack of healing experienced by many of Winnipeg's immigrants. "City Church draws government-sponsored refugees from all over Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East, many of whom... [read more]
Kenyan Kids Celebrate New Well With "Noise Day" July 5, 2011
NYAHURURU, KENYA - During a time of year when many Canadian children were waiting and hoping each morning for a snow day, the children at Pan African Christian Exchange (PACE) Academy in Kenya received something even more exciting - a noise day - due to the installation of a new well on the property. Phillip Sheldon, Canadian Program Leader for Impact Kenya - PACE, says the location where PACE ministries is headquartered is in a rural area where water has always been a problem. Dependent... [read more]
CrossCulture Event Encourages Student Leaders to "Dream Big" May 12, 2011
HAMILTON, ONTARIO - Twice a year, 120 youth and young adults from the Hamilton area gather together at a CrossCulture event for a time of teaching and practical service at local ministries or community groups. Now in its sixth year, CrossCulture is run by TrueCity Hamilton's Youth Network in partnership with International Teams. The day-long event provides an opportunity for young leaders to gather for breakfast, participate in a time of worship and testimony, and then go out to pre-arranged... [read more]
Hope In Forgiveness April 26, 2011
I came across this quote from Miroslav Volf recently, and it challenged me to think and act! "Forgiveness is the boundary between exclusion and embrace. It heals the wounds that the power-acts of exclusion have inflicted and breaks down the dividing wall of hostility. Yet it leaves a distance between people, an empty space of neutrality, that allows them either to go their separate ways in what is sometimes called 'peace' or to fall into each other's arms and restore broken communion."... [read more]
A Movement of Forgiveness Begins in Africa April 19, 2011
KAMPALA, UGANDA - One of the pastoral training students at the International Leadership Training Program (ILTP) has started a movement of forgiveness that has reached from Kampala, Uganda into a Rwandan prison and beyond. Dave Adams, Program Leader for Impact Uganda, explains that the 100-day ILTP training program always features an extensive series of sessions on forgiveness due to its relevance and importance to the African context. "Senga was one of the attendees at this year's ILTP.... [read more]
Global PartnerLink hires Wayne Johnson as new President and CEO March 8, 2011
Former Head of Opportunity International Joins Forces with Global PartnerLink CALGARY, AB - MARCH 2011: Global PartnerLink announced the hiring of Wayne Johnson as the new President and CEO. Johnson brings over 25 years of sales, marketing, fundraising and international development leadership experience to Global PartnerLink from both private industry and the non-profit community. "We are thrilled to have Wayne join the Global PartnerLink team. His proven leadership, creative and innovative... [read more]
Rejoicing and Rebuilding in South Sudan February 18, 2011
Gord Skopnik, Program Leader for Impact Southern Sudan with International Teams Canada, was in Sudan in 2005 for the signing of the Naivasha Agreement, a comprehensive peace agreement struck between the north and the south in order to end the Sudanese Civil War and develop democratic governance country-wide. As part of the agreement, a referendum was scheduled for January 2011, giving the people of South Sudan the opportunity to vote on the issue of succession from Sudan as a whole. Gord... [read more]
New Leaders for Sydney Refugee Team December 13, 2010
Reuben and Sarah Singleton write: We are handing over the baton of leadership of the Sydney Refugee Team into the good hands of Brendan and Sally Jones. They are a great couple with experience working with refugee families who have proven themselves more than capable to lead the team forward with strength and vision. They have passion to continue sharing the good news of Jesus with refugees and asylum seekers and practically demonstrating the love of God to those in need. Pray... [read more]
Impact Christmas with the New International Teams Christmas Catalogue November 29, 2010
The beginning of this year's Christmas season has given the program staff of International Teams Canada a new reason to celebrate: the launch of the Christmas Catalogue, a brand new initiative designed to provide an opportunity for ITCA supporters and weary Christmas shoppers to purchase more meaningful Christmas gifts. Neil Ostrander, CEO of International Teams Canada, says that the story of how Sharon's family transformed their Christmas traditions really touched the hearts of staff... [read more]
Celebrating a New Kind of Christmas November 22, 2010
For Sharon Wallace, International Teams Canada's new Director of Organizational Development, a new family tradition began when she realized she was struggling to find meaningful gifts for her family. Christmas shopping had become a frustrating and exhausting experience. "Just going to the mall and choosing something for which the recipient has no real need, seemed a bit empty. Why buy more for people when we were all trying to live more simply and declutter our homes? So I thought that... [read more] | 
