“While women weep as they do now, I’ll fight. While little children go hungry as they do now, I’ll fight. While men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight.” – William Booth, Founder of The Salvation Army
As the end of the fiscal year approaches, The Salvation Army has not yet reached its fundraising goal for its international work. The Salvation Army in Canada funds 140 projects in 9 countries and at this point, we are approximately $300,000 short of our $1.3 million target.
While programs and services for vulnerable Canadians continue, The Canadian Salvation Army finds itself in need of support for its International Development projects.
The international Salvation Army gives hope and support to vulnerable people in 111 countries around the world, offering service in 175 different languages. As one of the largest social service agencies in the world, and through its role in the global community, The Salvation Army seeks to alleviate poverty; suffering and oppression by helping people build secure, sustainable and productive communities.
The Salvation Army recognizes the role that women play in developing countries and the positive impact that they have on families. To that end, many of the international projects funded by The Salvation Army focus on their training and support.
Women have become the center focus of many micro credit institutions and agencies worldwide. The reasoning behind this is the observation that loans to women tend to more often benefit the whole family than loans to men do. It has also been observed that giving women the control and the responsibility of small loans raises their socio-economic status, which is seen as a positive change to many of the current relationships of gender and class.
Malawi
1020 women in 34 rural communities are provided with textbooks, exercise books, pencils for classroom training and literacy skills.
India
A young women’s hostel accommodates 50 women, providing security for those unable to live at home.
Tanzania
A number of different projects offer women opportunity and education:
· A literacy program will teach 300 women to read.
· Prior to literacy classes, 200 pairs of glasses will be provided to women with vision problems.
· Agricultural training that includes irrigation, vegetable gardens, terrace farming and basic tool use will be provided to 400 women.
· 500 women will be provided with basic business training skill including literacy and math
· HIV/AIDS education will reach 1,000 women
We cannot win overnight. Success will require sustained action across the entire decade between now and the deadline. It takes time to train the teachers, nurses and engineers; to build the roads, schools and hospitals; to grow the small and large businesses able to create the jobs and income needed. So we must start now. And we must more than double global development assistance over the next few years. Nothing less will help to achieve the Goals.” – Kofi A. Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations
