In 2018, we
celebrate Crossroads International’s 60th anniversary. We celebrate
the thousands of volunteers South and North who changed lives, theirs and the
lives of others. And we celebrate the Canadian and Southern partners who worked
alongside Crossroads and our volunteers to create one equal world.
In 60
years, Crossroads International evolved to respond to the changing needs of
communities, but we never stopped working together with partners as equal,
following the vision of our founder, Dr. James Robinson.
Partners drive our work, guiding the design of cost
effective interventions that answer their needs and the needs of their communities. These programs involve
the different actors of the communities to ensure long lasting results. In Togo
for example, with our partner Groupe de réflexion et d'action Femme, Démocratie et Développement (GF2D), we launched Boys Clubs in schools, knowing
boys need to be involved early on if we want to achieve gender equality. With
our Ghanaian partner WILDAF, as part of our Access to Justice Program, we are
engaging religious and traditional leaders as advocates for women’s rights,
knowing they have the power and influence to change their communities and
therefore improve the lives of many women and girls.
Our partnerships
are having an impact and we are glad the new Feminist International Assistance
Policy launched last year by the Canadian government recognizes the importance
of partnering with local civil societies as well as the private sector to
achieve the right results. This new feminist direction is well aligned with the
work Crossroads and its partners have been doing for 10 years to advance
equality for women and girls and overcome poverty.
Celebrating
our 60th anniversary in a context where advancing gender equality is
made a priority by the government but also by part of the society is special
and gives us hope for the future.
Every
success is a new step taken on the way to gender equality and that’s why, now
more than ever, backed by the lessons learned in the past 60 years, our
volunteers’ devotion and enthusiasm and our partners’ determination we will
keep being a catalyst for change.
We all have
a role to play to achieve ONE WORLD where poverty is eliminated, equality
prevails and the rights of women and girls are fulfilled. It can be through
volunteering or donations, through advocating for women’s rights in your
community or taking a stand and speaking up. You can also take part in the Charity Challenge Trek we are organizing in Tanzania in August 2018, host an
event in your community to raise awareness about the challenges women and girls
face in the countries we worked in or participate in the conversation by
joining our upcoming Facebook Live about women’s economic empowerment. A
lot can be done at every level, here in Canada as well as overseas. Now, the
question is, what role are you going to play?
