Celebrating 60 years of change

In 2018, we celebrate Crossroads International’s 60^th 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 60^th 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?