At CAUSE Canada, it’s our mission and mandate to work alongside the extreme poor, helping them overcome the barriers that keep them hungry, uneducated and without access to medical support. We believe in empowering individuals to find dignity and justice in its fullest sense.
CAUSE Canada is a Christian-based organization that believes every person has the right to be valued and treated with dignity. Since the beginning, we’ve been working with people living in extreme poverty in rural and marginalized communities in developing countries.
We provide sustainable, integrated community development in rural West Africa and Central America through authentic, collaborative long-term relationships.
Our work started in Guatemala, Mali, and Liberia and extended to Sierra Leone and Honduras over the course of nearly four decades. We work to eliminate extreme poverty by providing access to quality educational programs, basic health care, and economic opportunities. CAUSE Canada responds to emergency situations to provide urgently needed support. We also build water and sanitation systems so that communities where we are working have access to fresh, clean water.
CAUSE Canada’s Microfinance Program works to empower local entrepreneurs, enabling people to get their businesses off the ground, which creates sustainable income to support families, as well as job opportunities for other members of their communities.
Today we have active programs in Guatemala, Honduras, Sierra Leone and Canada, and our heartbeat remains helping people to realize their dignity, value and worth. By working together, we can be a catalyst for global justice.
Wendy Fehr is the Executive Director at CAUSE Canada. Wendy grew up in Alberta but has spent many years living and working internationally. Wendy’s career has focused on issues related to human rights, and forced and economic migration at local and international levels. Her experience includes working in research and policy on education and gender-based violence with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and High Commissioner for Human Rights. She is also experienced in non-profit leadership having worked in director positions with the Immigrant Sector Council of Calgary and the Human Security Report Project.
Joseph Bangura is the Country Director of CAUSE Canada Sierra Leone Partnership. Joseph has a BSc (Hons.) in Applied Geophysics from The Stary Oskol Geological Prospecting College in the former USSR and an MSc in Groundwater and Foundation Engineering from the University of Tübingen in West Germany. He has led engineering programs for Plan Sierra Leone, Child Fund, Catholic Mission, Community Action for Progress, UNICEF, the World Bank, and the Government of Sierra Leone, founded GEOWATER Company for constructing water and sanitation infrastructure and WEBCO Construction Enterprise — for other construction projects. Prior to becoming Country Director, Joseph was CAUSE Canada’s Sierra Leone Program Engineer.
Jorge Sandoval is the Country Director of CAUSE Guatemala. Since 2002, Jorge has worked on CAUSE Canada’s reforestation projects, nursery programs and coordinated the Women`s Integral Empowerment Program in Comitancillo, San Marcos and Todos Santos Cuchumatanes, Huehuetenango. Jorge lives in San Marcos with his wife Libia Anayí Méndez López and their children, Paulo, Sharon and Jordan. Jorge shares CAUSE Canada’s vision to help under-assisted people, particularly those of his country, Guatemala.
Gabriel Flores is the Country Director of CAUSE Canada Honduras. Gabriel was born in the city of La Ceiba in 1980. Educated by a single mother, he graduated in Agricultural Economics at CURLA de la Ceiba. Gabriel is experienced in many roles and has worked as a microcredit promoter, a Pharmacy and Distribution Center manager, a manager for the municipalities of La Ceiba, Roatan and Santa Barbara, and as a financial administrator. Gabriel is currently living in Comayagua with his wife, Cecilia Gabriela. He has always had a passion to empower people and contribute to his country. Thanks to CAUSE Canada, this dream is being fulfilled.
Ed Temple is the Chair of CAUSE Canada’s Board of Directors. Ed served in pastoral ministry for 15 years, predominantly as an Executive Pastor, focusing on outward, missional leadership both locally and globally. Ed is experienced in international development, previously serving as the Director of Philanthropy for Opportunity International Canada.
Ed is an Executive Coach with Essential Impact and Creative Coaching, a People & Culture consultant, the President of the International Coaching Federation Calgary Chapter Board of Directors, as well as a member and Director on the Board of Corpath. Ed resides in Calgary, is married to Hannah with three young kids.
