ICA Canada takes up the challenge

By Nan Hudson 

Here in Canada, winter is almost behind us, and we are very ready for spring!

Our organization has been engaged through the last several months in a strategic planning process, which is nearing completion hopefully by the time of our AGM in May.  It has been an opportunity for our Board and Staff to envision the future for the next few years. There is affirmation for continued engagement in communities both locally and in Africa.

The economic context here in Canada is challenging. That has meant that a lot of effort has gone into fundraising and friend-raising over the past several months.  We held a major event two weeks ago in which we presented First Nations Actor, Singer and Activist Tom Jackson with the ICA Canada Courage to Lead Award.  It was well-attended by people both familiar and new to us.

Our work in collaboration with Save the Children Canada and Mishko Bimaadziwin in promoting the learning and reclamation of First Nations languages continues, with the pilot year coming to a close with positive results.  Four communities will have been reached, and it is our hope to expand this work over the coming year.

We are preparing to send a team next month to Tanzania and Kenya to begin the replication work of our shared approach on HIV.  This will be led by a team from Il Ngwesi, Kenya, and will be working with community projects of the Southern Africa AIDS Trust.

Over the past year, we began a pilot program that brought together community workers to train them in ICA methodologies and create networks of sharing, support, and collaboration.  We hope to expand it this year.

All of our programs contain values and lessons articulated in our book, The Courage to Lead, which came out in its second edition last year. 

Nan Hudson is Executive Director, ICA Canada