As a member of ChildFund Alliance, CCFC is part of a new five-year project to designed to create a safer world for children

We’re lucky at Christian Children’s Fund of Canada. We don’t have to stand alone; we stand with an alliance of 11 organizations working in 63 countries to create positive change in the lives of children, families and communities. Together, as part of ChildFund Alliance, our voice echoes across the globe, and we don’t take that for granted.

6 Nov. 2017 -- El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores en coordinación con la Fundación Educo presentaron este día el proyecto “Prevención de la Migración Irregular de la Niñez en Centroamérica y México”, denominado también como CONFÍO, que tiene como propósito mejorar las condiciones de vida de niños y adolescentes, y de esta forma prevenir la migración de este sector poblacional.

Esta iniciativa, que abordará las principales causas de la migración, es financiada por el Gobierno de Canadá y ejecutada por Christian Children´s Fund of Canada (CCFC), gestor del proyecto, en alianza con ChildFund y Fundación Educo para el caso de El Salvador.

The mass migration underway around the world puts children in harm’s way

We’ve been talking about a specific global controversy for what seems like ages — on TV, the radio, the web, social media and around the water cooler, but it’s an age-old problem. And, putting up barriers won’t solve the systemic issue causing people to risk their lives to migrate from their homeland through unconventional, dangerous channels.

What’s missing from much of the reports is a conversation about the number of vulnerable children caught up in the shuffle — children escaping poverty, crime and violence in search of more opportunities. The scariest part? They’re alone.

Christian Children’s Fund of Canada creates a future of hope for children, families, and communities by helping them develop the skills and resources to overcome poverty and injustice.

We work through local partners who are experts in the unique needs of the communities where we work. Our partners are carefully selected for their integrity, achievements and genuine compassion for children. We monitor all of our program activities and projects carefully to ensure that the lives of children, their families and communities are indeed improving.

Read "Racing towards new priorities in the year ahead" to find out what Patrick Canagasingham, CEO of CCFC, and CCFC's six country directors are most excited about for the coming year.

ChildFund Alliance is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Canagasingham to the position of Chief Executive Officer, Christian Children's Fund of Canada. Patrick comes to CCFC from Oxfam International. He previously worked with World Vision. Below is the press release issued by CCFC.

$15-million joint venture led by Canadians providing hope and solutions for irregular child migration from Central America

MARKHAM, Ont. — Recently, the horrific plight of child migrants from Central America created both empathy and outrage throughout Canada, North America and the entire world. We watched news images of families who risk everything — separation, incarceration and even death — in search of a better life. For most, it was the frightened, desperate faces of the children that were particularly heart-wrenching. But what we witnessed through newscasts is only a fraction of the dangerous reality that actually affects so many young people living without safety, security or opportunity. Every day, youth in some of the most desperate countries in the world are faced with crime, violence and the drug trade. Coupled with limited employment and educational opportunities, these youth are pulled into a downward spiral of hopelessness and struggle to find a better future for themselves and their families.

By Ángeles, CCFC former sponsored child, Paraguay

(Translated by Maria Ferreira, program officer, Paraguay)

It’s been a busy few months for Ángeles, a former sponsored child from Paraguay. This past fall, she attended a violence-prevention meetingin Ottawa, hosted on behalf of the World Health Organization and the Government of Canada. And, she’s just returned from a global meeting in Sweden. The 17-year-old attended the End Violence Solutions Summitwith academics, civil-society organizations, private-sector leaders and government officials. (She even met the Queen of Sweden!, See below.)

Here Angie opens up about her impressions of this special trip — one she shared with Leticia, a peer from SOS Children’s Villages.

Celebrating the launch of a new alliance for child protection in Geneva today 

GENEVA — Nearly 250-million children — or one in 10 — are affected by armed conflict, and 50 million are affected by disasters, according to UNICEF, so the global community is celebrating today’s launch of a global interagency group focused on child protection in emergency settings.

Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC) is leading a $15.2-million regional project in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua, designed to improve the well-being of children and youth who are at risk of irregular migration. The Government of Canada is contributing $12.6 million to the four-year project. The initiative addresses a number of the root causes that fuel irregular migration — from high levels of crime and violence, limited employment and educational opportunities, to social exclusion and a lack of information on the inherent dangers of migrating without following the normal immigration procedures. For this project, CCFC is partnering with two non-governmental organizations: ChildFund International (USA) and EDUCO (Spain).

Find out about the High-Level Political Forum — what is it, and why is it so important to the global community.

More than 2,000 representatives of government, civil society, business and United Nations (UN) agencies are meeting at the annual High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) this week in New York.

They’re figuring out if the world is on track to meet six of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set in 2015 for completion by 2030.

Patrick Canagasingham, a passionate human-rights advocate, has been championing the needs of vulnerable children and working globally to promote positive change since before he took the helm at Christian Children’s Fund of Canada in April 2017.

With extensive years of senior-level experience at World Vision Canada, Oxfam International and other international development non-profit organizations in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia, Patrick has a unique global perspective.

The motivated, strategic-thinker leads a people-focused organization united in a common goal to transform the lives of children, families and communities suffering through poverty and injustice.

Patrick holds a Master of Arts degree in Human Rights from the University of London in the U.K. and a Bachelor of Arts, Political Science from York University in Toronto.

Extreme weather has been threatening communities in Ethiopia as this second drought in as many years dries up farmland, forcing people to abandon their homes in search of food and income.

I have three wishes for my son — I want him to be healthy, safe and happy.

I know I’m not alone. But, not all children have these needs met. And, what happens to those whose rights aren’t respected? How are we keeping them safe?

Even after 70 years of independence, we haven’t been able to send all our children to school. Worse still, there are crores [tens of millions] of child labourers in India, and their number is increasing in sectors such as agriculture, mining and domestic labour. “The root causes of child labour are poverty, illiteracy, lack of quality education and resources, and poor implementation of laws,” says Neelam Makhijani, country director & CEO of ChildFund India—a child development organisation. In an interview with FE’s Vikram Chaudhary, she argues that child labour and poverty go hand in hand, and suggests some reform measures that can, over time, eradicate this social evil. 

A survey of 6,000 10- to 12-year-olds reveals how children view education

By Bonar Bell, communications manager, Canada

MARKHAM, Ont. — Your kids may not like school, but they understand its value, according to a recent global survey of more than 6,000 children. 

A big part of [the sustainable development] agenda is protecting children to ensure they can realize their dreams. It’s a daunting task, so organizations are joining forces like never before. We understand we can’t achieve the 17 [SDGs] in isolation — we need one united voice.