Founded in 1999, War Child Canada (WCC) helps children and women affected by war through education, economic opportunities, and legal support. WCC hopes to break the cycle of poverty and violence, reporting that 171 million people could escape poverty if all children left school with basic reading skills. WCC is the Canadian branch of the international War Child organization which fundraises in the UK, Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, USA, and Australia.

In F2017, War Child Canada worked with 590,000 people, spending $17.5 million on international programs. It allocated 42% to programs in Afghanistan, 27% to Sudan and South Sudan, 18% to Uganda, 11% to the Middle East, and 2% to DR Congo.

War Child Canada reports that 72,000 children are receiving an education through its programs. War Child repairs or replaces damaged schools, provides textbooks, and organizes safe spaces for children to learn and play. The charity works with local governments to offer accelerated learning programs, allowing for children to rejoin classes at an appropriate level after having their schooling disrupted by war.

In F2017, 120,000 people accessed WCC’s Opportunity programs. The charity supports young adults, particularly mothers, in finding sustainable income. Through accessing education, training, and small loans, adults are better able to meet the needs of their children.    

War Child Canada reports that sexual violence, emotional abuse, and family abandonment are common during and after war. The charity supports governments in rebuilding their legal systems. War Child Canada educates police, healthcare workers, lawyers, government representatives, and community members about the rights of women and children. In Afghanistan and Uganda, WCC operates registered law firms to provide legal aid and bring cases to court. In F2017, lawyers helped 5,000 Afghan survivors of gender-based violence and over 2,000 women and girls in Uganda.

Results and Impact: In DR Congo, War Child Canada has developed classes which are broadcast over radio. As a free program, the classes cater to children who dropped out of school because of tuition fees. WCC reports that in F2017, 350 radio students took three standardized tests. The pass rate for the first exam was 59%, 93% for the second exam, and an overall 80% pass rate for the three exams. In all subjects, students learning from the radio program scored the same or slightly above students in the formal school system.

In partnership with local groups, WCC provides reading, writing, math, and job skills training to Afghan women who are survivors of gender-based violence. After training, 650 of the women accessed small loans and guidance in starting a business. WCC reports that 95% of the initial loans were repaid within a year. Of the women involved, 99% report being more involved in household decision making and 94% say that men in the community think more positively of women who are working.

War Child Canada received donations and special events fundraising of $18.8m in F2017. WCC’s audited financial statements fail to separate international donations and government grants from general grants. War Child Canada receives some or all of the donations collected by War Child USA. The charity’s T3010 submission with the CRA was used to perform these critical revenue separations for F2016 and F2015, but WCC’s T3010 for F2017 was unavailable at the time of writing this report.

Administrative costs are 3% of revenues and fundraising costs are 4% of donations. For every $1 donated, 93 cents go to the cause, falling within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. However, since international donations and government grants are currently included in donations, the fundraising ratio may be significantly understated. The charity has $3.3m in funding reserves which could cover two months of programs.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to War Child Canada for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 8, 2018 by Madison Kerr.