War Child Canada is a 4-star charity with small funding reserves and Good demonstrated impact. It has reasonable overhead spending but an average results reporting grade. 

Founded in 1999, War Child Canada (WCC) supports women and children affected by conflict. Its mission is to prevent conflict in Africa and the Middle East by investing in local communities. WCC reports that 99% of its staff are hired locally. War Child International is a global network of three main charities: War Child Canada, War Child Holland, and War Child UK. The three charities share a common mission but were founded and operate independently. These charities all receive funding from affiliated War Child charities. War Child USA is affiliated with WCC; the War Child charities in Australia and Ireland are affiliated with War Child UK; and the branches in Germany and Sweden are affiliated with War Child Holland.

In F2021, War Child Canada spent $11.0m on international programs. It works in seven regions: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Yemen, and the Middle East. WCC’s programs are defined by regions.

Afghanistan - 32% of total program spending ($3.5m): War Child Canada works with its local partners to distribute food and essential supplies to families in need. In F2021, the charity provided 200 vulnerable women with basic education, business skills training, and access to capital to start much-needed local businesses.

Democratic Republic of the Congo - 25% of total program spending ($2.8m): War Child Canada runs radio-based education programs to help girls keep up with their studies without financial barriers. In F2021, it helped to get more than 1,800 girls back into the classroom.

Sudan - 22% of total program spending ($2.5m): In F2021, WCC built two new centres in the Um Rabuka refugee camp and provided recreational programs, such as language training, art therapy, and team sports. During the same year, the charity reached out to almost 9,500 young refugees, offering counseling and psychological support.

South Sudan - 12% of total program spending ($1.3m): War Child Canada aims to enhance the capacity of farming families in South Sudan. In F2021, it provided more than 2,200 households with agricultural and business training, educating them on sustainable planting and efficient harvesting techniques.

Uganda - 8% of total program spending ($875k): In Uganda, WCC runs a distance-education program to provide students with materials, supplies, and the encouragement they need to learn from home.

The remaining 1% of WCC’s total program spending went to projects in Yemen and the Middle East.

In F2022, War Child Canada received $7.2m in Canadian donations and special events revenue. During the year, it received $5.8m in international donations (35% of total revenue), $3.0m in government funding (18% of total revenue), and $460k in donated goods (3% of total revenue). WCC receives some of the donations collected by War Child USA. Transactions between related parties are not disclosed in WCC’s financial statements.

Administrative costs are 7% of total revenue. Fundraising costs are 20% of Canadian donations and special events revenue. This results in total overhead spending of 27%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 73 cents go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

War Child Canada has $3.3m in reserve funds, which can cover its annual program costs for around three months.

Charity Intelligence has sent this update to War Child Canada for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 3, 2023 by Krystie Nguyen.