www.changeforchildren.org

Change for Children Association (CFCA) is a non-profit, non-governmental, charitable organization based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

• The organization was founded in 1976 to respond to a growing awareness of the daily atrocities of poverty, oppression and starvation in the world, and the recognition that “the poor did not want charity, but that they clamoured for justice.”
• The name ‘Change for Children’ identifies the primary victims of injustice while at the same time suggesting the need for transformation. (It does not mean that our projects involve only children.)
• CFCA has grown into a network of dedicated people including more than 3,000 supporters, friends, members, and volunteers from across the country.
  We believe that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

Change for Children has two primary functions:

1. We support grassroots development projects initiated and implemented by partner organizations in Latin America and the Philippines, projects that foster long-term self-sufficiency and use local resources rather than relying on a transfer of Canadian technology. These projects include agricultural production, outreach activities for street children, women’s micro-enterprise, and health and education initiatives.
2. We educate Canadians about the conditions of poverty, oppression and injustice in the South, to bring about an awareness of our global interdependence and to encourage Canadians to play an active role in working for peace, democracy, human rights, and a more just, equitable and sustainable world.
   

Change for Children is funded by donations from our members and the general public. Project seed funds are usually matched by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) on a two-to-one basis, and often by the Wild Rose Foundation of Alberta on a one-to-one basis. Special projects may receive additional funding from other local, provincial or federal agencies.

Change for Children is a dynamic, highly efficient organization, with a very small staff and low overhead. We are committed to ensuring that our funds are used for maximum benefit. For example:

• Only 2% of our annual budget is used for fund raising initiatives.
• 92.5 cents of every project dollar goes directly overseas. (With a CIDA 2:1 match of $1.85 that means at least $2.77 goes to the project for every dollar donated.) The remaining 7.5 cents is used for administration, which includes development and submission of project proposals and reports, fees for services to ensure accountability and transparency, and to meet the legal and public obligations that all charities must abide by.