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Joash Gambarage, a Tanzanian PhD candidate specializing in African linguistics at UBC, is the only one in a community of approximately 20,000 people to pursue higher studies outside of the small town of Mugeta in rural Tanzania. “There were very few families that were well-off [in Mugeta],” says Gambarage, who attributes his success to his…
For refugees dealing with a new land and memories of past ordeals, learning English is notoriously difficult. Thankfully, there are those who want to help and none are more strong willed than the English teachers who help refugees communicate the past and discover their future. Kue Bway was born in a UN-run refugee camp on…
Fish on Farms, a project of UBC’s faculty of land and food systems and Helen Keller International (HKI) in partnership with UBC’s Sauder School of Business Arc Initiative, aims to fight malnutrition among poor women and children in rural Cambodia. Since 2012, Fish on Farms has helped women farmers establish fishponds and gardens at their…
Fazineh Keita and Ava Vanderstarren, founders of Innocence Lost Foundation, are raising money to build a community centre in Kabala, Sierra Leone in order to provide a safe haven and educational facility for former child soldiers affected by the Sierra Leone civil war in the 1990s. Through presentations, event fundraising and outreach programs throughout the…
Have you ever thought that world crises could be more easily solved if business, government and nonprofit sectors worked more closely together? That’s the idea that was developed during the Global Crisis Simulation, founded in 2013 by a group of students from the University of British Columbia (UBC). They saw a need for a truly…
Dolphins are precious and intelligent creatures. They put a smile on our faces with their happy sounds and graceful movements. Yet in places where dolphins are not a protected species or where the enforcement of protective laws is lacking, the reality is very different. Stefan Austermuhle is a German biologist who had been involved with…
A society with an educated population will find the tools and agency in itself to flourish. That’s the belief that motivates the Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan), a non-profit organization, to work towards the attainment of universal education in Afghanistan. For the past 15 years, Canadians in the organization have dedicated themselves to…
Instead of the usual formal sit-down event, Room to Read, a global non-profit organization focused on literacy, wants to start a discussion for change. To commemorate its 15th anniversary, the Vancouver chapter plans to host a series of events instead of one big one. Room to Read is aiming to reach its 10 millionth child…
Youngsters slicing ice in a beeline for a puck is a cherished Canadian image. In the spirit of helping to establish a similar scene in China, Richmond-based Seafair Atom A1 Islanders attended the inaugural Canuck’s Cup in Shanghai (Jan. 1–3). The Islanders were the sole team representing North America. The Islanders (between the ages of…
Vancouver’s claim to fame, according to Turkish Ambassador to Canada, Selcuk Unal, is that it was first – the first city to establish a Turkish Canadian Society, back in 1963. In town for Turkish Republic Day celebrations, Ambassador Unal discusses how a coincidental family fact along with tourism, a diverse palate and strong educational opportunities…
Members of Vancouver’s Turkish-Canadian community came together this June to commemorate the first year anniversary of Turkey’s Gezi Park protest and civil unrest by dedicating trees, …
While ensuring access to clean water and adequate health care are key elements in the fight against global inequality, expanding access to information is also vital.
Nigeria is currently in the international spotlight over the terrible events of the past three weeks. Two bombings rocked the capital city, resulting in the deaths of at least 89 people, and on top of that, more than 200 secondary school girls were kidnapped, plus another 11 girls this month. These events add to the…
