Cuso International

{{Short description|Canadian international development organization}} {{redirect|CUSO}} {{Multiple issues| {{more citations needed|date=January 2015}} {{update|date=December 2018}} {{COI|date=September 2019}} }} thumb|Cuso International logo '''Cuso International''' (formerly known as CUSO, Canadian University Service Overseas) is a Canadian international development organization that connects communities around the world with skilled Canadians to help end poverty and inequality. Established in 1961, Cuso International has deployed more than 15,000 volunteers and has worked in more than 100 countries on long-term development projects.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://futurestobuild.ca|title=Futures to Build {{!}} Cuso International|website=Cuso International|access-date=2019-09-20}}</ref>

Cuso envisions "a world where all people are able to realize their potential, develop their skills and participate fully in society." Its mission is to "reduce poverty and inequality through the combined efforts of volunteers, partners and donors."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cusointernational.org/about/|title=About Cuso International|website=Cuso International|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-17}}</ref> Cuso's priorities are focused on advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; improving access to and quality of economic opportunities for young people; and engaging volunteers to help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://cusointernational.org/our-impact/|title=Projects|website=Cuso International|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-11}}</ref> In 2018–19, programs benefited 4.15 million people—of which 72% were women and children—in 21 countries across four continents.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://cusointernational.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/20190715_AR_En_Web-FINAL.pdf|title=Skills to Share, Futures to Build: Annual Report 2018-2019|publisher=Cuso International|year=2019|location=Canada|pages=7}}</ref>

==History==

=== 1960s === Cuso International, then Canadian University Service Overseas (CUSO), was launched on June 6, 1961, by a group of Canadian university graduates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cusointernational.org/about/history/|title=History|website=Cuso International|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-18}}</ref> Established as a national organization at a meeting at McGill University in Montréal, Cuso was to become the national non-denominational coordinating agency for recruiting Canadian volunteers for services overseas. In August 1961, the first 15 volunteers left for one-year placements in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia with most working as teachers.<ref name=":0">A Brief History of CUSO, archived from the CUSO website, January 2009.</ref>

In 1962, 71 volunteers were placed in 13 different countries for two-year assignments, filling skill gaps as teachers, nurses and agriculturalists. By 1965, Cuso volunteers were working in Africa, South America and Asia. That same year, the Canadian government began providing direct financial assistance and by 1968, more than 1,000 volunteers were serving overseas in close to 40 countries in the education and health sectors.<ref name=":1">Highlights of CUSO's History, February 2005</ref>

=== 1970s and 1980s === Cuso began recruiting experienced professionals to serve as volunteers in the 1970s.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://cusointernational.org/story/happy-58th-birthday-cuso-international/|title=Happy 58th Birthday, Cuso International!|website=Cuso International|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-18}}</ref> In 1971, programming expanded to the Caribbean and Cuso launched its first large-scale project to rebuild schools in Nigeria following the civil war.<ref name=":3">A Brief History — CUSO and International Development in Canada, 2001</ref> Cuso's programs expanded to Central America in 1973 and the organization started posting regional directors overseas and created field staff positions.

At home in Canada, Cuso began traveling cross-country in a "Mobile Learning Centre," with an aim toward improving international development information and influencing Canadian government trade and aid policies.<ref name=":1" /> In the late 1970s, Cuso became more politically engaged, providing humanitarian aid to South Africa's liberation movement<ref>{{Cite book|title=Aid as Peacemaker: Canadian Development Assistance and Third World Conflict|last=Miller|first=Robert|publisher=Carleton University Press|year=1992|isbn=0-88629-177-1|location=Canada|pages=[https://archive.org/details/aidaspeacemakerc0000unse/page/127 127–141]|url=https://archive.org/details/aidaspeacemakerc0000unse/page/127}}</ref> and working for social and political change with Latin American<ref name=":3" /> partners.

Cuso changed its name in 1981, from the Canadian University Service Overseas to simply Cuso<ref name=":2" /> to reflect the fact that universities were no longer the sole recruitment sites. From 1984 to 1985, Cuso began creating partnerships between Canadian organizations and international groups working for social justice in the Global South. One of the first examples was a 1985 program that led to cooperation between the Saskatchewan-based Grain Services Union and SINITAB,<ref name=":3" /> the workers’ union at Mozambique’s largest food-processing plant.{{Citation needed|date=February 2026}}

=== 1990s and 2000s === In 1992, Cuso launched an initiative to link Indigenous peoples in Canada with Indigenous communities in Colombia.<ref name=":3" /> Sustainable economic alternatives and the cultural survival of Indigenous peoples<ref name=":1" /> became the organization's primary focus. In the latter half of the 1990s, Cuso was involved in a number of initiatives, including the Jubilee 2000 campaign for debt relief of the poorest countries and NetCorps, a project to send Canadian youth with IT skills on short-term overseas placements. In 1997, Cuso shifted its focus to human rights, the environment and securing livelihoods.<ref name=":3" />

As partnerships between organizations from the Global North and South continued, Cuso began to recruit volunteers in the Global South for south–north and South-South placements<ref name=":3" /> in 1999. In 2008, Cuso and VSO Canada merged to become Cuso-VSO.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/life/2008/12/13/merger_is_healthy_sign_of_progress.html|title=Merger is healthy sign of progress {{!}} The Star|newspaper=The Toronto Star|date=13 December 2008|language=en|access-date=2019-09-18|last1=Thompson|first1=Allan}}</ref> That iteration of the organization became Canada's largest international cooperation agency working through volunteers.

=== 2010s === Cuso celebrated 50 years of international development work<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2011/06/03/cuso_at_50_spirit_of_adventure_altruism_lives_on.html|title=CUSO at 50: Spirit of adventure, altruism lives on {{!}} The Star|newspaper=The Toronto Star|date=3 June 2011|language=en|access-date=2019-09-18|last1=Ward|first1=Olivia}}</ref> on June 6, 2011. Later that same year, Cuso and VSO decided to go their separate ways and the organization becomes Cuso International.<ref name=":2" /> In 2015, Cuso began to actively recruit diaspora volunteers<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.diasporaalliance.org/launch-of-a-new-diaspora-volunteer-program-dfd/|title=Launch of a New Diaspora Volunteer Program, DfD|publisher=International Diaspora Engagement Alliance|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-18}}</ref> and launched its e-volunteer<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cusointernational.org/story/e-volunteering-virtual-teams-making-a-real-difference/|title=E-volunteering: virtual teams making a real difference|website=Cuso International|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-18}}</ref> program, allowing volunteers to contribute their expertise virtually.

In 2018–2019, Cuso volunteers contributed more technical assistance and support to beneficiaries, partners and clients<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://cusointernational.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/20190715_AR_En_Web-FINAL.pdf|title=Skills to Share, Futures to Build: Annual Report 2018-2019|year=2019|location=Canada|pages=3}}</ref> than in any previous year. Cuso was also recognized as a 2019 recipient of the Hire Immigrants Ottawa<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://obj.ca/article/three-ottawa-businesses-honoured-paving-way-towards-inclusivity|title=Three Ottawa businesses honoured for paving the way towards inclusivity {{!}} Ottawa Business Journal|website=obj.ca|access-date=2019-09-20}}</ref> Employer Excellence award.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hireimmigrantsottawa.ca/employer-awards/2019-awards-recipients/|title=2019 Awards Recipients|website=Hire Immigrants Ottawa|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-18}}</ref>

=== Executive Directors === *1961-62: [https://alumni150.cusointernational.org/lewis-perinbam/ Lewis Perinbam] (acting) *1962-66: [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/big-bill-mcwhinney-towered-over-us-all/article761650/ Bill McWhinney] *1966: [https://www.pressreader.com/canada/ottawa-citizen/20111120/282999691642422 Terry Glavin] (acting) *1966-68: Hugh Christie *1968-70: [https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1969/2/1/how-to-be-a-global-villager Frank Bogdasavich] *1970-71: John Wood *1971: [https://cusointernational.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/20180420_Catalyst_En_Online.pdf David Catmur] (acting) *1971-73: John Gordon *1973-76: Murray Thomson *1976-79: [https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1979/3/26/go-abroad-young-man-the-home-fronts-hell Robin Wilson] *1979: David Hamilton (acting) *1979-83: [https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1986/6/9/cusos-quarter-century Ian Smillie] *1983-90: [https://alumni150.cusointernational.org/chris-bryant/ Chris Bryant] *1990-94: Lyse Blanchard *1995: Patricia Hurdle (acting) *1995: David Hamilton (acting) *1995-2000: Melanie Macdonald *2001-06: Claire Dansereau *2006-08: Jean-Marc Mangin *2008-15: Derek Evans *2015-16: [https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/development-unplugged/international-volunteer-day_b_13356006.html Evelyne Guindon] *2017–present: Glenn Mifflin <ref name=":3" />

== Priorities ==

=== Advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls === Using the Canada Feminist International Assistance Policy,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_developpement/priorities-priorites/policy-politique.aspx?lang=eng|title = Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy|date = 21 February 2017}}</ref> Cuso International works in a number of areas that intersect with gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. In conjunction with women's rights organizations, various levels of state and federal governments, health departments and hospitals, and other NGOs, Cuso and its partners work to increase access to quality reproductive<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/local/clyde-river-woman-plays-role-in-ethiopias-hpv-vaccination-campaign-271548/|title=Clyde River woman plays role in Ethiopia's HPV vaccination campaign {{!}} The Guardian|last=Hunt|first=Katherine|website=www.theguardian.pe.ca|language=en|access-date=2019-10-08}}</ref> maternal and newborn health care;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.srhm.org/news/meet-the-midwife-an-interview-by-ruby-irene-pratka-with-mesayi-truye-ethiopia/|title=Meet the Midwife: An interview by Ruby Irene Pratka with Mesayi Truye, Ethiopia > SRHM|website=SRHM|date=5 May 2019|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-08}}</ref> advocate for women's rights and gender-sensitive policies; increase women's participation in decision-making;<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetidenewsonline.com/2018/03/12/appointmentsgroup-tasks-fg-on-gender-equality/|location=Port Harcourt, Nigeria|title=Appointments:Group Tasks FG on Gender Equality|date=12 March 2018 |newspaper=The Tide}}</ref> and eradicate gender-based violence and harmful traditional practices.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Canada spends $3M to stop female genital mutilation in African nation of Benin|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/female-genital-mutilation-benin-bibeau-1.4520481|first=Kathleen|last=Harris|date=February 5, 2018|access-date=January 31, 2022}}</ref>

=== Improve access to and quality of economic opportunities for young people === Accounting for 16 per cent of the global population, young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults, and young women are twice as likely to be unemployed and without access to education or training as young men.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/youthenvoy/employment/|title=#YouthStats: Employment|website=Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-08}}</ref> Cuso International and its partner organizations work with youth populations <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nan.ng/agriculture/intl-ngo-trains-10000-youths-in-15m-agric-project/|title=Int'l NGO trains 10,000 youths in $15m agric project|date=2019-07-24|website=News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-08}}</ref> to provide education, training, hands-on experience and mentorship opportunities.

=== Engage volunteers to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals === Volunteering is "at the heart"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://journey.cusointernational.org/|title=Be a force for change in the world!|website=Cuso International|language=en|access-date=2019-10-08}}</ref> of Cuso International's global efforts to reduce poverty and inequality. Cuso volunteers are skilled professionals who work with community-based partners<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/social/fifty-eight-years-of-canadian-volunteerism-in-jamaica_156767?profile=1237|title=Jamaica Observer Limited|website=Jamaica Observer|access-date=2019-10-08}}</ref> around the world to build skills and transfer knowledge,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.saobserver.net/news/south-okanagan-woman-returns-from-6-months-in-guyana/|title=South Okanagan woman returns from 6 months in Guyana|date=2018-07-26|website=Salmon Arm Observer|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-08}}</ref> one of the most sustainable ways to address development needs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/john-longhurst-aid-is-the-face-of-canada-for-many-in-the-developing-world|title=John Longhurst: Aid is the face of Canada for many in the developing world|publisher=Vancouver Sun|first1=John|last1=Longhurst|date=2019-02-08|language=en|access-date=2019-10-08}}</ref>

== References == <!--- See Wikipedia:Footnotes on how to create references using <ref></ref> tags which will then appear here automatically --> {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{official website|http://www.cusointernational.org}}

Category:Development charities based in Canada