Our bold vision and mission
Our Vision is an equitable, inclusive, and sustainable world where all people are treated with dignity and can participate fully in society.
Our Mission is to share skills for better futures.
Our Strategic Goal is to work with our partners to address the root causes of inequality and improve the economic and social conditions of marginalized groups.
The values that drive us
Partnership
We believe in the power of people. We employ a people-centered approach to development and the challenge of overcoming poverty and inequality.
Respect and Integrity
We value diversity. We recognize and care about the rights and dignity of others. We strive to live up to our commitments, to be fair and transparent in our work, and to act consistently in applying our principles.
Accountability
We take responsibility for our actions. We seek to achieve and inspire excellence. We are dedicated to continually drawing from our experience, sharing knowledge and applying it to improve our work.
What we do
We are an international cooperation and development organization that works to create economic and social opportunities for marginalized groups. Together with our partners, we are focused on efforts to advance gender equality and social inclusion, improve economic resilience, and deliver progress on climate action. We believe that by sharing skills, we can build better futures. Founded in 1961, Cuso International works in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Canada.
Our story
Since 1961, Cuso International has undergone a number of changes to become the organization we are today. Almost six decades on, we are still anchored by our vision to create a world where all people are able to realize their potential, develop their skills and participate fully in society. We do this by working with our organizational partners to develop and deliver programs that tackle poverty and inequality. For certain projects, we connect communities with skilled volunteers who share their knowledge to build lasting and positive change.
Cuso International was created by a group of Canadian university graduates on June 6, 1961. They had a vision of a more connected world. A world where the social constraints people are born into wouldn’t dictate the entirety of their life.
These young people took a great leap of faith, rallied hundreds of other young graduates across Canada and founded Canadian University Service Overseas. Each young volunteer took their role as a Canadian “ambassador” very seriously as they filled skill gaps in developing countries as teachers, nurses and agriculturalists.
Over the next few decades as these early partners became the educators, health care professionals and natural resource managers, Cuso International shifted its focus to tackling the root causes of poverty and inequality. Today, we work with our partners to amplify their impact in their communities to advance gender equality, increase access to education, develop economic opportunities and enhance women and girls’ health. Cuso International is a registered charity in Canada and the United States.
Meet Our Team
Board of Directors
Lucie Edwards
Co-Chair
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Darrell Gregersen
Co-Chair
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Justin Winchiu
Treasurer
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Jeff Cates
Director
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Grant Curtis
Director
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Zahra Esmail
Director
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Sharon Ffolkes Abrahams
Director
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Alejandro Jose Terrones
Director
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Rosemary McCarney
Director
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Gabriela Polanco-Sorto
Director
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Wayne Robertson
Director
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Lori Spadorcia
Director
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Rob Turpin
Director
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Leadership
Nicolas Moyer
Chief Executive Officer
Cory Leblanc
Chief Operating Officer
Eileen Melnick-McCarthy
Director of Communications and Marketing
'Bomi Awesu
Head, Global HR
Yvette Macabuag
Director of Program Quality and Impact • International Programs