EDC and CARE Canada celebrate a decade of innovative partnership

"Beyond Exports" renewed for five more years in support of international development and women's empowerment.

OTTAWA, Sept. 3, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, as Export Development Canada (EDC) and CARE Canada celebrate 10 years of humanitarian partnership, both organizations joined together to announce the renewal of the "Beyond Exports" program for an additional five years.

Since 2009, EDC and CARE Canada have partnered through the Beyond Exports program to deliver business expertise and financial investment to strengthen CARE's work delivering economic programming in developing countries.

"This partnership is proof of the power of entrepreneurship and just plain good business to reduce poverty and to build up communities," said Mairead Lavery, President and CEO of EDC. "Not only am I proud of the difference our people have made, I'm also extremely grateful that an organization like CARE exists and that they've welcomed EDC to help in their mission in this wonderful way."

Beyond Exports has two components. The first is a four-month secondment program that assigns EDC personnel to CARE offices worldwide. To date, 38 employees have provided their expertise to communities in nine countries around the world, including Ecuador, India, Morocco, Peru, and Zambia. The second component is an enterprise development grant that dedicates funds to CARE programs in support of its mission to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice. The renewal of the partnership comes with the expansion of the grant to include a focus on climate change, ensuring that the most vulnerable populations, specifically women and girls, are empowered as active recipients of climate change relief funds.

To date, the partnership has contributed to reaching more than 500,000 people around the world.

"I am so excited to continue our partnership with EDC ? one that, for the past ten years has done so much to bring people together to end inequality," said Mara O'Brien James, President and CEO (Interim) of CARE Canada.

"CARE Canada's partnership with EDC has allowed us to tap into a wealth of talent and expertise in the areas of finance and value chains. It also allows us to impart what we know about the importance of working with local communities, listening to the voices of women and girls, and working together to create lasting change with leaders working at the epicenter of Canada's international commercial footprint. CARE Canada knows that we cannot overcome poverty or tackle the global climate crisis until all people have equal rights and opportunities ? and this partnership moves us closer to this goal."

In addition to working with CARE Canada, EDC is proud of the work of its subsidiary FinDev Canada, which delivers innovative financial solutions to businesses in developing economies focusing on job creation, women economic empowerment, and climate change mitigation.

This September, four more EDC employees will take on four-month postings in Kenya, Zambia, and at CARE's headquarters in Ottawa, helping to strengthen CARE's capacity through assignments that focus on partnerships and resource mobilization, communication and transitional change support.

First-hand accounts from EDC employees who have participated in the Beyond Exports program:

"I hope that I had a fraction of the impact on the people in Zambia and my colleagues at CARE that they had on me. I'm proud to work for an organization that invests in helping others and developing their employees through a partnership like this."           

Jeff Tanz, Director with EDC, posted to Zambia

"I was sitting in on a village savings and loans association's session with a community of women who pooled their money to save for their businesses, when one of the women jumped at the chance to say how this project gave her the courage and self-confidence to persevere in her business. This is a partnership that EDC should feel proud to stand behind."             

Andrea Gardella, Senior Economist with EDC, posted to Morocco

"My work was about empowering individual Zambians to become financially self-sufficient while also increasing access to necessities of life in rural areas of the country. I now have a first-hand appreciation of the amazing work that CARE does around the world. I am thrilled to have been a little part of that!"

Megan Murray, Regional Manager with EDC, posted to Zambia

About EDC

Export Development Canada (EDC) is a financial Crown corporation dedicated to helping Canadian companies of all sizes succeed on the world stage. As international risk experts, we equip Canadian companies with the tools they need ? the trade knowledge, financing solutions, equity, insurance, and connections ? to grow their business with confidence. Underlying all our support is a commitment to sustainable and responsible business.

For more information and to learn how we can help your company, call us at 1-888-434-8508 or visit www.edc.ca.

About CARE Canada

Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE helps women and girls in developing countries lift themselves and their families out of poverty and out of crisis. We bring women, girls, and their communities together to challenge inequality and stand alongside them in facing issues like climate change, economic empowerment, food security and emergency relief in times of crisis or disaster. In 2018, CARE worked in 95 countries and reached more than 56 million people around the world.

To learn more about CARE Canada, visit www.care.ca.

SOURCE Export Development Canada