HI Canada Monthly: Global Programs, Local Advocacy
Humanity & Inclusion Canada
We are working tirelessly to ensure that no one is left behind. For as long as it takes.
"Your support is helping people survive, recover, and reclaim their lives.
In Gaza, families face extreme hardship, yet Humanity & Inclusion continues delivering life-saving aid and rehabilitation, helping children and families regain dignity and hope.
In Canada, we are raising awareness and advocating for change. On September 13, HI Canada joined the “Let the Children Live” campaign in Montréal, affirming that Palestinian children have the right to life, freedom, and dignity. Through press coverage, we are calling on governments to defend humanitarian principles and ensure access to aid.
With support from Global Affairs Canada, your generosity is creating brighter futures in Ethiopia, where inclusive education programs are reaching displaced children. In DRC, physiotherapist Vanessa Monangani helps malnourished children regain strength; and in Ukraine and the Philippines, people are regaining mobility and independence.
These stories show the real difference Canadians like you are making every day.
Please consider donating today to help us reach even more people in urgent need."
Anne Delorme, Executive Director, HI Canada.
❤️ Donate to Support Our Work: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/59466
IN THE NEWS
Canadian Affairs: Sam Forster highlights HI’s explosive-ordnance specialist Gary Toombs, who warns that Ukraine’s withdrawal from the 1997 Ottawa Convention offers little military benefit. Anne Delorme calls on Canada to defend the treaty it helped establish.
The Globe and Mail: The Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, Chair of HI Canada’s Council of Governors, and Allan Rock mark the 20th anniversary of Canada’s Responsibility to Protect (R2P), urging Canada to take a leading role in safeguarding civilians globally.
Le Devoir: Speaking with Magdaline Boutros, Anne Delorme and 20+ NGOs call on Canada to ensure humanitarian access and halt arms transfers to Israel, citing the UN’s finding of genocide in Gaza.
Future of Good: HI Canada’s Rehabilitation, Mental Health, Prosthetics, and Orthotics project in Gaza is featured, as well as Heba Bashir, a prosthetics specialist at HI’s Nahla Prosthetics & Orthotics Centre, who shares insights on the project and the challenges of delivering care under extreme conditions.
Fair Planet: Lital Khaikin reports on HI’s Uganda staff and the devastating impact of World Food Programme cuts on refugees.
📖 Read more: https://www.fairplanet.org/story/when-aid-fails-in-uganda/
La Presse: Anne Delorme tells Dylan Robertson the Gaza famine is “the predictable result of the Israeli blockade on aid” and urges it be lifted immediately.
ACTIVITY OF THE MONTH
On September 13, HI Canada joined the “Let the Children Live” campaign in Montreal with Amnistie international Canada francophone, standing in solidarity to affirm a simple but powerful truth:
Palestinian children have the right to life, freedom, and dignity.
At the event, Jahanzeb Hussain, HI Canada’s Director of Communications, shared the heartbreaking story of Sanaa, a one-year-old HI patient in Gaza who died of starvation due to the man-made famine.
Her story put a human face on the staggering statistics of child suffering in the region.
📖 Read her story here: https://www.hi-canada.org/en/news/sanaa-a-baby-who-waited-for-food
ADVOCACY IN ACTION
New videos from the Education Cluster, a coalition of NGOs including HI, reveal the severe disruption of education in Gaza and the West Bank.
In Gaza, over 658,000 children have been deprived of two years of in-person education. Nearly all schools (97%) have been damaged, and two-thirds of schools sheltering internally displaced people have been attacked.
▶️ Watch the full video on Gaza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABSmTBTebuI
In the West Bank, over the past year, 2,040 incidents targeting children by Israeli forces and settlers affected 85,000 students and 4,700 teachers, resulting in more than 204,000 class minutes lost between 2024 and 2025.
▶️ Watch the full video on the West Bank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB9JzfyYAqw&feature=youtu.be
PROJECT HIGHLIGHT: ETHIOPIA
HI Canada, in partnership with Save the Children and funded by Global Affairs Canada, is promoting inclusive learning for refugee, displaced, and host community children in Ethiopia’s Oromia and Somali regions through the Brighter Outcomes: Strengthening Civil Society Organizations for Displaced Children's Education (2022-2026).
Since August 2024, teacher training programs have equipped educators with skills in disability awareness, sign language, and Braille, helping them create inclusive classrooms where no child is left behind.
The impact is already visible: Nasiru Safi, a 9-year-old with a congenital disability, received a tailored wheelchair and school support, allowing him to attend school and fully participate in class.
VOICES FROM THE GROUND
On the frontlines in Gaza, humanitarian workers are witnessing the devastating impact of war and starvation. Sharaf Al Faqawi, HI Gaza Area Manager, shares this firsthand testimony:
“Just like the over two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, we humanitarian workers are also being starved, displaced and killed. For almost two years now, every single day, we must juggle between surviving this war, caring for ourselves and families, and serving the most vulnerable. Hunger has reached its peak, with children and babies dying of starvation.
There is no food, clean water, medicine, fuel among other basic needs. Hundreds are being killed at militarized aid distribution sites, it’s a tough choice of dying of hunger or getting killed while trying to get food. We cannot fully operate or serve those in need because we lack the necessary aid and equipment due to the Israeli blockade, the relentless bombardment, and forced displacement — but also because we ourselves are growing weak from hunger and malnutrition.
You can see the impact on their bodies and in their eyes — our staff are becoming dizzy, weak, and drained of energy. Although they remain committed to their mission, they can no longer focus or work as they did before. Many of our activities require physical movement and effort, such as our risk awareness sessions on explosive ordnance and our physical rehabilitation work. The coming days are very critical, if this situation persists, we could see some of HI aid workers collapsing while on duty.”
Sharaf’s testimony underscores the urgent need for a ceasefire and for unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Meet Vanessa Monangani, a physiotherapist specializing in stimulation therapy for malnourished children, supporting displaced families in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Vanessa works with children affected by armed conflict, precarious living conditions, and limited healthcare, helping those at high risk of malnutrition and developmental delays. Every morning, she assesses each child’s motor, cognitive, and communication needs to create a personalized seven-session plan.
Through fun, individualized activities—from catching a ball to walking with light support—Vanessa helps children build coordination, balance, social skills, and long-term independence.
“I love what I do and seeing the effects of my work on the lives of the people I support,” she says. Through her dedication, Vanessa is helping children not just survive, but thrive.
HI IN THE WORLD
Ukraine: Paralyzed by an airstrike while helping his parents, Oleksandr is gradually learning to walk again with HI’s rehabilitation support, including at-home exercises and a specialized bath seat.
Colombia: After losing his leg to a landmine, Carlos struggled physically, emotionally, and financially. HI’s medical, psychosocial, and financial support has helped him launch a pig farming project, providing a sustainable income for his family.
Philippines: At 70, Nanay Benita feared she couldn’t escape disasters due to chronic pain. After Typhoon Tarmi, HI provided mobility aids to 250 older adults and people with disabilities, helping her walk independently, visit friends, and regain confidence.
DRC: Displacement and malnutrition left Divin, son of Ladislas, weak and withdrawn. With therapy, nutritious food, and guidance from HI and local partners, he has regained health, energy, and joy.
❤️ Donate to Support Our Work: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/59466