Why?
One of our central focuses at ICS is education; it is at the root of all our events. In our management of conferences, associations, and online parental learning, we facilitate positive change in the world by connecting people, sharing knowledge, and educating the global community.
Poverty is one of the great issues of the modern world. A growing body of empirical research suggests that better education yields higher individual income and contributes towards the construction of social capital and long-term economic growth. In keeping with our goal of encouraging change through education, ICS has decided to join the worldwide struggle against poverty through a project that encourages the sharing of knowledge through local education and empowerment.
In choosing how we could best contribute to the fight against poverty, we knew our impact needed to be sustainable in the long term; we did not want a short-term fix. We also wanted to have an impact internationally (due to the international reach of our conferences), as well as locally (in the cities where we have branch offices - Vancouver, Toronto, London, Vienna, Barcelona, Tokyo, and Singapore). Finally, as the environment is important to all of us, our project needed to have a positive impact on the natural world that we live in.
What is WE?
Poverty isn’t the result of a single cause. The issue is complex and rooted in a number of correlated socioeconomic obstacles. Tackling a single cause of poverty, regardless of money and resources invested, will allow the cycle of poverty to persist. Poverty is especially difficult for children; we all want a world where all children have access to education and where no child has to work to ensure their family’s survival.
WE uses an international development model that addresses the five primary causes of poverty with sustainable solutions that work in tandem with one another to transform communities. The program is an adaptive, effective five-pillar model built on 20 years of experience and collaboration with dedicated community members and international development experts to find solutions that work.
WE Villages’ five pillars are:
- Education
- Water
- Health
- Food
- Opportunity
Each pillar is a critical component in breaking the cycle of poverty. WE works to ensure everyone has access to the resources represented by each pillar.
What are we doing?
Over the next three years, ICS has committed to raising $50,000 that will be matched by the company for a total of $100,000. These funds will support the construction of a clean water system in the village of Kanambu, Ecuador, in addition to educating the community that will support the use and maintenance of the system. A local guiding committee has been formed within the community of Kanambu to manage the infrastructure development.
The clean water initiative is only one part of WE’s five pillar approach. Other parts of this project focus on reducing the school dropout rate of children in the area, providing health education programs and promoting exercise at schools, building school gardens and arranging agriculture training, and empowering the locals with tools that they can use to earn an income.
In supporting Kanambu’s access to clean water, we become part of a system that breaks barriers and provides opportunities. Most importantly, the project empowers the local community and encourages them to take ownership of the changes they are making to their village – it will be them who will ensure the new changes and opportunities gained through the project are retained and grown long into the future.
Who are we?
At ICS, we manage conferences, associations, tradeshows, and online parental learning; our goal throughout all these events is to connect people and facilitate positive change by sharing knowledge for the betterment of all. The Clean Water Initiative: Kanambu Village Empowerment Project represents an opportunity for us to contribute to the central goal of our organization – to use education to facilitate positive change in the world.
There are a number of ways you can donate:
1. Visit the ICS - Clean Water Initiative crowdfunding page on Fundrazr.com to see updates on the project, see our upcoming event or make a donation online to our campaign. https://fundrazr.com/ICSmetowe
2. We can donate on your behalf. You can contact our CFO, Aksinia Shier, at aksinia@icsevents.com to process payments or you can send a cheque to our Vancouver office at:
International Conference Services
1201 West Pender Street, Suite 300
Vancouver, BC V6E2V2
Canada
Tax Receipts are available for donations greater than $10.
Thank you so much for your interest in our Legacy Project and WE Charity!
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