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Frequently asked questions War Child CANADA
Here you'll find answers to frequently asked questions regarding different topics about War Child Canada:
 General questions
What is the relationship between the different War Child organizations in other countries?
Who designed your logo?
Can I order a copy of the Documentary, Musicians in the War Zone?
Can I adopt a war child?
How do people become members of the Board of Directors for War Child? When does the Board change?
Get Involved
As a youth/student, how can I get involved?
If I'm not a student, how can I get involved?
How can I volunteer?
Can I volunteer overseas?
Support War Child Canada
I want to do a fundraiser, how do I go about doing that?
Can I donate food, toys or clothing items?
Can the people who donate designate to support a specific project?
Can someone from War Child speak at my school/event?
Employment
Are there any employment opportunities?
Projects
How are projects decided upon?
Funds
Who decides and where exactly does the money go?
What proportion of your donations goes to administrative costs and how much reaches the children directly?
General questions
What is the relationship between the different War Child organizations in other countries?
War Child Canada is part of an international network of independent organizations. All carry the name War Child and use the same logo because they share the same objective: to provide humanitarian assistance to children in war affected-areas. However, each organization is financially, legally and operationally independent and has its own Board of Directors. In addition, there is variability between the international offices both in terms of their operational mandates and their programming approach. War Child Canada is a federally registered Canadian charity. There are currently two War Child organizations that make up the War Child network and are engaged in field programming in war torn communities: War Child Canada, and War Child Holland.
Who designed your logo?
The logo is internationally trademarked and evolved from a collaborative process involving the War Child office in Holland together with MTV Europe, who together designed the new logo that was later adopted by all other War Child offices. Permission to use the logo for any purpose, from any individuals or organizations outside of War Child, must be sought from the respective national offices in accordance with trademark legislation in those territories.
Can I order a copy of the War Child Canada / Much Music Documentary, Musicians in the War Zone?
Yes. Musicians in the War Zone features Canadian music artists, Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace, Chantal Kreviazuk, David Usher and The Rascalz accompanying War Child Canada respectively to a pediatric hospital in Southern Iraq, the Upiem Mai Refugee Camp on the Thai Burmese border and to Sierra Leone. This documentary provides the viewer with insight into different human rights issues in war-torn countries as experienced and expressed by each of the artists.
Due to the cost of reproducing the video in limited quantities, we have to charge a nominal fee. The total cost for the video including all applicable taxes, shipping and handling is $34.95. Please send a cheque or money order in the above amount, indicating Musicians in the War Zone and made payable to:
War Child Canada
401 Richmond St., Suite 204
Toronto, ON
M5V 3A8
**Please note that this video can only be used for educational purposes (i.e. by teachers, within the classroom) not for public broadcast.
Can I adopt a war child?
For cultural reasons, children who have been orphaned by war are usually adopted by other members of their family. However, it is a long process to reunite them with their family members, so you may wish to consider whether it would be better to give financial aid to agencies working to provide the basic necessities of life and to reunite children with their families. This is the best way to ensure that children remain with family members and within their communities, and have the support they need to grow into healthy, self-reliant adults.
There are thousands of children in Canada who need permanent homes. For more information on adopting in Canada, please consult Canada's only national photo listing web site, Canada's Waiting Kids run by the Adoption Council of Canada.
How do people become members of the Board of Directors for War Child? When does the Board change?
We do have a variety of needs filled by board members, so the qualifications vary according to need. We generally replace board members who step down after serving one or more three-year, renewable terms. Unfortunately we are not actively looking for new members at the moment but you are welcome to send us your CV and a cover letter with your statement of interest. Should a spot on the Board become available that you might qualify for, we will contact you for further information.
Get Involved
As a youth/student, how can I get involved?
Students are integral to War Child Canada's programming and we're always so impressed and appreciative of their efforts. From organizing War Child chapters in their schools, to volunteering, to doing benefit concerts/shows and awareness campaigns, students can combine their creativity with their activism to make a global impact.
Below is a list of programming and opportunities for youth through War Child Canada. Check out the links to find out more!
KEEP THE BEAT: War Child Canada's non-stop music fundraising event.
www.warchild.ca/getinvolved_ktb.asp
NO WAR ZONE: An interactive youth-driven, online network promoting human rights.
www.nowarzone.org
MAKE AN IMPACT PROJECT: Makes planning an awareness or fundraising project easy! http://www.warchild.ca/studentscentre_impact.asp
JUST ACT! CONFERENCE: A youth leadership conference held in Ottawa every spring.
www.warchild.ca/studentscentre_justact.asp
Be sure to check out the Student's Centre of the War Child Canada website for even further information on how youth are actively involved in our organization and various humanitarian projects. Also, see below for volunteer information.
If I'm not a student, how can I get involved?
Individuals, communities and office groups have shown much-appreciated support by organizing awareness or fundraising events, or volunteering their time and skills. You can download our Fundraising Guidelines here. Please read below on volunteering and third-party fundraising for more information.
How can I volunteer?
We're always pleased to hear from enthusiastic individuals looking to get involved, as we believe everyone has a skill or talent to contribute to the cause.
Please visit our website at www.warchild.ca/getinvolved.asp for further information on special volunteer opportunities.
If you are interested in general volunteer opportunities, you're welcome to forward a copy of your C.V. with a cover letter stating your interests to info@warchild.ca and we'll add you to our volunteer database and be in touch when opportunities arise.
Can I volunteer overseas?
War Child Canada currently has a policy not to send volunteers overseas due to the extreme risk involved in working in war zones and as such, volunteer positions are for work in Canada only. War Child Canada believes that the best way to help those in need is to foster self-sustainability in the regions we work in and to promote the capabilities of local organizations and peoples.
Traveling, nonetheless, can lead to amazing experiences. If you are interested in studying or working overseas, you can find more information through various universities/colleges, youth travel programs, or the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) internships.
Employment
Are there any employment opportunities?
We post any available openings on our website at the link below.
www.warchild.ca/getinvolved_volunteer_job.asp.
Supporting War Child Canada
I want to do a fundraiser, how do I go about doing that? Third-party fundraising.
A great way to raise funds would be to organize a Keep the Beat event, War Child Canada's nation-wide music marathon fundraiser. Please see www.warchild.ca/getinvolved_ktb.asp for more information.
If you have a particular event in mind, we'd love to hear about it! From organizing a benefit concert, to holding a fixed-menu restaurant event, volunteers have come up with creative ideas on how to spread the word on the impact of war worldwide and what can be done to help. Here are some details you should know:
ORGANIZING THE EVENT: We generally leave it up to you to organize the logistics of the event, as we unfortunately do not have the capabilities to oversee this ourselves. However, we will gladly send you posters, information sheets and other materials to give out. All we ask is that you profile the event as being "in support of War Child Canada," just to clarify that it is not organized directly by the charity.
COLLECTION OF FUNDS: Donations by cheque can be directly sent to the War Child Canada office, however, please calculate the total amount of donations made by cash and send in a cheque for the lump sum. Do not send cash in the mail.
Feel free to contact us should you have any further questions.
Can I donate food, toys or clothing items?
No. Unfortunately, despite any kind offers, War Child Canada cannot accept physical goods (clothes, toys, shelter items, food, etc.) as donations as the shipping and handling costs of sending items overseas are very high - often higher than the value of the items themselves. In our efforts to provide the most help to those in need, we've found that monetary donations go much further in contributing to overseas projects as they allow for the local purchase of supplies from the affected region. In addition, this approach is culturally sensitive, and ensures that local economies/markets, individuals and small business (including farmers, women's cooperatives, etc) are not adversely affected by the importation of large amounts of foreign relief and other items.
We suggest your local clothing drives or food banks would benefit most from your donation of hard goods.
Can the people who donate designate to support a specific project?
Donations go directly to support our international projects in war torn communities around the world. However, in times of urgent appeals such as humanitarian emergencies, we direct donations made in response to an appeal to that specific project as indicated. In the rare event that the amount of funding necessary to address a particular emergency has been met, we reserve the right to redirect donations to other worthwhile War Child Canada humanitarian programs, ensuring that equally important initiatives do not suffer as the stories of those affected by one humanitarian crisis slip from the headlines in favor of another.
For a listing and descriptions of our International Projects, please visit www.warchild.ca/projects.asp.
Can someone from War Child speak at my school/event?
We try our best to accommodate as many speaking engagements as possible. Please call our office at 1-866-WARCHILD to pass on specific information about the event to one of our staff members, or fill out the Speaker Request Form and send to info@warchild.ca with 'Speaker Request' in the subject line. If one of our staff members is available to attend your event, we will contact you to let you know. Please allow 1 to 2 weeks for us to process your request.
Can one of War Child Canada's musicians come speak at my school/event?
The musicians that we work with have all approached us, demonstrating a keen political intelligence and fervor for fixing what's wrong in the world. By lending us their talents, they have played an amazing role in raising awareness and funds to help people in war-affected countries.
Since our relationship with these artists is initiated by them for the exclusive purpose of assisting War Child Canada's efforts, we cannot give out their contact information. If you want to get in touch with these artists to request their involvement in your initiative, you should contact their management office. The contact information for each artist's management can be found on the Internet, or simply on the back of his or her CD. When contacting artists' managers, it is important to make it clear that War Child Canada is not organizing your event and that you are not calling on behalf of War Child Canada or representing the charity in any fashion.
Projects
How are projects decided upon?
War Child Canada projects are chosen and designed based on current humanitarian needs of children affected by war and by War Child Canada's capacity to address those needs. The charity places emphasis on intimate consultation and collaboration with local partners in the regions we work in so as to identify the most urgent needs and effective methods of delivering assistance. The charity focuses on the domains of relief supply and delivery, health care, education, rehabilitation and psychosocial support.
Funds
Who decides and where exactly does the money go?
Depending on the nature of the local needs in the region, donations may serve to provide medicines or textbooks, food, school supplies, training and support for local initiatives assisting refugees, former child soldiers, orphans, and in general, children and families in need. War Child Canada's staff consists of a team of leading experts in relief and development in war torn communities who conduct comprehensive needs assessments and implement programs that promote self-reliance, sustainability, and transparency, ensuring that your donations make the biggest impact on the largest number of war-affected children possible. We value the hard work that goes into every donation made to War Child Canada, and as such are committed to maintaining a low (under 10%) administrative overhead. To that end, since its inception, War Child Canada has never paid for advertising, relying instead on the good will of broadcasters, music artists and the media to promote the organization and its work. Click here to read more about War Child Canada's staff and their extensive humanitarian experience, and the charity's projects worldwide.
What proportion of your donations goes to administrative costs and how much reaches the children directly?
Based on the latest audited financial statements, War Child Canada's administrative costs are less than 10% of total expenditures and are among the lowest in the charitable field. War Child Canada strives to maintain the highest level of accountability, transparency and effectiveness in all our efforts. We welcome inquiries concerning our financial policies and expenditure profile. If you would like to receive War Child Canada's annual report including a copy of our latest audited financial assessment, please send your mailing address to info@warchild.ca or view our financial statements online.
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