Non-Governmental Organizations, also known by the acronym NGOs, are non-profit organizations that operate without the funding of any government. Most commonly, these organizations are in place to tackle issues that are relevant to social and political issues in various locations across the world. These human rights, development and humanitarian aid institutions are not limited in the things that they can accomplish or aim to accomplish, spanning a wide range of issues that all strive to make the world a better place.
This is also true of the NGOs that operate out of Canada, with many different organizations putting focus on various locations both domestically and internationally. Some of the most popular among these include, CARE Canada, International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins sans Frontières, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Oxfam International and World Vision International.
CARE Canada
CARE Canada is one of the branches of the CARE International network, which is one of the biggest organizations in the world that works on independent development and relief.
World Vision International
World Vision International, often abbreviated WVI, is the top independent Christian development and relief organizations in the world. Many of the projects carried out by WVI are designed, constructed and deployed on a local front. World Vision Canada is an excellent source for first-contact with Canadian NGOs that want to become involved in the organization’s activities.
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross, otherwise known as ICRC, is an independent neutral organization headquartered in Geneva that provides humanitarian services. This organization specializes in educating about and enforcing the rules of war, otherwise called international humanitarian law, which are the limits to war that are put in place to help protect civilians from danger.
Oxfam International
Oxfam encompasses a network of 17 organizations taking part in more than 90 countries. It is considered to be one of the most important responders in the world to acute human rights and humanitarian crises across the globe. The organization has pockets that target issues such as climate change, defending women’s rights, protecting the right to clean water around the world, helping to raise wages for those living in poverty and working on tackling workplace abuses and labor rights violations.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is the largest humanitarian organization in the country. Their mission is to work on issues surrounding health, disasters and crises, migration and displacement, education and labor, training and more.
Médecins sans Frontières (MSF)
One of the most famous of these organizations based in Canada is Médecins sans Frontières, called Doctors without Borders in some other countries. It is an independent human rights and humanitarian relief organization that brings medical aid to all corners of the globe.
While these are among the most popular and largest of Canadian non-profit organizations, there are plenty of other Canadian NGOs working hard to change the world from the ground up.
