TORONTO (April 20, 2017) — Thanks to a $25,000 donation from DUCA Financial Services Credit Union Ltd. (DUCA) to Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC), a developing community will soon have access to electricity. For the fourth year in row, CCFC is holding an online contest where people from around the world can choose which project gets funded.
The contest allows people to choose their preferred innovative and sustainable solution to a problem in a developing community in Africa, Asia or Central or Latin America. Attracting votes from across Canada and as far away as India, past projects implemented by the DUCA-CCFC Innovation Fund have included a Family Reading Time literacy program in Paraguay, tailoring training for women in rural India and solar-powered lighting and clean water for a remote northern Ghana community.
Cast your vote between Monday April 24 and Tuesday May 23, 2017 at ccfcanada.ca/innovation-fund. Voting closes midnight (ET) May 23. The project with the most votes wins and will be implemented.
Solar energy powers a brighter future
Some 1.4-billion people around the world don’t have any access to electricity and a billion more have intermittent access, according to the United Nations Development Programme. That’s why this year’s DUCA-CCFC project options focus on solar-power innovations and improving access to electrical services. Beneficiaries of the winning project can look forward to better nutrition, health and overall quality of life.
“Solar-powered innovations offer life-changing improvements in medical, agricultural, educational and community safety applications,” says Patrick Canagasingham, CEO, Christian Children’s Fund of Canada. “Through access to electricity, an entire community can be transformed for the better.”
Vote for one of these projects
- Enhancing After-Dark Healthcare Services, Wayan, Burkina Faso: The installation of a solar electricity system will provide reliable, inexpensive electricity to the Wayan Health Center. Access to emergency medical interventions and urgent care, especially for nighttime deliveries and pregnancy interventions, will be improved.
- Enhancing Health and Nutrition, Namonsa, Ghana: This community depends on agriculture as a primary source of income. Installation of a solar-powered water pump at the community dam will deliver water to crops, providing income and nutrition to families.
- Improving After-Dark Safety, Thiruchuli, India: This community experiences frequent power interruptions and blackouts several times a week. Nighttime activities are limited due to health and safety concerns; women and girls have increased vulnerability to violence in the dark streets. Solar-powered street lights will enhance safety during dark hours.
To learn more about the projects, and to vote, visit ccfcanada.ca/innovation-fund.
“We are pleased to support the CCFC Innovation Fund in its fourth year,” says Doug Conick, president and CEO, DUCA Financial Services Credit Union Ltd. “We are proud of the impact the Innovation Fund projects have had in previous years, and we know this year’s project will continue the trend.”
Suggested Tweet
- Vote today for a brighter future for children: ccfcanda.ca/innovation-fund @CCFCanada @DUCACU #innovationfund2017
- Your vote directs $25K to an innovative project! Learn more: ccfcanada/innovation-fund @CCFCanada @DUCACU #innovationfund2017
- You be the judge! Which international project should receive $25,000 from DUCA? Vote at ccfcanada/innovation-fund @CCFCanada @DUCACU #innovationfund2017