Adapted from We Remember: 20 Years in Solidarity, by Hank and Tillie Zyp, May 1996

In 1975, Hank and Tillie Zyp, with a small group of other "dreamers", decided to respond to the daily atrocities of poverty, oppression and starvation in the world. Meeting at each others' homes in and near Devon, the 20 or so volunteers founded Change for Children in 1976. The name identified the primary victims of injustice while at the same time suggesting the need for transformation.

The first years were fundraising years. Bake sales, garage sales, community bazaars, bingos, and an annual benefit banquet were staged. Around the same time, the Zyps were introduced to the Latin American community of political refugees from Chile, El Salvador and Guatemala. Through the refugee friends of their two daughters, they discovered the incredible root causes of poverty. It was a sobering thought for many that the poor did not want charity, but that they clamoured for justice.
During the first year of operation, CFCA was proud to scrape together $3,000.00 for a provincial matching grant. Ray Verge, executive director of the Alberta Agency for International Development (AAID), challenged the organization to increase that to $30,000 - a challenge that was not only met but doubled. Funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) followed some time later. Powered by volunteers for a long time, CFCA was operated out of Hank and Tillie's basement, where project proposals and donor thank-yous were written, and the "Bridge of Hope" newsletter was produced. Eventually government grants enabled the hiring of three staff members. Because of CFCA's educational service to the school system, Edmonton Catholic Schools in 1986 agreed to provide an empty classroom in St. Michael's School for use as office space.

As CFCA grew and matured, bake sales gave way to Solidarity Dances, an annual Dialogue for Development, and Global Youth Weekend Retreats. When Nicaraguan poet, priest and Sandinista government minister Ernesto Cardenal came to Canada, Tillie Zyp contacted him for suggestions on how CFCA could help in reconstruction following the revolution.

At the height of the Contra war, the first Change for Children delegation traveled to Nicaragua. Organization members believed that something of immense importance to humanity was taking place in Central America, and wanted to be a part of it.

Volunteers traveled to the barrios and jungles of the region several times. Some also paid their own fare to witness the popular movements in Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Brazil, Kenya and the Philippines. Some stayed to work with the people, others returned to share what they had learned.

Delegations from the south then began approaching CFCA. They left a lasting impression and confirmed the commitment to keep fighting the global struggle for justice. A friend called from Saskatchewan to ask for support for his land reform projects in Brazil. CFCA members branched out to form Farmers for Peace and the Sombrillo Refugee Society. The Canadian Jesuits asked CFCA to be Alberta representatives for their work in Darjeeling and Kurseong. What started as a small pond was beginning to create ever widening ripples across the water. "These ripples are the beginning of a tidal wave," predicted Roy Neehall optimistically.

The legacy of Change For Children is that ordinary people are capable of doing extraordinary things, and as such are able to make a difference in the lives of people who have been marginalized by unjust economic and political structures. The struggle continues as democracy is eroding and the destiny of peoples is more and more decided in the boardrooms of transnational corporations. There is always hope that as long as there are people who aspire to justice for all, that the dream we dream together will be fulfilled someday.

Our Vision for the Future

Change for Children remains committed to the vision of a just, caring and humane world where we all share equitably in the richness of the world’s resources. We will continue to develop our partnerships in a way where we can learn first-hand of people’s lives and struggles, and how we can best stand in solidarity with them.

Our Past Annual Reports