During my 10 years on World Vision's Board, I have met experts of all sorts, from agronomists to public health professionals.

But among all these experts, none has impressed me more than mothers.

I have talked with mothers while visiting impoverished communities where World Vision works. And I have discovered that, no matter what their circumstances, mothers everywhere have the same desire — the best for their children — which they strive to make a reality.

They are truly the experts in hope. Mothers are also the experts in something else: accountability. Our mothers, usually more than anyone else, teach us right from wrong and call on us to answer for our actions. This highlights a particularly important issue for me as a mother and as World Vision Canada's new (and first woman) chair.

Our primary duty as a Board is to ensure World Vision remains accountable to you — the donors on whose behalf we serve. Yet we also see ourselves as answerable to all the mothers hoping for a better future for their children. I know they are counting on us to help make that future possible.

To provide all our stakeholders with the assurance they deserve, our independent board requires the organization to rigorously analyze the output of every program and department against pre-determined benchmarks of effectiveness.

World Vision also submits itself to regular reviews by the global World Vision partnership and external partners, such as the Canadian International Development Agency and the World Food Programme.

As further evidence of its commitment to good stewardship, World Vision is a member of Imagine Canada, a national association for non-profit and voluntary organizations. As an adherent to its Ethical Fundraising and Financial Accountability Code, we must abide by universally recognized best practices in the charitable sector.

Ultimately, as a Christian organization, our highest accountability is to God, whose love compels us to seek justice and equality for all creation.

These and other measures serve to reinforce the trust you have placed in us, while enabling us to keep doing what we do best: help mothers and families realize their cherished hopes for their children.


Sharon Dymond
Chair, World Vision Canada