Hope—an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large. Hope is exactly what one FIRST Global team embodied, despite having gone through circumstances many people will never experience: war—asylum—becoming refugees.

May 13, 2020 - Ever since Vancity was formed in 1946, it has used the tools of finance to do right by the world. More than 70 years later, Vancity’s 2019 annual report celebrates the credit union’s long-term authenticity as a financial co-operative. Vancity in 2019: Supporting members and communities in a changing world is Vancity’s last annual report of the decade and includes key achievements from the past ten years.

Bangladesh is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in history. Since August 2017, Bangladesh has seen an unprecedented influx of Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Among the nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees now residing in the overcrowded camps and settlements in Cox’s Bazar district, 55% are children under the age of 18 and 52% of adults are women.

By  Michelle T. Lee, MA in Global Thought, Columbia University

Since the Syrian crisis began in 2011, more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees have found refuge within Turkey’s borders.^[i]​ Turkey has implemented some crucial measures to ensure their wellbeing, like free healthcare and education, but there is a need to continue building on these efforts.