History
During an extended trip through India and Southeast Asia, in 1973, David Durrance, a schoolteacher from British Columbia, began sponsoring a number of orphans in the Philippines to schools and universities. Upon revisiting the Philippines in 1978, and being struck by the disparity between the developed and underdeveloped countries, he began some small aid projects with personal funds.
In 1979 Petra Angpao, an orphan whom David had sponsored through nursing school, graduated with intentions of assisting others like herself. Bonded through a shared belief that destiny had brought them together for the purpose of helping others, David and Petra married in 1980 and together began the task of building and developing the International Association For Transformation (IAT) as a non-profit organization for initiating positive change. Many friends and relatives became involved in the child sponsorship program and in supporting the community development work begun by the couple.
The Durrances lived in the northern Philippines for sixteen years, expanding and nurturing the program and projects they initiated. During this time their family grew to include four boys and two adopted daughters. As sponsored students graduated from schools and universities, many joined the IAT organization and worked to uplift the conditions in their marginalized villages.
 In 1996 a group of young professionals, who had been gaining leadership skills under IAT, assumed the management and operation of the program, and the Durrance family returned to Victoria, British Columbia. They still play a mentoring and monitoring role with regard to the Philippines, and maintain a personal connection with most of IAT's sponsors and supporters.
The couple are presently creating linkages with First Nations and, along with IAT's Canadian board of directors and other volunteers, are working on an exciting and unique initiative for Costa Rica. Phase one of the Eco-village and Youth Training and Development Centre is currently in progress. Inputs from youth and other interested parties are being solicited, relationships are being forged, and strategies are being developed. The Durrances, along with their younger children, are planning to move to Costa Rica to oversee the initial years of on-site development of the Centre as soon as plans and funding are firmed up.
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