Child Sponsorship
Our 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.
3 cups
Blueberries
3 cups
Flour
1½ cups
Butter
David Durrance, a schoolteacher from British Columbia, began sponsoring a number of orphans in the Philippines to schools and universities.
David Durrance began some small aid projects with personal funds
Petra Angpao, an orphan whom David had sponsored through nursing school, graduated with intentions of assisting others like herself.
IAT began!
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 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.
Confident that a group of young university graduates, who had completed IAT’s sponsorship and youth leadership programs, was ready to manage and operate IAT’s Philippines program, the Durrances passed them the reigns of the organization in 1996 and returned to Canada. The Philippines’ program continues to operate under an excellent dedicated staff of Indigenous professionals and through support, mentoring and monitoring from IAT-Canada’s Board of Directors.
We do more
Petra and David are currently focusing their time on two daycares located on Vancouver Island, B.C. www.starchildcentre.ca. Montessori, Waldorf-based and outdoor education are the focus with individual garden plots for each child, and daily visits to the various animals. These outdoor activities are instilling a deep love of animals, an appreciation of, and connection with, the earth and nature, as well as nutrition and food security. It is hoped that this generation of little ones, upon reaching adulthood, will step up to the challenge to reverse the environmental devastation, and the greed that our current corporate leaders and global governments are so bent on.