Man On A Mission:
For the past 16 years, Kevin, who was appointed President and CEO of this Ottawa-based agency in February, has devoted himself to CARE’s mission of ending poverty.
“It’s a great honour to be part of this,” he says of his role at CARE, which recently marked its 60th anniversary. CARE Canada belongs to a 12-member international federation, with projects focused on HIV/AIDS, development, and emergency relief and rebuilding in 70 countries.
Surprisingly, in a job that frequently takes him to disaster and war zones, what’s toughest is not coping with illness, displacement, hunger, or death. “It’s this ever-present knowledge that you could do more to help,” Kevin says. This tends to affect aid workers in one of two ways: either it becomes an unbearable burden or, as Kevin sees it, an endless opportunity. “Even if we fail, I know I did my part; I didn’t sit there and watch it happen.”
Since 1992 when he joined CARE Canada as a food security and emergency response specialist, Kevin has been “an itinerant” – living and/or working in 50 different countries. He has led relief efforts in Somalia, Haiti, Tanzania, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Bosnia; worked with refugees as CARE’s Zambia country director; and served in senior management as VP of International Operations, among many other postings.
Tackling his MBA in 2005 prepared him to take over as CARE Canada’s interim President and CEO in June 2007. “I needed to gain understanding of marketing, human resources, and finance. CARE Canada delivered $150 million to 55 million people in 50 countries around the world last year. Our balance sheet is as complex as any company’s.”
As CEO, Kevin says fundraising is a perennial concern. “Canadians are generous: they gave $8 billion to charity in 2006-2007. But 95% is given to domestic causes, leaving little for the rest of the world’s poor.”
Providing security for humanitarian aid workers is a newer issue. “We are working in places where we can get caught in the crossfire, or are direct targets. Our people are getting shot, kidnapped, and run out of town.”
Kevin’s interest in development work was first sparked by an international exchange project that took him to Indonesia with Canada World Youth 25 years ago. Later, at the University of Toronto, he did a degree in International Development Studies that included agricultural co-op work in a small, isolated village in Mali.
He has never looked back. Even the most harrowing experiences, such as working with refugees in Rwanda after the genocide, only seem to deepen his resolve. “Seeing that kind of tragedy confirms you can’t stop. Nothing would prevent you from doing something. It’s a gesture of humanity.”
Acknowledging there’s a danger of being consumed by the work, Kevin says having a wife and three children – a 10-year-old and 7-year-old twins – keeps things in perspective.
His colleagues also help. CARE has 2,300 staff, most local and native to the communities they are assisting. “I often reflect on the inspiring people I work with,” Kevin says. “I appreciate the richness of other cultures and how, when you put different people together, you can have a great impact – and great times.”
Great times? “Yes! This work attracts colourful, intelligent people who are full of stories,” Kevin maintains. “There’s this idea that we are all wearing hair shirts or something. Actually, we have a lot of fun.”
People like a woman he met recently in Kabul also lift his spirits. Destitute until CARE provided sheep, goats and skills training on how to treat livestock, her modest earnings from the meat, milk, and fur now allow her family to eat and her kids to attend school. “She’s being empowered, and we are doing that thousands of times a day,” Kevin says cheerfully. “That really inspires me. People’s lives are getting better.”