About
History
We are a not-for-profit humanitarian network that began in 2004, in Victoria, B.C., Canada. We volunteer our time, expertise and efforts, ensuring that 100% of donations goes directly to the causes we support.
We welcome people from around the world to join us in our work, bringing hope by supporting education and health, by empowering women and girls, and by encouraging sustainability in Africa.
Meet the Team
The For The Love of Africa Society Board of Directors are all volunteers, contributing their time, expertise and energy without remuneration.
Margaret Bates
President
Margaret’s background has been in the medical profession as a Physiotherapist/Occupational Therapist, both institutionally and in her own Private Practice.
Margaret has had a great deal of experience in management positions during her career; developing research studies, protocols for mentoring UBC students as well as protocols for hospital volunteers.
She has had experience working in an impoverished area of Guatemala where she was part of a team that helped build a school for disadvantaged children.
She was one of the founding members of For the Love of Africa Society and in 2008 traveled with a medical team to Dodoma, Tanzania to assist with the development of the Nkuhungu Medical Clinic, one of the Society’s very successful and worthy projects. A Life changing experience.
After hearing the stories of the difficulties of access to clean potable water in Tanzania and contrasting that with our free access to water in Canada, she initiated and helped developed the first Annual Water Garden tour to raise funds to support the projects of FTLOA in Tanzania. This tour has become an annual Victoria event for fourteen years.
Margaret has served on the Events committee for many years and has been instrumental in the creation of many of the fundraising events.
Margaret is dedicated to the work of the Society, its roots, its values and its vision for the future and works diligently to help guide the Society to follow its mission—to respond with care and understanding to the needs of the people of Africa by establishing partnerships and engaging in hands-on personal involvement.
Karen Schrey
Vice President
Karen is an experienced entrepreneur, with expertise in medical technology and teaching English as a Second Language, and familiarity with living in a developing country.
Karen was the founder of a Victoria-based group of volunteers committed to helping the Maasai in Makuyuni boma; a result of a personal pledge she made herself following a safari holiday in Tanzania. Beginning in 2012, she made a trip to Makuyuni in each of the following 5 years, bringing volunteers and much needed funds to begin the construction of a school.
Karen joined the For The Love of Africa Society in 2017, bringing with her the connections to this Maasai community. Her commitment to the Society reflects mutual values and the hope that her work will “pay it forward” in some way.
Kevin Sterne
Past President and Treasurer
Kevin is a retired civil engineer (geotechnical) who has worked in the consulting industry for 40 years. He was born and raised in South Africa and has an appreciation for the different ways that things are accomplished in Africa. Throughout his career, he worked in the design and construction of schools, hospitals, day care facilities, roadworks and water dams and wells. Each required careful planning, execution, project management and quality control. This extensive experience provides a unique skill set to the Society for the evaluation and management or FTLOAs projects in Africa.
Kevin joined the For the Love of Africa Society in 2014, following a vacation in Tanzania during which he was inspired by the people he encountered. The Society’s mission and values were consistent with his own beliefs.
Gita Mccormick
Co-Secretary
I am honoured to be a director of For the Love of Africa society. I have a varied background both as a self-employed entrepreneur and in my current role as administrator for a private local business.
I was introduced to For The Love of Africa through a friend in 2018. I joined almost immediately and then joined Team Tanzania 2019. Our travel to Africa allowed us to assist with building a primary school in Dodoma, Tanzania. This was the first time I had travelled to Africa and I was struck by the warmth of the people as well as the beauty of the land. Working side by side with the locals was a rewarding and enriching experience I will never forget. Upon returning, I have continued to support the society. I believe in their mission and want to be a part of bringing the society’s mission to fruition. I am excited about being on the board and for the opportunity to help direct the society’s future.
Colleen Hanley
Co-Secretary
Colleen is an educator, facilitator and interculturalist having taught elementary, junior and senior high
school as well as post secondary students. Retired from the public education system, her consulting
work now focuses on supporting non-profit organizations enhance their policies and practices around diversity, equity and inclusion. She has significant experience taking leadership roles with community-based service organizations and currently volunteers with LUSH Valley to support local food security.
Colleen has travel extensively, including in the global South. As an interculturalist she is committed to work that builds relationship across cultural, political and economic differences. She has been actively engaged with For The Love Of Africa since 2019. She works extensively with the Maasai of Makuyuni and its leadership team, as the community transitions from a pastoral lifestyle to an agricultural community.
She is passionately committed to ensuring her work and volunteer activities are both antiracist and
decolonized.
Angela Gurney
Member-at-Large
Angela had always dreamed of travelling to Africa but didn’t think it would ever happen. She joined the Society in 2017 and soon after was assisting with Social Media postings.
She jointed Team Tanzania 2018 to work on the Nashipay School in Makuyuni. She enjoyed working with the Maasai people who were so welcoming. Even though there was a language barrier, communication wasn’t an issue. Working with some of the amazing Mamas, who have no formal business education was an eye-opening experience. It proved to her that anyone can do anything if they just try.
And in 2019, another opportunity to travel to Tanzania, this time to Dodoma to work on the Ndachi school project. Her mother had moved to Dodoma in October of 2018 and would also be part of Team Tanzania 2019. “My time working at Ndachi was so different than Nashipay. I met a little girl who seemed to fall in love with me as much as I fell for her. The ladies of the church made us tea-time snacks, chai tea and Mandazi (Tanzanian doughnut), then lunch every day. The ladies welcomed me to their kitchen and they taught me the recipes.”
She currently manages the Website and Social Media.
Finances
Financial Year: 2018 – 2019
