CREATING
POSITIVE CHANGE
Find out how we do what we do.
ABOUT US
We are a diverse group of Canadian volunteers who want to make a difference to world poverty.
We work in collaboration with communities around the world, creating projects that address their needs.
We have 25 projects in 13 countries in three sectors: health care, education and community support.
Health Care
From delivering babies in Afghanistan to Eye hospitals in Cambodia, our healthcare projects have changed many lives within the communities we serve.
Education
Rose Charities believes that access to education can improve the opportunities for an entire community.
Community Support
Sometimes a community's greatest needs are something more specific and we have a diverse range of community support projects from microcredit to youth soccer teams.
VISION STATEMENT
To build a global network of effective projects through knowledge sharing and continuous improvement,
to alleviate poverty and injustice.
LISTENING
Collaborating, listening and responding to local communities as they identify their needs, creating lasting change.
PARTNERING
We work from the ground level up, fostering partnerships with local leaders. The communities stretch donations to work miracles.
RESPONDING
We are small scale and can respond quickly to urgent needs without bureaucratic delay.
CORE VALUES
Low Overheads
We believe that donations should not be wasted on excessive overheads. Our administration costs never exceed 4%.
Partnership and Education
We support community based projects that have strong leadership, local staff and dedicated volunteers. Our role is to find the resources and skills to enhance their impact.
Humility
We do not dictate, but listen to communities and work with them as they find their own solutions to the problems of poverty and inequality.
Volunteerism
Rose Charities including the Board of Directors and all the administration are volunteers. Salaries are paid to the local people in the communities that we serve.
Neutrality
We are secular and non-political. Our purpose is simply to improve quality of life.
Inclusivity
We work with people from all backgrounds without discrimination. We believe all lives are inherently equal. We believe all children have a right to education, and all persons have a right to healthcare and safety.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
All of our Board members are volunteers and donate their time to Rose Charities.

Maggie Francis
Chair
As a social worker Maggie has over 30 years experience working in the counselling field in a variety of sectors including social services, health care, education and non profit. She recently retired from her position as the manager of the Counselling Program at FSGV, a non profit organization serving low income individuals, families and children. In addition to her role with Rose Charities she is a supervisor with Oak Counselling, and provides trauma counselling for Employee Assistance programs. She has worked in a number of disadvantaged communities in London,UK, Toronto and Vancouver.

William Grut
Executive Secretary
William has spent over 40 years working on small scale development projects in New Guinea, Cambodia, Angola, Rwanda, Nepal and Sri Lanka. He spent many years in Cambodia developing basic health infrastructure at a time when the country was recovering from the Pol Pot regime. This included building Cambodia’s largest eye hospital and rehabilitative surgery for the poor. William has extensive experience in disaster response, working closely with the Japanese organization AMDA in organizing medical response teams. Dr William Grut is an Assistant Clinical Professor at B.C.Children’s Hospital (PhD Oxford, Doc Medicine London University , MA Parasitology LSTM).

Emily McCance
Honorary Treasurer
Emily gained a passion for international development work during her studies in Economics and Finance at McGill University and subsequent volunteer assignments in Ecuador, India, and Tanzania. Emily is particularly interested in providing financial services to under-served populations and in helping projects become financially sustainable. Emily has a background in banking and finance and currently works in treasury risk at the central financial facility for the BC and Ontario credit union system.

Josephine de Freitas
Honorary Executive Secretary
Josephine has spent 25 years in international development starting with a war widows cooperative in Zimbabwe in 1978. In 1994, she volunteered at the BC Children’s Hospital to create their International Health Programs and initiated projects in South Africa and Guyana. In 1996, she assisted UBC to develop the Centre for International Health and organized “Bridging the Pacific” APEC conference on distance education. In 2004, she managed the CIDA funded project in Guyana “Strengthening Public Health in Guyana” a 5 million dollar CIDA funded project on HIV/AIDS and TB. She has a BSc in Mining Engineering from Imperial College London.

Tim Maguire
Executive Secretary
Having started his first export business in his late teens, Tim Maguire has always embraced the entrepreneurial spirit. The ensuing 30 years saw Mr. Maguire complete International Business studies and then go on to create and operate successful international shipping support and industrial supply companies. Tim provides expertise and oversight of the Rose Charities investments.

Nicole Schouela
Vice Chair
Nicole has extensive small business experience as past owner-operator of restaurants in Toronto and San Francisco. She also has 27 years experience in the fitness industry as an instructor and director of Esscurve Fitness. She has a passion for the arts both as viewer and maker and has her Masters degree in Fine Art. In 2008 she spent five months in Uganda working with youth, which led her to the founding of Stand Tall Training Centre, a primary school in Kampala Uganda.

Galib Kara
Board Member
Galib’s academic career includes a Bachelor of Business Administration from SFU, Diploma in Urban Land Economics from UBC and a Real Estate Analysis Diploma from Langara College. Galib lived in Kampala, Uganda from 1992 to 2004 where he worked as Business Development Manager Africa for Nostrad Telecommunications where he was involved in the design, construction and operational management of a MMDS wireless cable systems in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda. He also set up Uganda’s first cinema chain and entertainment centers. He has now relocated to Vancouver, Canada where he is involved in Real Estate and Property management. He spearheaded the Smiles Uganda initiative in 2010 where sponsorships provided for 53 impoverished children in Kampala for the last 4 years having raised over $120,000 for school fees.

Frank Tharakan
Executive Secretary
Frank brings Rose Charities his knowledge of the developing world combined with his financial and management skills.. Frank is highly experienced in business development and operations management. He has held multiple challenging positions in the financial services and technology industries. He earned his MBA from Sauder School of Business (UBC) and holds a Bachelors in Engineering (Computer Science). Frank has been active with non-profit, voluntary organizations in India and Canada and has been instrumental in leveraging this experience to articulate an organization wide strategy for Rose Charities Canada.

Michael Ramanaden
Board Member
Michael has been in the banking and financial industry working in numerous positions during a 40 year career. Retired in 2018, after having served in his last position as a Lead Business Project Manager in Global Payments Services for HSBC Holdings Head Office UK, whilst working in Canada. Michael's involvement with Rose Charities Canada kicked off soon after the December 2004 Tsunami which hit Sri Lanka and Asia. He actively managed the monitoring and financial reporting of a US$500,000 grant received for 3 years for Rose Charities Sri Lanka. He has been a Director since 2019 and is a member of the finance committee of Rose Charities Canada.