By Patricia Walsh-Warren, Animator for Newfoundland and Labrador; and Aisha Poitevien Guye, Philanthropic Development Advisor
The Catholic Women’s League of Canada (CWL) held its 106th Annual National Convention in Halifax, N.S., from August 9 to 12, 2026. Four Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada (DPCC) employees―Patricia Walsh-Warren, animator for Newfoundland and Labrador (and a CWL member); Aisha Poitevien Guye, philanthropic development advisor; Joanna Abi Karam, philanthropic development officer, and Ishara Munazi, youth ambassador for the Atlantic region―were honoured to participate in the convention that gathered over 500 CWL members, bishops and spiritual advisors.
CWL and DPCC: a decades-old relationship
CWL and DPCC have worked together for more than five decades to support women and communities around the world.
Our relationship with the CWL began in 1969. Since then, the League has encouraged its members to contribute to the 1% Program, a flagship national voluntary fund. Members contribute one per cent of the cost of personal items they purchase and of the funds that CWL parish councils raise to support DPCC and its partners. Over the years, the program has raised millions for dozens of projects around the world.
CWL: a sorority that transcends borders
The contributions of Canadian Catholic women through the 1% Program have a concrete positive impact on the lives of their sisters in all corners of the world. They help sustain the efforts of DPCC’s partners to improve the status of women in the Global South, giving women the opportunity to seek a better future. Between 2024 and 2026, the CWL supported programs that respond to the needs of women in the Sahel region and in Somalia.
In Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, in the Sahel region, conflict, climate change, environmental degradation, inflation and political and economic instability have left millions of people facing food insecurity. Through a five-year project with four local partners, DPCC is supporting 147,000 people, 81 per cent of whom are women. The project provides training in sustainable agriculture, forestry, pastoral and fisheries techniques; strengthens the community management of natural resources; and supports climate change adaptation and access to markets. It has already restored over 200 hectares of degraded land and improved food security, economic opportunities and climate resilience for women and their families.
In Somalia, conflict, drought and displacement have placed over 1.8 million children under five at risk of severe malnutrition. A three-year project in partnership with Trócaire and co-funded with Canadian Foodgrains Bank, is providing lifesaving nutritional services to children and pregnant and lactating women. In 2023-2024 alone, 22,562 people, 63 per cent of whom are women and girls, benefitted from services provided through fixed, mobile and outreach clinics, including childcare and nutrition training for parents.
CWL: the women behind the commitment
During the convention, we were welcomed at our display table by CWL members from across the country, whether it was the Manitoba councils inviting us into their conversations or the military council inviting us to their tables.
We joined the women in daily prayer and conversations on topics including the importance of remaining present to dignity and vulnerability in a broken world, as well as the role of women of faith in navigating and leading in the age of artificial intelligence.
The convention was also an opportunity to celebrate the CWL’s continued support of DPCC. We received a generous donation of $30,896, the 1% Program contribution for the year. For the next two-year period, the CWL has chosen to support two women-focussed DPCC projects in Ethiopia and Palestine.
We were grateful to hear from Claire Heron, who was the CWL’s president from 1994 to 1996. Having once visited DPCC-supported projects in Senegal, she spoke about the importance of the work that our partners do in their local communities.
As a monthly donor, Heron provides sustained, predictable funding for our work. She also appreciates being able to pitch in during emergencies like the recent earthquakes in Venezuela and Colombia. “Whenever there is a disaster in our world, I look to DPCC for guidance, knowing my contribution will be properly used to target the urgent need,” she explained.
We are grateful to have been part of the convention and to have spent these days with women who are leaders in their churches and communities. Their commitment to their faith, their communities and to supporting other women around the world is an important part of the continued relationship between the CWL, DPCC and our partners.