Engagement as a strategic tool.

A volunteer based organization fostering human engagement between the east and the west, attempting to counter the polarizing outcomes of September 11th. Volunteer professionals from the west - doctors, nurses and midwives, lawyers and judges, journalists, teachers and politicians – exchange knowledge and wisdom with local counterparts. Multi-disciplinary programs and training clearly incorporate clinical/technical best practices, Bridges’ uniqueness is our combination of management training and operational best practices to demonstrate the “how” and not just the “what” in building capacity. Teamwork training and “inspiring women” programs have been particularly well received by host communities.

What is capacity building?

Capacity building is giving someone a fishing pole and teaching him or her to fish, rather than endlessly supplying that person with handouts of food. It provides the means for sustainable growth and development by providing leadership, mentoring and professional training to better equip them to do the job they were trained to do, as an individual and within the organization and institution where they work…creating a sense of empowerment.


Training and mentoring Yemeni doctors, nurses and midwives to be better able to assess and manage risks associated with infant and maternal mortality…building Yemen’s human capacity to do this work directly. The UN defines capacity as the “ability of individuals, institutions and societies to perform functions, solve problems, and set and achieve objectives in a sustainable manner.”

Training Programs

Volunteers provide human to human training programs for their counterparts in other countries. Nurses train nurses; lawyers train lawyers; journalists train journalists. They operate with no ideological, faith bias or political advocacy. These training programs focus on two aspects, combining the “what” and the “how” through:


- Professional or technical training and education

- Leadership training

- Training includes males and females.

- Training is often multi-disciplinary.

- Training focuses on adult education methodologies.


This training and mentoring model results in sustained impacts, and is mutually respectful of local and Canadian expertise.

About the organization

Canada Bridges was founded in 2005 by Donna Kennedy-Glans. Donna is a lawyer and businesswoman guiding organizations in their management of integrity dilemmas, at head office and on the ground in over 30 jurisdictions. Through direct experience in corporate executive positions, Donna has pioneered management thinking about business integrity and has championed implementation of best practices. She has spent her career linking head-office management strategy to on-the-ground operations and communities.


Canada Bridges website is a resource center for both Yemeni and Canadian citizens. Bridges Social Development is a not for profit organization focused on providing training and mentoring to women in the Middle East and Africa.