I launched Ve’ahavta: The Canadian Jewish Humanitarian & Relief Committee in 1996. I did not do it alone, but it was lonely regardless.

 I say this, because prior to Ve’ahavta’s establishment, and my working with it full time, I had been working at the United Jewish Appeal in Toronto. I had been promoted to Associate Campaign Director and was receiving $60,000 at that time – pretty good money.

Many people with whom I spoke thought I was nuts for leaving UJA and such a safe environment for something with no guarantees, and $0 behind me. I had been surrounded by a lot of people at UJA and at Ve’ahavta, it was just me.

But I had a dream, and it was one of my first ever. I hadn’t dreamed that  much in my younger years. This seemed  natural. I wanted to start Ve’ahavta. I wanted the Canadian Jewish community to have a humanitarian organization. It was important for our people and nation.

While lonely, I wasn’t as scarred as other people were.

In late 1997, Ve’ahavta decided together with its founding directors, that we would partner up with an existing group of doctors doing medical work in Guyana, South America. Many proposals had hit our table soon after the word got out about our existence, but ‘Guyana’ seemed right.

It did because:

a)      We had partners on the ground -The Lions Club,  so we wouldn’t be on the ground with no understanding of the locals.

b)      The people wanted us there and that is good because if you are not popular where you are going, you’ll  likely not  accomplish too much.

c)      The locals spoke English so we could ask our patients what was wrong with them, and they could answer so we understood.

d)      It was not dangerous and that is always good because losing a volunteer or staff would be devastating, God forbid.

e)      There were no negative issues vis-a-vis Israel and Guyana or the Jewish people.

We sent a handful of doctors and nurses to this, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere (after Haiti), with a pharmacist and lots and lots of pharmaceuticals. Dr. Michael Silverman, an infectious disease doctor and Dr. Roy Rowsell, formally of Lakeridge Health Centre, and a genuinely righteous man, who introduced us to ‘Guyana’, led the team.

The operation went splendidly well. We used classrooms as clinics. Bed sheets divided up the cubicles we created, and desks were often put together to create a bed to lie on. We were in the rainforest and surrounding area and made due with what we had. While the tools we had in Guyana seemed pre-modern, things worked.

Ask any NGO employee working in the field how they can accomplish anything where there is next to nothing and they will tell you, ‘you make due’. And you do. And that is the brilliance of NGO work. (More on that in other  articles).

While in Guyana for about 14 days we set up medical clinics.  Men, women and children came from far and wide to determine their health. We accomplished a lot and created strong friends while there.

I tell you this because at the very essence of launching an NGO is my believe you need to succeed immediately out of the gate. Do not create fancy, complicated programs with vast amount of risk when starting up.

Have a good solid team both on your board and in the field. Make sure that you are ready for what faces you, such as liability issues and, God forbid, injuries far away from home.  The best way of doing so is through some very solid human resources.

If you are thinking of, or are in the midst of, starting up an NGO follow these rules. Be strong and do not waiver when it comes to determining your first project and establishing the group of people who will be next to you.  This is imperative.

Look around and find people you trust. When Ve’ahavta first started the board was made up of four people I knew well and, I felt, would watch my back. You cannot create an NGO on your own, not one that will fly.

 Rule 1, 2 for Creating your NGO:   

Make your first project or program a success. One way of doing that is by pickybacking with another organization or entity as we did with ”Guyana’.

Have a solid team of men and woman around you who bring different strengths to the table. Speak with them regularly and ensure that their strength is different than yours. Call on them when you need them and make them part of what is going on. You are likely to succeed when you follow this rule.

Smile, Breathe, Go Slowly…
Thic Nhat Hanh