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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, August 16, 2013 | 10 Oakville man comes full circle with World Vision by John Bkila Oakville Beaver Staff Through his work at World Vision Canada, Oakville's Michael Messenger says even after going to law school and working as a courtroom attorney, he knew he'd return to the non-pro t world as an advocate for children's rights around the world. Messenger began working with World Vision in 1990 and says his rst overseas trip with the organization to Mali sparked in him a passion for humanitarian work that would remain. "Sitting down and talking to a grandmother, who was looking after her young grandson -- it left a real impression with me," Messenger said. "Every day, for her, was about nding enough food for her grandson through to the next day. At that time, this was also a family who had been ostracized from a village because of their level of poverty. "I remember being struck with a deep passion that this shouldn't be. That this child should have the same opportunity that parents in Canada, parents like me, want for their own children," said the father of two teenagers. "And that passion really sparked something in me and I have continued to be connected to it ever since." After working ve years with World Vision Canada, Messenger said it was his time at the organization that inspired him to go to law school. At the time, he had been involved in public policy and advocacy work with World Vision as it was a new area the organization was exploring -- since then it has become part-and-parcel of what it does globally. "We realized we were very effective at helping meet the needs of people struggling with poverty and injustice, but we began to realize we didn't just want to treat the symptoms, we wanted to treat the causes of poverty and some of that is related to government policies, international laws, or where we spend our money," Messenger said. He left for law school at the University of Toronto in 1995 and then moved to Halifax, N.S. where, for the next nine years, he worked at a law rm, became a partner, got married and started a family. "I reached a point where I felt like I wanted to go to law school to look at public policy from the inside," he said. "All of this with the view at some point I would come back to World Vision or the nonpro t sector. It just took me a little longer than I expected to get there." Messenger would return to World Vision Canada and his hometown Oakville -- he went to kindergarten and Grade 1 at Falgarwood Public School -- in 2007 where he worked as vice-president and then eventually Chief Operation Of cer in 2010. He says he's grateful for his time as a lawyer, as it gave him useful skills that he could apply in his senior roles at World Vision. "Being a lawyer, particularly a courtroom lawyear, sometimes it's about looking at a whole va- Protect your investment. 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At the heart of the non-pro t, child-focused organization, which works on community development and humanitarian relief around the world, is the mission to seek a better life for children, especially in the developing world. World Vision recently launched a new campaign called No Child For Sale, a public awareness and advocacy campaign that asks Canadians to join with the organization in standing up against child labour. According to Messenger, 115 million children around the world are forced to work what World Vision calls 3-D jobs -- Dirty, Dangerous and Degrading. "As Canadians, it's hard to imagine our kids working in (these) conditions, but that's actually the reality for millions of children around the world," he said. "Despite the levels of awareness that we're seeing, these kinds of injustices are continuing. Children like this are living in extreme poverty and are really vulnerable. And, unfortunately, because of unethical employers, laws around child protection and labour that just don't work, and even our demand in Canada for cheap goods, this all means that millions of children work in terrible conditions, which can lead to abuse, illness and sometimes even death." Messenger says the new World Vision campaign is not only meant to raise the issue of international child labour with Canadians but also invite them to action, by learning more about the issue at www.nochildforsale. ca, sharing the information so others can become aware, connecting with elected of cials through petitions and letters that raise the issue with them, raising funds for World Vision Canada, or by child sponsorships, which can not only help an individual but the community they live in as well. "From my own experience, Oakville residents are already engaged with issues like this in really signi cant ways," Messenger said. He mentioned the Courage brothers whose annual Polar Bear Dip raises funds for World Vision Canada and The Meeting House church, which has been working in southern Africa to help address the HIV/AIDS crisis in partnership with the organization. "I think it appeals to us in Oakville that (we) have so much that we want to give back... That's why we (World Vision) want to continue to call on people from Oakville, Ontario and Canada to think about how is it we can provide even a little bit of the opportunities we take for granted sometimes, with others around the world," said Messenger. "I'm continually struck by the generosity and commitment that Oakville residents have. They just want to give back and as a child-centred organization and an Oakville resident, it just makes me really proud to be a part of this community." We Service All Makes of Gas Furnaces * We will pay the HST for your next home comfort system maintenance Expires 09/30/2013. 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