Western Heads East 20th Anniversary
Join us to celebrate 20 years of changemakers! Hear from past participants, flip through our photo gallery and share your memories of Western Heads East on our memory board.
With the inception of Western Heads East in July 2002, we introduced Africa's first probiotic yogurt. Since then, this grassroots program which combines global partnerships with local leadership, experiential learning, research, teaching and service, has made an incredible impact on lives in Africa and Canada.
From Grassroots to Global Impact
Twenty years ago, a powerful speech inspired a small group to find a way to help communities on the other side of the globe. Read more about the evolution of the program and its remarkable impact.
Western Heads East Milestones
Take a look back at some key milestones and moments in our 20 year history!
Hear from some of our past interns!
Ellena Andoniou
Tanzania, 2006
"The beauty of working so collaboratively is that you’re there to really support the Yogurt Mamas, which could be a huge spectrum in terms of what that could mean. So, we’d be helping with packaging, or figuring out logistics because there’s no electricity to cool the product or distributing the yogurt."
Kathryn Morgan
Tanzania, 2010
"What always stood out to me is the grassroots nature of it. You're going over and supporting these businesses, but the idea is to have the people empowered there."
Blake Barkley
Kenya, 2012
"The experience really drove what I continued to do in terms of my academic career. It was a really pivotal moment for me, in terms of diversifying the experiences that I had, but also getting really hands-on project management experience in international development. It broadened my horizon, both personally and professionally."
Anisah Hooda
Tanzania, 2018
"I was always interested in global health and public health, and what better way to see what's out there than to go somewhere yourself instead of reading about it or watching documentaries."
