Timeline
Starting in July of 2002, Western Heads East has grown to touch the lives of hundreds of thousands of people both in Canada and abroad. From a grassroots program to contributing to all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, explore how Western Heads East is celebrating 20 years of changemakes.
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2002
Inspired by a speech from Stephen Lewis (former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa) to the Western Housing Department, a group of Western Housing Staff form Western Heads East.
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2003
Researchers, Dr. Gregor Reid (Lawson scientist, founder of the Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics) and Dr. Sharareh Hekmat (Brescia University College) collaborate with Western Heads East to bring a probiotic yogurt program to East Africa.
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2004
Tukwamuane kitchen was established in Mwanza, Tanzania, through the collaboration of Western Heads East, Kivulini Women’s Rights Organization, and the National Institute for Medical Research. To run the probiotic kitchen, 12 women from the Mwanza community create the Tukwamuane Women's Group.
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2005
The first Western Heads East interns travel to Mwanza, Tanzania and the program receives awards to support future intern engagement.
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2005
Tecumseh Public School in London establishes a twinning program with Buswelu Public School in Mwanza, Tanzania.
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2006
Western Heads East program receives the Western Award of Excellence and Scotiabank-Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada Award of Excellence in Internationalization.
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2007
The Elie Metchnikoff Prize for Nutrition and Health is awarded to Dr. Gregor Reid and Dr. Andrew Bruce for breakthrough research in probiotic research.
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2008
World Bank awards a $200,000 Development Marketplace grant to Dr. Isaac Luginaah for a research project establishing Fiti yogurt women’s groups in Oyugis and Kadongo, Kenya. The first group of interns arrive in Oyugus to work with the program.
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2009
Danone (international yogurt) donates money to the Human Microbiology and Probiotics at Lawson Health Research Institute and Western Heads East purchases land outside of Mwanza allowing for a scaling up of the project.
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2009
First interns go to Rwanda to work with Kigali Health Institute and Kigali Institute of Science and Technology to conduct feasibility study to establish the Fiti yogurt program.
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2010
More interns travel to Mwanza and Kenya and the Sayuni, Buswelu, Vijana Simama Imara Kitchens are established.
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2010
World University Services of Canada (WUSC) Lewis Perinbam Humanitarian Award for Innovation and Impact is awarded to Western Heads East.
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2011
The Tukwamuane Women’s Group becomes a licensed non-governmental organization and supporting yogurt training in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. Additionally, the Kivulini Women’s Rights Organization helps form the African Probiotic Yogurt Network (APYN) through which probiotic kitchens are created, supported, and maintain quality control.
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2012
First interns travel to Marigoli, Kenya to establish a Fiti yogurt community production unit at Muungano Foundation with assistance of Kenya Medical Research Institute.
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2012
Throughout the year multiple yogurt kitchens are established: Ebeneza, Nuru, Upendo, Tumaini and Mashujaa.
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2012
Partnership established with Aga Khan University in Kenya.
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2013
Western Heads East moves its administrative home to Western International.
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2013
Probiotic powder under development to help create more efficient and wider distribution of probiotic bacteria.
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2013
Mtoni High School in Mwanza, Tanzania establishes twinning program with Clarke Road Secondary School in London, Ontario.
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2014
Further expansion of internships and development of a yogurt partnership with Yoba4Life.
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2014
Partnership established with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya and first interns establish a campus kitchen.
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2015
Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (now Global Affairs Canada) awards Dr. Gregor Reid and partners $1.5M for Fermented Foods For Life project to scale the program in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Technological breakthrough with freeze dried sachets ending dependence on labs and allow expansion to rural communities.
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2015
Western Heads East mobilizes a focus on the health benefits of yogurt for those living with HIV/AIDS and more research continues into Fiti yogurt’s toxin removing potential.
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2016
Western Heads East and Youth Opportunities Unlimited form collaboration to bring Fiti yogurt to vulnerable populations in London (youth shelter, youth centres, meals on wheels, housing organizations).
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2016
Western Heads East contributes funds to build campus kitchen at Saint Augustine University of Tanzania.
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2017
Business plan developed for Fiti Training and Production Centre in Tanzania to establish sustainable foundation for the program.
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2018
Western Heads East starts a new partnership with MOI to establish a sustainable probiotic yogurt project aimed at improving health and nutrition to MOI and the surrounding community.
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2019
A group of undergraduate students complete and publish multinational sensory research study in Tanzania and Kenya.
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2019
Development of a Tanzania Food Guide with Bugando Medical School students.
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2020
Remote internship program continues despite COVID-19 travel restrictions.
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2020
Publication: What Do We Mean by Critical and Ethical Global Engagement? Questions from a Research Partnership in Canada and Rwanda.
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2020
Critical and Ethical Global Engagement case study developed with School for Advanced Studies in Arts & Humanities (SASAH) program and workshop with Aga Khan University.
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2021
Western Heads East expands connections into the local London community through partnerships with Mistyglen Creamery, Fanshawe College and YOU aimed at producing the Fiti sachets in London and creating local probiotic yogurt for distribution.
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2022
Western Mitacs student conducts research in Fanshawe lab to develop Standard Operating Procedures for growing and freeze-drying Fiti probiotic bacteria.
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2022
Critical and Ethical Global Engagement source book published to Global Health Equity Hub at Western.
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2022
Western Heads East celebrates 20 years of changemakers!
