Founding member of Emmanuel International George Middleton aged 93 has passed away.

Richard McGowan Director of Emmanuel International Canada said,” George was a great friend and someone I looked up to. I am so grateful for the time I spent with him as he was such an inspiration to me. I am currently visiting Malawi in Africa, one of the many countries he impacted. He will be greatly missed.”

Emmanuel International (EI) was founded in 1975 by George Middleton and his wife Dorothea Middleton, a couple who were former missionaries to Ethiopia. During the early 1970s, Ethiopia was devastated by the Wollo Famine. While the Middletons were in the country, they became aware of the effective contribution young people together with local churches could make for eradicating the cycle of poverty, and formed EI for the purposes of putting this vision into action.

In the early days of the organization, EI was involved in sending teams of trained young people overseas to assist relief efforts in developing countries such as Ethiopia and Guatemala. The organization quickly branched out their humanitarian work to include community development and sustainability projects in countries such as Jamaica, Haiti and Dominica. Over time, EI expanded its humanitarian efforts across the globe, and currently has active projects in 7 countries worldwide, including 4 in Africa, as well as Haiti, Brazil and the Philippines. Since its inception, Emmanuel International and its national offices have built a reputable track record of bringing hope to millions of people in desperate circumstances.