About our Name Change

Founded in 1982, Impact First has worked in remote and marginalized communities in 15 different countries. So why the name change from GEMS of Hope to Impact First International? In spite of the strong support we received over the years as “GEMS”, we decided to make the change to a name that speaks more precisely about us. For us, an impact is a sustained improvement that happens as a direct result of our work.

Impacts can be measured. That means that impacts can be proven, showing that we've met out goals of improving the wellbeing of women and thier communities. In contrast hope, while critical in all of our lives, is not so specific and is not the end goal of our work. We help people, particularly women, to empower themselves and break out of poverty. Thus our new name highlights our role as the Canadian pioneer at combining microfinance and health to create a lasting positive impact on the wellbeing of communities.

The feedback on our new name has been overwhelmingly positive. While many of our supporters had grown used to our old name and liked what it stood for, today Impact First International is recognized as a bold name for exactly who we are - a sector leader, with clear and proven strategies for tackling the devastating effects of poverty.

Read more about the recent changes at Impact First in our 2007-2010 Progress Report.