Company Profile
Since 1986, the World Job and Food Bank (WJFB) has been and is a Canadian international development organization which alleviates poverty, unemployment, street kids’ homelessness and hunger in Canada and developing countries. This is achieved through empowerment of disadvantaged people by providing them with housing, food growing and processing, education and preventative and curative health care and by facilitating their creation and successful operation of micro-enterprises.

WJFB (also known as The Global Food Bank Association prior to 1984) initially arose out of an interest in food banking in Canada and throughout the world as a method of relieving poverty, but later took an active interest in job creation and trade/business skills training as a sustainable method of breaking the cycle of poverty, and unemployment. WJFB has created hundreds of food banks in Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Senegal, Gambia, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Russia. In addition, it created several workers’ business co-operatives in Calgary through its Calgary job bank which served more than 150 disadvantaged persons since 1986, and established 52 development projects in 15 developing countries dealing with trade and business skills training, health care, education, micro business enterprises as well as food growing and processing. Most significantly, it operates a very successful recovery program in Calgary to win homeless kids away from the cycle of violence and crime on the streets by providing nutritious meals to more than 400 individuals daily in conjunction with counseling and rehabilitation work.

Currently, WJFB initiates sustainable development projects such as low cost housing, micro business enterprises, totally integrated community development, agriculture and food processing and ethno-cultural integration services and develops funds to finance them.  WJFB has recently been made a share holder of a development bank in Sri Lanka which will team with WJFB in financing sustainable development projects.

Career History
Dr. Edison was a Catholic missionary of the Oblate Order, serving the poorest of the poor, in Sri Lanka from 1964 to 1971.  Later, he served as a research fellow at the University of Adelaide, Australia, from 1976 to 1980 and a teaching and research fellow at the University of Calgary from 1981 to 1983.

As a visionary, he became a mover and a shaker by initiating the aforementioned 52 international development projects and by founding and creating one of the first Canadian food banks in Calgary with revenue exceeding $100 million in cash and food contributions since the end of 1982, saving the Alberta government several million dollars in welfare funds.

He subsequently created The Global Food Bank Association in 1984 and The World Job and Food Bank in 1985. He initiated the largest Canadian Emergency Food Program for the homeless earthquake victims in Mexico City in 1985 and 1986 and procured substantial funds from the government of Alberta to create about 150 jobs for Albertans between 1987 and 1992. He also procured agricultural seeds from farmers and seed companies in the United States and Canada with a value of $5 million for contribution to the enhancement of sustainable farming in Russia and the Ukraine.

Association and Civic Background
Dr. Edison is closely associated with the Alberta Council of Non-Governmental Organizations and is a Canadian citizen.

Educational History
Dr. Edison received a Ph.D. in philosophy of science from a joint research program conducted at the University of Poona, India, and the University of Adelaide, Australia, from 1975 to 1980.

He received an MA degree in analytical philosophy from the University of Poona in 1974, and was awarded the Gold Medal of the Year for his outstanding achievement in Humanities and Social Sciences that same year.

He earned a BA degree in philosophy, psychology and divinity from the Pontifical Seminary, Kandy, Sri Lanka, (affiliated with the Gregorian University, Rome) in 1971.

He earned a BA degree in international relations and policy at the University of Calgary in 1985 and a diploma in operations research techniques from the University of Poona in 1981.

Personal History
Joseph Edison was born in 1948 in Marawila, Western Province, Sri Lanka, and is married to Swati Edison Fernando.  They have one son, Anshul Edison Fernando.

(C) World Job and Food Bank.
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