About Us
The Anhart Global Network operates on a self-organizing model similar to an ant colony. Like worker ants, Anhart emphasizes decentralized communication among its members. Over time, the collective actions of individuals within the Anhart network contribute to a resilient corporate memory and the emergence of complex patterns. The network values the strength of weak ties and grows virally by exchanging simple yet effective messages between members and hubs in the network.
Since 1988, the Anhart network has experienced decentralized growth, originating from a small corner of Africa. This growth began when community-based organizations emerged from the efforts of a single rural farmer named Alfred Rodgers. With a $300 donation from a Canadian supporter, Alfred Rodgers established a village pharmacy in the rural highlands of Southern Tanzania. Canadians observed and learned as African community leaders reinvested profits from village businesses across regional and national borders. Presently, over 200 community-based organizations in seven African countries are constructing their own village schools, clinics, collective farms, and micro-businesses through the Sustainable Villages Society through support from the Anhart Foundation. The program operates with a spirit of paying it forward. To date, Anhart’s Canadian partners have disbursed over $2M to commendable community-based projects in Central and Sub-Saharan Africa, adhering to the guidelines of the Canadian Revenue Agency and regional African regulators.
In Canada, the influence of the African pay-forward mentality expanded to similar community-based initiatives in Winnipeg and Langley, BC during the 1990s. In the 2000s, these concepts further spread to British Columbia, where significant emergent growth took root in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. Hart and Anita Molthagen, benevolent investors, played a key role by acquiring and renovating the Jubilee Rooms on Main. The efforts of this self-organizing rooming house paved the way for other charitable organizations and social enterprises in Vancouver to embark on new beginnings. Some of them have grown into large supportive housing and social enterprise collectives, while others have remained small yet effective. Presently, there are 26 decentralized Canadian Anhart non-profit organizations operating in every province and territory across the country. Outside of British Columbia, these organizations are still in their early stages and poised for emergent growth, drawing from the same bottomless resources of self-organization that inspired the earliest African models of privately supported community-based organizations.
Future Anhart growth in Canada will mirror the same pattern observed in African villages back in 1988. Fractal geometry demonstrates that growth can be scale-free and self-similar at every level. This means that the bottom-up growth currently experienced by Anhart can be replicated in our nationwide efforts, encompassing each province and territory, municipality, indigenous governance area, and affordable housing center. Anhart will actively encourage community leaders in all 10 Canadian provinces and 3 territories to form their own leadership teams and take ownership of their affordable housing projects. Operating from a bottom-up approach, Anhart will establish the necessary structures to initiate these projects, providing lessons learned, inspiration, dedicated staff, and privately focused development frameworks required in Canada to create multi-million-dollar affordable housing initiatives.
OUR TEAM
The Anhart Canadian outreach team is an integral part of a global small-world network. This network comprises over 30 Canadian non-profit organizations and more than 200 autonomous or semi-autonomous community-based organizations in Africa, each operating under their own name. The eight members of Anhart Team Canada shown below are part of a larger Anhart group listed on the website of Anhart Community Housing Society. If you wish to connect with any of the team members featured here, please visit our Contact page, and we will provide you with personal and prompt assistance. Just like you, we also have 168 hours each week, and we strive to maintain a holistic balance in our lives. Nevertheless, we are motivated to support you and your community. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to engage in conversations, visit your area, and learn more about the affordable housing needs specific to your locality. Our purpose is to serve you.
Keith Gordon
Co-founder & Investments
Crystal Wiebe
Finances & Project Management
Vy Nguyen
Executive Services
Christine Wang
Research and Development
Marcie Good
Writer in Residence
Sheri King
Business Administrator
Heather Marshall
Indigenous Outreach
Reyah Sobretodo
Customer Relations