Founders & Staff

About Us

Real Humanitarian is a non-religious, non-political, registered Canadian Charity (#87302 9102 RR0001).

We are dedicated to assisting disadvantaged children, their families, and communities break free from the cycle of poverty. Since our first beginnings in Canada in 2003, the projects that Real Humanitarian supports have continued to grow as well as the number of children and families that are benefited. In 2008 we obtained charitable status in the U.S. (EIN 26-3115367).

In 2012, we obtained our Ethiopian charitable NGO license, and our Ghana charitable NGO license in 2025.

DONATE NOW

Board Chairman & Founder

Dr. Richard Northcott

Dr Richard Northcott is a physician from Medicine Hat Alberta, who has worked as a family physician, emergency physician, and hospitalist throughout his professional career. He currently works in Fort McMurray and Medicine Hat communities as a hospitalist and clinical physician. He is also active in medical volunteer work in Africa as part of his service to Real Humanitarian.

Dr Northcott is a co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Real Humanitarian.

Executive Director - Programs

Deborah Northcott

Co-founder Deborah has been a full-time volunteer since 2009: as child program development advisor, volunteer expedition coordinator, and fundraising event advisor.

With the help of Ethiopian program managers, she developed the Child Centered Network Program Model, which is used in many of the after school support programs of Real Humanitarian.

She travels to Africa 2- 4 times a year.

About Our Founders

Co-founders Deborah and Dr Richard Northcott have a full history of international service and experience. Through their experiences and charitable involvement, they recognized a need for Education Support for children in Africa. As adoptive parents of Ethiopian children, their connection to that country led them to start their first programs in Ethiopia, and Real Humanitarian's first Education Support Center was begun.

Dr Northcott first visited Ethiopia in 1994, and arrived home resolved to do more. That experience was the impetus for the creation of Real Humanitarian.

Deborah has education in social work and child developmental psychology. From 1995 until 2008 she was an Adoption Service Coordinator for a private international adoption agency, and International Adoption Consultant across Canada. She has travelled extensively throughout Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean as part of her duties during that time, working with federal ministries and local community initiatives to improve intervention options for children in crisis. Deborah has spent her personal and professional years nurturing and caring for children. They are her passion.

In 2009, she made the move to working with Real Humanitarian full-time.

In 2011, they were the recipients of Honorary Applied Baccalaureate Degrees by the Medicine Hat College, for their African development service.