Established in 1961, the same year as the US Peace Corps, Canadian University Service Overseas (CUSO) became the first Canadian NGO to undertake development work from a secular stance and in a context of rapid decolonization. Drawing on extensive research and interviews, Ruth Compton Brouwer tells the story of a group of young women and men who confronted the complexities of "underdevelopment" in countries such as India and Nigeria and who overcame their initial naivete as they sought to fit into their host communities. Later, as returned volunteers, they brought unique skills to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and other development organizations and a new level of global consciousness and cultural diversity to Canadian society.