International Service Fellowship

In 1821, Mary Ann Cooke (soon to be Wilson) landed in Calcutta with the intention of setting up a school to educate young Hindu women.

Although she experienced significant opposition from people unwilling to countenance the thought of women receiving an education, she worked closely with the Church Mission Society[2][citation needed] to set up a school to teach girls.

In 1852 Mrs Mackenzie, a colleague of Miss Cooke’s, wrote to the social activist Mary Jane Kinnaird (who later founded the YWCA) to ask for her assistance in expanding the organisation’s work.

At this time the organisation began to expand its sending bases as well, and workers were sent from Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and the USA as well as from Britain.

Interserve sends out over 800 workers from countries including Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, the Netherlands, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and India.