About

Socodevi: Our Story of International Cooperation

In 1985, a group of Quebec co-operatives and mutuals joined forces to share their expertise with the world and support sustainable international development. Their goal: to improve living conditions for communities and build a better world. This is how Socodevi, a private Canadian nonprofit organization, was born.

After four decades of strengthening community resilience and prosperity, Socodevi is now one of the world’s leading co-operative development organizations.

Our Purpose

Our purpose is rooted in a strong belief: co-operative development is a driver of lasting global change.

Mission

To improve the living conditions of communities by supporting sustainable and inclusive co-operative and mutual enterprises around the world.

Vision

To catalyze the prosperity and resilience of communities through the power of co-operatives.

Values

  • Audacity, to innovate and act with determination in diverse and often complex contexts.
  • Commitment, to work alongside communities and partners with consistency and respect.
  • Impact, to strive for tangible, measurable, and lasting results that reinforce socio-economic autonomy.
Discover our network

40 Years of Building Prosperity Through Cooperation

  • + 40
    countries
  • + 500
    projects completed
  • + 14M
    people reached through our projects
  • + 1 000
    organizations supported

Since 1985, Socodevi has been building a better world through the power of co-operatives!

Why Are Co-operatives and Mutuals a Lever for Sustainable Development?

A co-operative is an autonomous association of people who voluntarily unite to meet their shared economic, social, and cultural aspirations through a collectively owned enterprise with democratic governance exercised by its members.

 

The co-operative and mutualist network in Canada includes:  

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Carbon Neutral Organisation Socodevi

In 2021, Socodevi became the first Canadian international cooperation organization to be certified carbon neutral!

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Advantages of This Model in Sustainable Development

For Socodevi, co-operatives and mutuals are powerful tools for economic and social development. They provide a structured and sustainable solution to improve living conditions, strengthen resilience, and build prosperous, proud, and autonomous communities.

The co-operative and mutualist model ensures democratic renewal of decision-makers. Non-divisible reserves reinforce long-term sustainability, meaning that after a Socodevi project ends, the organization continues its mission for the benefit of its members.

Co-operatives and mutuals generate collective and equitable benefits for their members. Surpluses are reinvested, support the community, or are redistributed based on use of services, rather than invested capital.

CO-OP 101

What you need to know about the co-operative movement and its origins:

  • The first co-operative was founded in 1844 by the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers in England.  
  • Their goal: to guarantee customers fair prices and quality products.
  • Co-operatives were born from a social movement that places people and their values above all else.

Co-operative values:

Self-help | Self-responsibility | Equality

Equity |  Democracy | Solidarity

Testimonial

“Through my consulting mandate in Bolivia, the co-operative approach enables farmers to pool their resources and capacities to develop a new production. The additional income will help raise the living standards of several communities by supporting services such as education and health that they previously could not afford. In the long term, tara producers will own a processing plant — something unimaginable without this community/co-operative model.”

  • Réjean Laflamme
    Expert Volunteer for Socodevi and Chair of the Board of Coopérative funéraire Brunet

Our Member Institutions

Our co-operative and mutualist network serves a fairer world. Thanks to its commitment, Socodevi provides its partners around the world with a pool of expertise to increase and consolidate the positive impact of projects. This includes technical and organizational support in the countries where we operate, and the sharing of development tools and strategies for the benefit of communities and their organizations.

Make a difference with Socodevi!