The Canadian election campaign is in full swing, at the same time that the United States has created a global vacuum by abruptly deciding to stop cooperating with other countries. This combination of events has sparked a debate about whether Canadian taxpayers’ money should be invested to create wealth and reduce inequality in the poorest countries of the world.
But the numbers speak for themselves: Every dollar invested in development generates up to seven dollars of economic impacts globally!
For the past 40 years, SOCODEVI has been bringing Quebec’s cooperative expertise to the world’s stage to help develop sustainable, resilient cooperatives. We’re building a fairer, stabler and more prosperous world—a world where communities take their future into their own hands, using proven models that really work. One of these models is the cooperative. It’s an organizational form that is dear to the people of Quebec, and that really gets the goods.
Don’t turn your back on international aid: Solidarity is everybody’s business!
The climate crisis, global conflicts, food insecurity, forced migration, broken promises. This is no time to stick our heads in the sand! These issues know no borders and are disrupting our lives, directly or indirectly.
Science has shown that altruism and cooperation activate the same feel-good areas of the brain as money or chocolate—they are essential for human beings (Emory University Health Sciences Center [2002]). Effective cooperation is a strategic investment in the kind of world we want to create: a world worth living in.
Every dollar invested stabilizes vulnerable regions, opens markets, makes us safer and promotes our fundamental values.
Did you know?
Although official development assistance (ODA) is just 1.5% of Canada’s federal government’s budget, it has immeasurable impacts, both at home and abroad. Cutting ODA would run counter to everything we want to do as a country!
Cooperatives: A strong, effective, people-forward model
For 40 years, SOCODEVI has worked with partners in countries like Senegal, Bolivia, Vietnam, Guatemala and Ukraine to build strong, democratic and resilient local economies.
How? By leveraging our network of committed members and a powerful yet relatively unknown method: cooperative development.
- Cooperatives drive economic and social development. They are spaces that prioritize the well-being of their communities.
- The cooperative model of economic development fosters financial independence, local democracy, women’s leadership, inclusive entrepreneurship and meaningful solutions to the consequences of climate change.
- Our approach directly tackles poverty and inequality by giving people the chance to take ownership over their future and create their own wealth.
Real impacts, changed lives
With 40 years of cooperative economic development under our belt, SOCODEVI has set the global standard in the field. Today, we operate in nearly two dozen countries, helping to improve the lives of millions of people.
Last year’s numbers speak for themselves:
- 35% increase in farm income from households we support
- 30% increase in women’s empowerment in our projects
- 88% of cooperatives we supported had a better economic, social and environmental record
This isn’t just a list of our work, it’s a demonstration of the tangible results we’ve achieved. Results that are measured, tracked and shared with full transparency.
For SOCODEVI, investing in international aid is about using development models that work, and cooperatives are living proof!
Jean-Philippe Marcoux
CEO
SOCODEVI