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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

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Water & Sanitation

Providing rural poor with access to regular and safe water, and family toilets

Women and Widows

Women & Widows

Empowering women socially, economically, intellectually and politically; advocating for widow's rights

Children & Youth

Children & Youth

Improving educational facilities, providing orphan sponsorship and capacity building of youth groups

Food Security

Food Security

Support for organic farming methods; increased self-reliance for farmers; and better water management systems

CAPACITY BUILDING

Local Training

Local Training

Short, relevant courses for Indian NGOs in sustainable development, non-profit management

International Training

International Training

In-depth residential programs in community driven development models based on our field experience

ENTREPRENEURSHIP & CSR

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

Fostering social innovation and social enterprises; facilitating microenterprises through capability building and institutional linkages

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility

Promoting and building partnerships between socially responsible business and communities for larger social impact

DEVELOPMENT STARTS WITH THE PEOPLE

Our 360-degree approach encourages villagers to engage in their own development process and effect change on multiple levels: social, financial, environmental, physical and psychological. We emphasize the importance of a sense of unity, responsibility and leadership, and equal representation of women and men.

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OUR STORIES

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    Oh, What A Night!

    News

    SOPAR turned 40 and to mark the event, parents, friends and loyal allies gathered in Ottawa on June 8th. It was a night as colourful as India with a typical Canadian touch that will be remembered. Here are some of the night’s highlights

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    Widows Empowerment

    News

    Join the mega revolutionary event on June 23, 2017, International Widows Day at Lal Bahadur Stadium, Hyderabad, Telangana. The largest gathering of 10,000 widows will be the voice of the most abused and discriminated section of the society.   The condition of widows in India is pathetic due to the age-old customs and superstitions among […]

    Read More
  • 3-Orphans Birthday

    SOPAR Marks 40 Years of Sustainable Development in India

    News

    In the developped world, 40 years is considered half of a lifetime. In terms of development it’s what we call a good start. Indeed, sustainable development takes time. Angèle and André Gingras, founders of SOPAR, understood early on that time would be their best ally. To make a long story short : here are some […]

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  • IMG_0883_final_EN_5

    International Women’s Day : Deconstructing a rather harmless picture

    News

    In India, widows are not invited to celebrations. Many years have passed since the Sati Sahagamanam has been banned, a ritual where widows were burnt alive with their husbands. Nevertheless, they are still viewed today as being such bad luck that most avoid interacting or associating with them. So when a widow gets on a […]

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  • angele_andre_gingras_web

    Another award for two beautiful minds

    News

    What a way to celebrate 40 years of relentless work to empower the poorest of the poor in India. Our founders are once again in the spotlight and we are very proud of them!

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STATISTICS

6000 villages

reached in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states of India

4 million people

impacted through our various programs

10,000 community leaders

trained to drive village development projects

350 women leaders

regularly trained to run Self-Help Groups across 1500 villages

IN THE NEWS

  • Congratulations to our Founders!
  • Annual General Meeting
  • Construction of Family Toilets
  • The Importance of Education for Orphans

RESSOURCES

  • Bala Vikasa Annual Report 2016-17
  • English Tharangini February 2018
  • English Tharangini October 2017
  • Consultation Document, Canadian Government International Assistance Review
CWY is an educational program that allows Canadian students to experience international cooperation. Students engage in projects that have direct positive impacts on the poor in India while developing Canadian youth leadership.
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