Why Partnership Matters
Save A Family Plan’s work in India is guided by the vision of “partnering with the poor for a just world”. This is really more than just a mission statement; it says a lot about the relationships that Save A Family Plan (SAFP) has with the recipients of its programs. Partnership implies that all the […]
Remembering Our Founder
Save A Family Plan was born out of the inspiration of a man with incredible love for the poor, a man named Monsignor Augustine Kandathil, but better known as Father Gus. Father Gus was born in Kerala, South India and ordained a priest in 1947. He was an incredibly intelligent man and eventually earned his […]
Corruption – An Obstacle to India’s Development
Recent protests in India have brought attention to a serious issue that threatens the country’s potential for development – the problem of corruption. Corruption is a deeply rooted issue that penetrates all levels of government and directly affects a great number of people in India. On a large scale, there are reports of individuals and […]
Helping the Poorest
Micro-credit is hailed by many as a “magic bullet” with the potential to eradicate poverty and empower women, and providing the poor with access to affordable credit has become a central plank in development strategies. Important research is emerging, however, which suggests that the “poorest of the poor” are under-represented in micro-credit programs. For example, […]
A Volunteer Celebration – Thanks for all you do!
Save A Family Plan’s work would not be possible without the commitment of a large network of volunteers in both Canada and India. The support that they provide to our organization helps us to ensure that 100% of all donations can be used to help those in need in India. More importantly, they make up […]
Stories from the Field – A Visit to Kerala
Cavorting emus. Have you ever seen emus cavort? If you visit Aiswaryagram, SAFP India’s headquarters and agricultural training and research centre, and farm, you may. I did as I looked out my bedroom window one afternoon. You will see cows, pigs, horses, monkeys, chickens, ducks and nearly every farm animal you can think of, including […]
Sharing in Success – Our Tsunami Families
On December 26th, 2004, the south-east coast of India was hit by a killer tsunami. The massive waves, which were said to have been higher than the tops of the palm trees, took many people living in the costal areas completely by surprise and caused the loss of an estimated 18,000 lives in India. Of […]
Father Ryan’s Visit to India
Years ago I read that when Pope John Paul II visited India his reaction was, “So many people!” I understand exactly what he meant. The state of Kerala, for example, is the size of Nova Scotia and has a population the size of Canada. India is truly rich in the resource that counts most in any […]
India in the News – India’s Disappearing Girl Children
This year, India has undertaken the immense task of compiling the 15th National Census of the Country. As the data is assembled and analyzed, there has been much interest in what the numbers will show in terms of well-being and how much improvement has taken place since the previous census in 2001. While many areas […]