Collaborators of Love
In December 2011, SAFP contributor, Michael Botermans, and six youth from the Northwest territories travelled to Kerala and Tamil Nadu with SAFP. The following is a reflection on their experience, as written by Michael. India is as diverse, dynamic and different from the Canadian Arctic as summer is to winter, and vice versa. It was in December 2011, that […]
Increasing Food Security in Illikkananam village
Illikkananam is a small, remote village located high in the hills of Kerala’s western ghats. Agriculture is the main occupation in this fertile area. Since some families have only a very small piece of land of their own, many people depend on daily wage labour in local cardamom plantations to support their families. Heavy use […]
Sustainable Change through the Family Development Program
SAFP began with the inspiration of Pope Paul VI at the International Eucharistic Congress in Bombay (now Mumbai), India in December 1964. Monsignor Augustine John Kandathil (Father Gus), a priest from the Archdiocese of Ernakulam, South India, heard the appeal by Pope Paul VI to the world to join him in a non-violent battle against […]
Protecting the Forest in Raipur, Chhattisgarh
The SPED III Program acts as a plaform for communities to organize themselves, make connections with local leaders and institutions, and address a variety of poverty-related issues. Here is a wonderful story of a community defending the environment from one of our NGO partners, Raipur Diocesan Social Welfare Society, in Chhattisgarh, India. In the village of […]
Gambling with the Monsoon
India is an agrarian country with 52% of its people employed in the agricultural industry. As I rode the train between some of India’s southern states during my last trip there, there was no shortage of evidence of this. Outside of the major cities in rural areas, you are surrounded for miles by farm crops […]
Understanding Caste in Development
SAFP Canada Staff Cassandra Griffin writes from the field in India. For a foreigner who is an outsider to Indian culture, the concept of caste can be extremely difficult to comprehend. While the effects of this cultural practice may not always be easily apparent, it can be very difficult to reconcile with our own values […]
Grassroots Action leads to Change in SPED III
SAFP Canada Staff Cassandra Griffin writes from the field in India. The road that led to the village had never been paved. It was narrow and rocky, and as our driver navigated it with both skill and courage, we were tossed and shaken around in the jeep. We had already driven many hours like this […]
Christmas in Haryana
SAFP Canada Staff Cassandra Griffin writes from the field in India. I woke up to a white Christmas this year, but not the kind I am used to in Canada. Out my window, thick white fog hung over the paddy fields and mustard flowers that make up the landscape of Haryana in North India. It […]
Crime Against Children in India
India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) publishes detailed crime statistics in an annual report called Crime in India. Published since 1953, the guide serves as a comprehensive reference source for the country’s policy-makers, law enforcement agencies, and citizen stakeholders. Criminal activity is a negative aspect of life for citizens of any country. Unfortunately, for those […]
India Reflections
In February 2011, SAFP Canada Board member, Patrick Mahon, and his son Thomas (who was 18 at the time) travelled with SAFP throughout Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This reflection was written by Thomas Mahon in October, 2011. I remember first arriving in India. It was around 3 in the morning and even at that time […]