Volunteer Cooperation Program
Amplifying the potential of women at the heart of change
Women are actors of change in their communities
Women and young women are at the heart of CECI’s Volunteer Cooperation Program (VCP). We believe that fully supporting their potential and strengthening their leadership contribute to building strong communities, thus fostering sustainable and inclusive development.
The program showcases challenges faced by international partner organizations to encourage Canadians to support and participate in international solidarity.
2020 to 2028
7 countries
Benin, Bolivia, Guatemala, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Philippines and Rwanda
2 000 000
people will see their living conditions improve with the support of the VCP
75%
of the reached people will be women
150
local partner organizations
15,000
Canadians will be mobilized by the program
Knowledge Exchange Spaces
The program
The Program offers Canadians the opportunity to actively engage globally through international solidarity. Mobilizing individuals from diverse backgrounds and reflecting the diversity of Canadian society, CECI’s VCP creates opportunities and spaces for knowledge exchange. These spaces promote the mutual development of both individuals and partner organizations and are guided by the values of social justice, equality and inclusion.
CECI volunteers create lasting relationships with partner organizations to co-develop processes, activities and tools to contribute to their organizational development and overall impact.
Our approach
CECI volunteers, by sharing skills and expertise, collaborate closely with local partner organizations to strengthen women’s economic power and increase community resilience to climate change.
Strengthening Women’s Economic Power For Green Growth
Empowering women economically requires engaging in a political dialogue and transforming social norms for more profitable, inclusive and safe markets. This vision encourages the active participation of women in risk prevention, disaster management and climate change adaptation decisions. The approach focuses on building partners’ capacity to guarantee women’s rights, helping them create sustainable economic opportunities. This contributes to the improvement of working conditions and the realization of their socio-economic rights.
CECI defines women’s economic empowerment as “the ability of women to generate and manage sufficient resources to ensure their autonomy and development within their families and the community, as well as their power to influence decision-making in relation to economic policies in line with the vision and priorities for a just and sustainable development.”
Environmental Sustainability And Climate Change
The environmental sustainability strategy encourages organization’s awareness and environmental action to reduce the impacts of their activities. The strategy also strengthens partners’ ability to contribute to environmental protection and climate resilience in communities, particularly for women and young women. Adaptation to climate change is integrated, as many challenges relate to natural resources that are essential to the livelihoods of partner communities. Environmental sustainability is thus considered at each level of economic activity.
Women’s Rights, Diversity and Inclusion
The program aims to strengthen women's ability to know, claim and enforce all their rights, including economic and social rights. It promotes diversity and inclusion of marginalized groups through the promotion of gender equality. The approach seeks to reduce inequalities by addressing constraints limiting the participation of women, young women and people experiencing different forms of cross-discrimination.
Our aspirations
Empower women and young women by developing leadership, decision-making autonomy and challenging restrictive socio-cultural norms.
Transform discriminatory social norms, including gender-based violence, by encouraging communication with families, communities and institutions on the importance of gender equality.
Promote job creation and business development, with adapted entrepreneurial support, technical training and strategies for generational succession.
Establish an enabling environment and political dialogue by strengthening programs and institutions supporting the economic empowerment of women and young women.
Work with men by promoting positive masculinities to overcome gender inequalities and strengthen women’s economic power.
Promote access and control of resources (such as credit) and market opportunities, while identifying specific issues and opportunities for women and young women.
Financial Partner
The program is made possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.
Canadian activity partners
