Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada

The passing of Stephen Lewis is a profound loss, not only for Canada, but for the global community he served with unwavering conviction.

For those of us working in international development and global cooperation, his legacy is deeply personal. He did not simply advocate for change, he demanded it, challenged complacency, and reminded us that dignity, equity, and justice are not abstract ideals, but urgent responsibilities. His work with the Stephen Lewis Foundation in global health and in confronting inequality set a standard for what values-driven leadership and international programming can and should look like.

Stephen Lewis believed in the power of people coming together, of communities, of women, and of local leadership to drive meaningful, sustainable, lasting change. That belief continues to shape how many of us approach our work today, CDF included.

📣 May his memory be more than a reflection, may it be a call to action. A call to speak up for the importance of equity, and to get involved in whatever ways we can to make an impact. 📣

(Photo courtesy of the Stephen Lewis Foundation)

🌱 🐟 🌾 Across Malawi, new Integrated Aquaculture–Agriculture (IAAS) demonstration plots are taking shape as part of our IAAM project, and they represent something much bigger than individual fish ponds.

These sites are designed as hands-on learning hubs where farmers, co-operatives, and extension workers can see what integrated, climate-resilient systems look like in practice.

Each demo plot brings together multiple elements (fish, crops, livestock, and agroforestry), creating a system where everything works together to improve productivity, strengthen resilience, and support more stable incomes for small-scale producers, especially women.

From integrated fish farming and crop production to the use of organic inputs and diversified food systems, these plots demonstrate what’s possible and create models that can be replicated across communities.

These sites will serve as spaces for learning, exchange, and innovation, helping to build stronger and more sustainable local food systems.

New demo ponds, such as the ones in the photo, have recently been established in the Rumphi District in Northern Malawi.

🌍 🤝 Across Kenya, the Samli Beaders Co-operative brings together Maasai women artisans who are transforming traditional beadwork into sustainable livelihoods. 👩🏾‍🤝‍👩🏿 📿 📈

Through their co-operative, members are strengthening their skills, expanding into new markets, and building more stable sources of income to support their families. By working collectively, they are also creating opportunities to share knowledge, support one another, and ensure that all members can participate in and benefit from the co-operative’s growth. With support from CDF Canada’s VOICE Project for Women and Girls, women like Jacinta are also developing leadership, financial literacy, and marketing skills that are helping grow both their individual businesses and their collective enterprise.

What began as traditional craftsmanship is evolving into a more resilient, market-connected co-operative model grounded in shared growth and opportunity.

To learn more about Jacinta's journey, the impact of the Samli Beaders Co-op and to see a video of how these women creating their stunning beadedwork, visit our post about it here: https://lnkd.in/eWkkBnwR

Question of the Day:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆?

International development work, like the many projects CDF Canada is involved in, shows that lasting change doesn’t come from funding or good intentions alone, it comes from local ownership, strong relationships, and systems built with longevity in mind.

Across the communities we work with, meaningful impact happens when local leaders define priorities and drive solutions. Our role is to support that leadership, not direct it. Sustainability means strengthening institutions, governance, and financial systems so progress can continue long after a project ends.

What we’ve learned through this work is that sustainability is not about short-term results, it’s about building capacity that remains. It’s about ensuring knowledge is shared, leadership is strengthened, and institutions are equipped to adapt and grow over time.

These lessons directly shape how CDF Canada approaches its work, including volunteer engagement through the VOICE program. Our model is built on long-term partnerships, locally identified needs, and peer-to-peer exchange. Volunteers contribute expertise in ways that strengthen locally. For more information about how you can leverage your expertise internationally with our VOICE program, visit our recruitment page here: https://lnkd.in/ghsrak78

Le développement international du Canada - Affaires mondiales Canada Ontario Council for International Cooperation CDF Canada - Voice For Women and Girls Project CDF Canada - IAAM Project

As part of International Development Week and in collaboration with CDF Board of Directors Chair Ian McArthur, B.Comm. C.Dir., we’re exploring the question:

𝗜𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗮 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆? 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴?

At CDF Canada, international engagement is not about ignoring the real challenges facing communities here at home, it’s about investing in the strength and leadership of Canada’s own co-operative and credit union sector, while creating meaningful impact alongside our partners in the Global South.
Our work is rooted in peer exchange and sector collaboration. Whether through knowledge sharing, governance support, mentorship, technical expertise, or collaborative learning initiatives, Canadian credit union and co-operative professionals both contribute to and learn from real-world, community-driven solutions in different contexts. These experiences deepen leadership skills, expand perspective, and strengthen the ability to think creatively about complex challenges.

The sharper governance insight, stronger cross-cultural competence, and renewed understanding of the co-operative model in action that come from being involved in CDF programs directly benefit participants’ institutions, members, and communities here in Canada - helping them better respond to the real issues we are facing at home.

Le développement international du Canada - Affaires mondiales Canada Ontario Council for International Cooperation

CDF Canada is joining Global Affairs Canada and international development organizations across the country in marking 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 (February 2–6). Le développement international du Canada - Affaires mondiales Canada
Ontario Council for International Cooperation

This year’s theme, Prosperity Through Partnership, resonates deeply with the co-operative model at the heart of our work. Throughout the week, we’ll be sharing daily reflections on why this work matters, why it matters now more than ever, and how CDF Canada is answering that call alongside our partners. We hope you’ll follow along.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿?

At CDF Canada, cooperation and solidarity are more than ideas — they are how we approach our work.

We see every day that communities are stronger when they work together, share knowledge, and support one another across borders. International cooperation allows co-operatives, credit unions, and local leaders to learn from one another, strengthen their institutions, and build solutions that reflect their own realities. Solidarity means recognizing that while our contexts may differ, our challenges, and our hopes for more resilient, inclusive communities, are deeply connected.

CDF Canada - Voice For Women and Girls Project CDF Canada - IAAM Project

CDF Canada is excited to share that we are partnering with Time to Act / L'heure d'agir , a new national Canadian initiative celebrating and promoting volunteering, community involvement, and the many ways we can all contribute to positive change.

Time to Act brings together organizations funded through Global Affairs Canada | Affaires Le développement international du Canada - Affaires mondiales Canada's Canada’s Volunteer Cooperation Program (VCP) to highlight volunteer actions that strengthen communities in Canada and around the world. By building bridges between volunteers, organizations, and communities, the initiative creates space to share stories, learn from one another, and recognize collective effort, shining a light on the essential role volunteers play in building inclusive, sustainable change.

CDF Canada’s volunteers and volunteer mandates are at the heart of our work. Through the CDF Canada - Voice For Women and Girls Project, skilled Canadian professionals contribute their expertise alongside local partners to strengthen co-operatives, advance gender equality, build climate resilience, and support locally led, sustainable development. We look forward to sharing volunteer mandates and success stories through Time to Act / L’heure d’agir, and to contributing to a broader national movement that recognizes volunteering as a powerful force for positive, lasting change.

Women-led co-operatives in Malawi are producing reusable sanitary pads, improving menstrual health and strengthening women’s economic resilience. Supported through CDF Canada - Voice For Women and Girls Project, this cooperative approach addresses a key barrier to women’s and girls’ participation in daily life. Access to affordable menstrual products enables girls to stay in school and women to participate more fully in work and community life, while also creating sustainable employment and strengthening the long-term resilience of women-led co-operatives.

Learn more about how these locally led initiatives create lasting, community-owned solutions—and meaningful learning experiences for CDF volunteers engaged in international cooperation here: https://lnkd.in/epkv_bFb

As a new year begins, we at CDF Canada would like to wish you a happy new year and invite you to consider how you can create meaningful change and impact throughout 2026.

Through CDF Canada’s VOICE for Women & Girls program, Canadian credit union professionals have the opportunity to volunteer alongside co-operatives and community partners around the world to share expertise, strengthen local capacity, and support community-led, sustainable solutions. Grounded in partnership and collaboration rather than short-term fixes, VOICE creates impact that continues beyond each placement.

If you’re looking to make a difference in the year ahead by putting the co-operative principle of co-ops helping co-ops into practice, we encourage you to learn more about our volunteer opportunities and how your skills can support co-operatives building resilient futures in 2026.

https://cdfcanada-coop.hiringplatform.ca/list/Volunteers

This year, your support helped strengthen food security and livelihoods through agricultural and producer co-operatives responding to climate shocks and economic instability in Malawi. Working alongside financial co-operatives, your support helped expand access to inclusive financial services that strengthen small entrepreneurs and community resilience from Ghana to Ethiopia and Ukraine. Canadian credit union professionals stepped forward as mentors, volunteers, partners, and donors, sharing expertise and resources that build local capacity and lasting impact across all of our projects.

Together, you helped CDF Canada advance locally led, co-operative solutions rooted in ownership, accountability, and sustainability rather than short-term fixes.

Join us in making sure 2026 can be even more impactful. Donate today and make a difference that lasts https://cdfcanada.coop/donate/

CDF Canada - Voice For Women and Girls Project CDF Canada - IAAM Project CDF Canada Ukraine office, SEW UA project

🎉 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗔𝗔𝗠 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁! 🌱🐟

We are thrilled to mark the official launch of the Integrating Aquaculture & Agriculture in Malawi Project (CDF Canada - IAAM Project), an exciting milestone one year in the making and a major step toward transforming food systems in Malawi. https://lnkd.in/epEWsTUu

Over the past year, CDF Canada and its partners in Malawi have worked closely to build this innovative initiative from the ground up. IAAM introduces a sustainable, climate-resilient approach to addressing food insecurity by equipping small-scale producers with integrated aquaculture–agriculture systems that strengthen productivity, resilience, and long-term livelihoods. At its core, IAAM puts solutions in the hands of the communities, farmers, and individuals who stand to benefit most, reflecting CDF’s commitment to community-led and community-owned sustainable impact.

From training hubs and hands-on demonstration sites to enhanced agricultural support, IAAM is now fully in motion. The project is already helping communities lay the foundation for climate-smart farming, stronger local economies, and expanded opportunities for women and their families. Its impact is extending even further, with agricultural practices being adopted at a national policy level — well beyond CDF’s immediate beneficiaries — all rooted in the power and potential of the co-operative model.

This is just the beginning. ✨
Stay tuned — big impact is ahead.