Save A Family Plan

Description

Save a Family Plan (SAFP) is a Canadian international development organization and a registered charity in Canada and the United States. SAFP encourages those from developed countries to work for justice and social change by assisting poor families and communities in India through a myriad of developmental activities under two main programs:(1) Family-to-Family Development and Family and (2)Community Development. SAFP also works in partnership with various government agencies and local institutions in Canada and India. SAFP began with inspiration received from 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 poverty and hunger in countries like India. SAFP was born in 1965, assisting five poor families in the southwestern state of Kerala, India. 100% of all donations received by SAFP reaches the poor. This consistently has been accomplished since 1965. It is achieved by keeping administrative costs to a minimum. The operational costs are met by interest earned on short and long-term investments. SAFP’s volunteer base is one of its greatest strengths. It allows costs to remain low on both sides of the globe. SAFP is headquarters is at St. Peter’s Seminary in London, ON, Canada, which provides office space for a nominal fee. Volunteer work by students of the seminary, along with community members, enables every cent donated to be sent overseas, directly reaching the poor. In India alone, more than 10,000 volunteers, working in 68 units in nine states, provide a committed network to ensure that aid reaches those who most need it at the grassroots level. Monsignor Augustine John Kandathil (Father Gus as he liked to be called), founder of SAFP, was born in Vaikom, Kerala, South India on May 5, 1920. He studied locally and was exceptionally bright in his studies. He received his Bachelor of Physics and Bachelor of Theology degrees, and then taught school for a time. He soon felt the call to a vocation in the Church and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1947. He served in a small parish in Angamaly, Kerala, India. Later he received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees at the University of Madras, Tamil Nadu, India. He qualified for a Fulbright Scholarship which allowed him to attend the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, where he obtained a Doctorate in Chemistry. He began teaching chemistry at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1962. In December 1964, at the International Eucharistic Congress in Bombay (now Mumbai) Pope Paul VI made an impassioned appeal for the world to join him in a non-violent battle against hunger and poverty. Father Gus heard this appeal. In 1965, SAFP was born with assistance going to five families in the southern part of India. The aim of SAFP was to meet basic needs of poor families and to encourage them to move toward self-reliance in order to become full, contributing members of their local community.

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