International Development Grant

UPA Développement international - Volunteer Sending 2015-2020

Project Number: CA-3-D001070001

Status: Closed

Country/Region:

El Salvador 2.50%
Canada 2.80%
Bolivia 0.10%
Mali 0.01%
Haiti 16.60%
Senegal 39.50%
Burkina Faso 21.49%
Benin 17.00%

Maximum Contribution: $5,428,935.00

Start Date: May 12, 2015

End Date: May 31, 2020

Duration: 5.1 years

Project Description

This volunteer-sending project makes it possible to send 282 volunteer advisors abroad. The project helps to improve the economic and social well-being of poor and marginalized communities in eight developing countries by sending Canadian agricultural advisors and entrepreneurs who volunteer their expertise. Volunteer placements are in the form of training consulting support and studies conducted in cooperation with partner organizations to support some of their activities. The project is aimed at improving the productivity and profitability of family farms in these countries while strengthening the performance and governance of the organizations that support them. These organizations can then provide family farms with economically viable services and better meet their needs. To foster local empowerment UPA Développement international’s support focuses essentially on building the capacities of the members and leaders of agricultural entrepreneur organizations. The project also includes a component for outreach to Canadians and aims to equip agricultural advisors and entrepreneurs so they can conduct communications activities to raise the Canadian public’s awareness of the importance of international cooperation.

Expected Results

The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: (1) increased capacity of developing country partners to deliver sustainable development results in response to local needs by making use of the skills and expertise of qualified Canadian volunteers ; and (2) enhanced Canadians’ participation in Canada’s sustainable development efforts.

Progress & Results Achieved

Results achieved as of the end of the project (March 2020) include: (1) 211 entrepreneurs and agricultural advisors including 119 women (end of project target: 54) have completed 258 mandates (end of project target: 282). These mandates resulted in more than 1 052 training sessions presented by the volunteers; (2) the education provided by the volunteers made it possible to train and sensitize 21 103 people from the partner organizations (end of project target: 24 800) including 12 408 women representing 59% (end of project target: 6 200); (3) the volunteers created 708 highly diversified tools that benefited 27 277 people 56% of whom were women (15 368 people); (4) from 2015 to 2020 3 technical 6 organizational and 3 specialized internships were organized; (5) 93 delegates (of which 40 were women) took part in the South-North learning and experience-sharing missions; (6) 932 747 people (approximately 50% women) (end of project target: 150 000) were sensitized to Canada's development efforts; (7) 218 078 people (end of project target: 195 000) 59% of whom were women (end of project target: 51%) have benefited from the intervention of volunteers since the program began in 2015; (8) mandates were carried out in the following sectors: sustainable economic growth (25%) food security (36%) democracy (33%) and children and youth (6%); (9) 80% of the beneficiaries who are members of the community reported an increase in their social well-being as a result of the developing country partners' projects (60% of whom are women); (10) 77% of community beneficiaries reported a degree of change in their economic conditions as a result of developing country partners' projects (60% of whom are women); (11) 93% of projects and activities are considered to have had a positive impact on beneficiary communities (medium or significant increase); and (12) 1 326 296 Canadians have been sensitized to the international cooperation efforts of UPA DI of its partners and of Canada.

Key Information

Executing Agency:
UPA DI - Union des producteurs agricoles - développement international

Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada

Program:
YFMInternaAssistPartnershp&Programing Br

Last Modified:
September 19, 2025

Development Classifications

DAC Sector:

Agricultural development 41.44%
Food crop production 9.03%
Agricultural services 42.58%
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) development 4.15%
Promotion of development awareness 2.8%

Aid Type: Donor country personnel

Collaboration: Bilateral

Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation

Selection Mechanism:
Call for Proposals

Policy Markers
Level 1 Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting)
Level 2 Participatory development and good governance
Level 2 Trade development
Major Funding (>$1M)
Budget Breakdown
2017-04-01 to 2018-03-31 $5,428,935 CAD
Geographic Information
505
Reference ID: 634