UPAMA Canada

 

INTRODUCTION:

ASSOCIATION POUR LE DEVELOPPEMENT DES FEMMES UPAMA (UPAMA MOHILA UNNAYAN PROTISTHAN) is a non-profit community development organization committed to working for the development of women and children. UPAMA started its activities in Montreal in 2000. It was registered with ‘Inspecteure General des Institutions Financieres’, Quebec on 31 July 1003.

OBJECTIVE:

  1. Enhance the manual and mental freedom of women for creating self confidence,
  2. Enable the women in achieving self dependency,
  3. Mobilize the children for ensuring their participation in child development process and create a favourable environment to development to development their potentials.

ACTIVITIES:

UPAMA has been tried to fulfil its objective with active participation of its Members and Executive Committee. We tried to provide important and needed services to the women and children in the Montreal city, especially in the Parc-Extention area with the help of a small but dedicated group of volunteers. Following is a brief description of the activities organized by UPAMA during the year 2004.

  1. Development of Local Women Groups: To ensure the participation of women in various women and child development activities, UPAMA have been organized Local Women Groups with the women residing in the working area, especially in the Parc-Extention area. Within the reporting period a number of 3 Primary Women Groups (PWG) has been organized and these 3 PWGs joined with the Local Women Group. Each PWG have 5 members and a total number of 15 women are affiliated with the Local Women Group within the reporting period.
  2. Problem Identification, Idea Sharing & Information Dissemination Meeting: Local Women Group were arrange monthly meeting to identify the problems in their real life and share the ideas about the stapes or the support services needed to solve the identified problems. During the reporting period a total number of 8 meetings have been organized by the Parc-Extention Local Women Group.
  3. Socio-Cultural Activities: Within the reporting period UPAMA has been organized a socio-cultural events in the occasions of the cultural community, as like `Bengali New Year' of Bangladeshi community. This event was organized with the active participation of Local Women Group and approximates 140 peoples were participated.
  4. Observation of International Women's Day: In 8th March 2007, UPAMA has been organized an open discussion meeting on the `Women Rights Situation within the Low Income Families Living in Montreal'. Near about 54 women and 22 men from several cultural communities were attended in that meeting.
  5. Need Based Services: UPAMA provides several types of services based on the real need of individual women and children. These services include Integration, Guidance, Counselling, Translation, Information, Referrals to appropriate institutions etc. Weekly approximate 45 women and children (with their parents) received several types of `need based services' during the reporting period.