About Us
Learn about our mission, our story, and the people behind Life Global Canada
Who We Are
Life Global Canada is a Canadian registered charity. We help underserved communities gain lasting access to education, health care, women’s empowerment, and community development.
Life Global Canada began as a not-for-profit corporation. Our founders later took on a bigger challenge: building it into a full charitable foundation. This meant a stronger focus on public benefit, accountability, and long-term impact. Today, the organization operates fully in service of charitable purposes, both in Canada and internationally.
We believe real change takes time. That’s why our work is guided by thoughtful governance, strong partnerships, and programs that meet real needs with dignity and care.
Our Mission
To empower communities through education, health care and women’s development programs. Together, these create opportunity, sustain lives, restore dignity, and build lasting change.
Our Vision
A world where every underserved individual has the tools, knowledge, and support to live with purpose. We want people to contribute with confidence and thrive with hope, no matter their circumstances.
Our Story
Our connection to this cause began in December 2023. We took a month-long family trip to India, visiting relatives in Rajkot, Gujarat. There, we met the team at Saurashtra Medical & Educational Charitable Trust (SMECT). This organization has served the region for over 40 years.
SMECT started in 1981. A personal medical crisis, caused by an unsafe blood transfusion, sparked its creation. Since then, it has grown into a full network of health, education, and social programs. These programs still transform lives today.
During our visit, we toured:
- The Life Blood Centre – one of the first blood banks in Gujarat focused on safe blood donation. In fact, it was the first stand-alone blood centre from India to win the ISBT Award for Developing Countries (2020).
- The Thalassemia Prevention Centre – offering genetic screening, counselling, and awareness programs.
- Women’s empowerment initiatives – providing vocational training and education to build confidence and economic independence.
- Rural education initiatives – modernizing and revitalizing primary schools.
This experience changed everything for us. We came home determined to help. So, we formally established Life Global Canada as a registered Canadian charity. Our commitment: support health, education, and women’s empowerment internationally, backed by strong governance and full accountability.
Board of Directors
Sunil Koticha
Board of Director | Founder
He Brings over two decades of senior business leadership experience, including P&L ownership and business transformation, to the organization’s governance and operational strategy. His involvement is informed by firsthand exposure to education, health, and community needs in India.
Areas of oversight:
Strategy – Governance – Donor & Partner Relations
Dimple Koticha
Board of Director | Co-Founder
She brings two decades of experience in corporate software and business leadership, including roles at RBC, BlackBerry, and Salesforce, to building the organization’s operational and compliance foundation. Her involvement is informed by firsthand exposure to education, health, and women empowerment initiatives in India.
Areas of oversight:
Operations & Technology – Community partnerships – Organizational sustainability
Dimple Koticha
Board of Director
A retired pathologist and lifelong philanthropist whose family, through SMECT, established a primary school and continues to sponsor women’s empowerment and rural livelihood initiatives in Gujarat, India. Bring decades of firsthand experience in healthcare, education, and community-based giving
Areas of oversight:
Healthcare initiatives – Education initiatives – Community partnerships
Kahan Shah
Board of Director
A second-generation philanthropist with over two decades in social welfare leadership, including serving as President of the world’s largest Lions Club, where he led the construction of a life-saving dialysis center. He brings several years of business experience in establishing distribution and retail.
Areas of oversight:
Community partnerships – Fundraising – Business operations
Governance & Accountability
In alignment with CRA expectations for registered charities, our volunteer Board of Directors is responsible for:
- All charitable activities, including grants to trusted partner organizations under CRA’s qualifying disbursement framework
- Financial management and record-keeping, including annual T3010 filing
- Full regulatory compliance
- International resources, partnerships, and grantees
- Conflict of interest disclosures from every director
“We believe strong governance, transparency, and accountability are essential to earning and maintaining the trust of our donors, partners, and the communities we serve.”
How We Grant Internationally
Life Global Canada is a registered Canadian charity. This means every dollar we grant abroad must meet strict Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) standards. Here’s how that works, in plain terms.
We can’t simply hand over funds and walk away – and honestly, we wouldn’t want to. Canadian charities aren’t allowed to write a check overseas and just hope it’s used well. Instead, the CRA requires a structured process called a “qualifying disbursement.” This process keeps us accountable from the moment funds leave our account to the moment a project is complete.
In practice, that means for every grant we make, we:
- We vet the partner first. Before a single dollar moves, we review their legal standing, financial history, project track record, and local regulatory compliance.
- We put it in writing. Every grant follows a signed agreement. This spells out exactly what funds can and can’t be used for.
- We release funds in stages. Nothing goes out all at once. For a school build, this might mean separate stages for foundation, structure, finishing, and handover. Funds keep flowing only as long as work progresses as agreed.
- We require regular reporting. Our partners report back on progress, spending, and results at every stage. This includes photos and documentation.
- We verify independently. We confirm the work is actually happening – through site visits, video and photo documentation, or third-party inspection.
- We keep the money traceable. Grant funds stay tracked separately from a partner’s other funds. So, we can always account for exactly where they went.
Why this matters for you. It’s simple: this system lets us tell you, with confidence, exactly what your donation accomplished. It’s also what the CRA expects of us – and we take that seriously. Our charitable status, and your ability to get a tax receipt, depends on it.
Join Our Mission
Together, we can create lasting change in communities that need it most.