The Newfoundland Aboriginal Women’s Network has received $291,243 in federal funding for a project aimed at preventing and addressing violence against indigenous women.
“This project is going to make a real difference in the lives of indigenous women, as well as their families and communities who also suffer the consequences of violence,” said
Newfoundland and Labrador Women’s Network president Odelle Pike in the press release announcing the funding.
The money was announced Friday afternoon at the network’s office in Stephenville by Gudie Hutchings, MP for the Long Range Mountains, on behalf of Maryam Monsef, minister of the Status of Women.
The press release from the Status of Women Canada says that the 36-month project, entitled Building Understanding: Strengthening Lives, is focused on increasing reporting of domestic violence by indigenous women and with improving access to culturally-relevant support services within the island portion of the province.
The release says that through partnerships, community consultations and stakeholder engagement with justice-related service providers, the organization will undertake a needs assessment, build on the best practices identified and work with community elders to develop and implement tools, protocols and resources for women.
It says agencies from across the province will be the target of knowledge sharing roundtables to ensure that the concerns of indigenous women are widely heard, and new partnerships and collaboration fostered between Indigenous women, justice supports and front-line service providers.
