...Native Women Need a Hand...
A few days ago I learned that there was a group of people in the Ottawa
(National Capital Region of Canada) area that were doing a lot of good
but were losing the battle for the means to keep doing it. Maybe you can
help with a donation of time, experience, funds or prayers. There are
over 45,000 Native people in the area they serve.
The Minwaashin Lodge / Aboriginal Women's Support Centre is having a
really tough time even though their projects & people (ie, "programs &
client-base") are growing every day. Besides the information they provide
below I've been told that they also have the following on a weekly basis,
all well attended & needed:
- a Wisdomkeepers' Circle (for women over 50 to discuss & define their
roles, responsibilities & lives within their families & Nations as they
pass from adult to elder)
- a Spiritmovers' Circle (for women 11-15 to discuss & define their
roles, responsibilities & lives within their families & Nations as they
pass from child to adult)
- a Survivors' Circle for victims of child abuse
- a Women's Circle for victims of family/domestic violence
- a Children's Circle for the youngsters in families suffering from
violence
So please do what you can... masi:cho.
Quixote
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Information on Women's Centre
--- Fax received 10 Oct 1995 ---
Aboriginal Women's Support Centre
55 Eccles Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1R 6S3
(613) 567-3283 (voice) - (613) 567-6056 (fax)
In 1991 a regional mainstream shelter for abused women and children hired
an Aboriginal woman for the first time. Within a year the number of
aboriginal women who sought help there increased dramatically. It was
clear that Aboriginal women feel much more comfortable with services when
another Aboriginal woman was available to provide the support.
A thorough "Needs Assessment" was completed to define the real needs of the
urban Aboriginal community (ie, Indian, Inuit & Metis). As a result,
Minwaashin Lodge / Aboriginal Women's Support Centre was established in 1992.
In order to balance legal incorporation requirements with traditional
Aboriginal values, a Women's Council was implemented rather than a Board
of Directors. The Lodge is in full operation providing direct,
culturally-appropriate services to, and to promote the empowerment and
well-being of, First Nations women and children from throughout Canada and
the USA who are in the Ottawa region. Most clients are survivors of family
violence but Aboriginal women in any sort of crisis can find support from
their sisters at Minwaashin Lodge.
Minwaashin Lodge / Aboriginal Women's Support Centre is truly a grassroots
organization, staffed by survivors of family violence and volunteers from
diverse cultures and with diverse professional backgrounds. Minwaashin
Lodge, located within the Centre, was created for Aboriginal women and
children who wish to use the Lodge to reclaim and re-enforce their
Aboriginal identity, as taught by their elders and through traditional
healing practices. (We work closely with KUMIK, the national Lodge for
visiting elders from across North America.) Minwaashin Lodge is also a
place for celebration of Aboriginal culture and survival.
The Centre's present services include:
- crisis counselling
- referral to treatment centres
- legal services
- health referral services for women
- advocacy for suitable & emergency housing
- working with area shelters
- hospital visits
- personal/family assistance from Aboriginal elders
- community resource referral
- clothing donations
- lunch program
- children's program
- arts & crafts
- public education
In order to maintain the programs we now offer, the Aboriginal Women's
Support Centre needs financial and other support. Our organization has
suffered numerous cutbacks in already-thin government funding. There is no
"core-funding" available and most of the staff supply their services and
expertise on a volunteer basis. We are also witnessing the closing of
many "second-stage" shelters in our area, with whom we are affiliated. The
need for our services is always growing, but our means to provide those
services is diminishing.
For more information please contact ShiningWater or Gail Lindsay at
the above address &/or numbers. Thank you.
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Note from WoodOwl:Please re-post this message on any BBS, message base,
echo, or mailing list for women's issues, for Native issues, or for abuse
survivors.
Mail to Quixote may be sent to WoodOwl@aol.com, and I will forward it to him.