Funding Supports Community Healing On Vancouver Island

Indigenous women and girls on Vancouver Island will receive increased community-led support through $1 million from the Giving Voice project.

The Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation’s Advisory Council on Indigenous Women has made action a priority.

Women, girls and gender-diverse people are disproportionately targeted by gender-based violence, and Indigenous women are four times more likely to experience gender-based violence.

Under Giving Voice, nine organizations on Vancouver Island will receive as much as $30,000 each for community-driven healing projects that inspire change and give voice to issues of violence in Indigenous women’s lives.

“Gender-based violence disproportionately affects Indigenous women and girls in communities across the province,” said Barb Ward-Burkitt, chair of MACIW.

“This latest round of Giving Voice funding is supporting meaningful initiatives that foster healing and promote safety for Indigenous women and girls, and empower change at a community level.”

The Homalco Indian Band is receiving money to create a safe space for community members to talk about the normalization of violence from residential schools, child welfare and lateral violence.

Launched in 2013, Giving Voice places emphasis on the rights of Indigenous Peoples to cultural self-determination and safety, and aligns with the Province’s efforts to strengthen relationships with Indigenous Peoples and take action in accordance with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

“Action is urgently needed to prevent and address gender-based violence against Indigenous women and girls, and it is vital that we support Indigenous communities in leading this work,” said Murray Rankin, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.

“This funding is helping grassroots initiatives across the province address violence and prioritize the needs of community members.”

To learn more, visit Government of British Columbia.