Š MarkZelinski.com
PLENTY THEN AND PLENTY NOW...
KEIRA BARNHARDT PERFORMING THE HAUDENOSAUNEE SMOKE DANCE AT THE BASE OF NIAGARA FALLS FROM THE GREAT NIAGARA ESCARPMENT INDIGENOUS CULTURAL MAP.
Plenty Canada, a rural community-based nongovernmental organization, was formed in 1976 in response to an earthquake that devastated Mayan communities in Guatemala. Utilizing sustainable technologies, combined with local Indigenous knowledge, its volunteers helped reconstruct over 1,400 homes and a dozen schools and clinics while communicating Indigenous concerns and protocols to international agencies. The organization gained distinction for its innovation in the international development field for blending science with the humanities to design programs that met the distinct needs of its partners. It was among the first to use solar voltaic panels to power its remote facilities in the mountains of Lesotho, Africa, in 1981. 16
Plenty Canada solar panel array produces sustainable energy from the roof of its Lanark office.
Plenty advanced nutritional health for thousands of Sri Lankans in South Asia through its integration of soya protein into the traditional diets of the people in 1985. And among its seminal Indigenous work, it led the way in 1991 by providing reconstruction and rehabilitation support to Miskito, Sumu, and Rama communities destroyed during the Contra War. This tragic history remains all but ignored by the world.
In the early 1990s, led by Executive Director Larry McDermott (Algonquin), Plenty Canada began a shift toward working predominantly with Indigenous peoples. It was difficult and challenging, but proactive and ultimately a rewarding decision. The organization faced a backlash, both internally and externally. But as it enters its 45th year, it does so with great pride for having acted upon its own vision and agency, guided by a call to consciousness and resolute quest for justice for Indigenous peoples. Over time, the voices of resistance became muted by a number of high profile events, including Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission findings, the compounding national tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, the publicized lack of potable water in First Nations communities, and growing data on persistent health and income disparities, all of which have vindicated
