globalheroes.com
October • 2021 The power of positive, solution-based journalism.
A Safe Space for Seniors
Are you being Mistreated? Bullied? Neglected?
Trained counsellors are available 24/7 to listen, support and help identify your options. 1-866-299-1011 • 1-866-299-0008 (TTY) www.awhl.org/seniors
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the Assaulted Women’s Helpline provides telephone and TTY crisis line counselling, online counselling, safety planning, emotional support, information, and referrals in over 200 languages. The Helpline is often the first point of contact for abused women, especially for those whose vulnerability is exacerbated by isolation, language barriers, or disability. The Seniors Safety Line (SSL) is a program of the Assaulted Women’s Helpline and has been in operation for over a decade. SSL is the only 24/7 crisis and support line for seniors in Ontario who have experienced any type of abuse or neglect. Callers receive emotional support, safety planning, information, and more. Relatives, friends, and caregivers can also call the SSL to help them support the seniors in their lives. We are a safe and inclusive space that supports the rights of older adults. The Seniors Safety Line is an accessible and inclusive telephone-based program that is ‘senior-friendly’ with a live
counsellor. Trained professional counsellors help seniors navigate difficult systems and provide a one-stop resource for information, support, connection to services and programs and, where required, direct intervention. These personal interactions enhance callers’ social and emotional wellbeing and overall quality of life. Elder abuse is complex and it is seldom isolated. Elder abuse is recurring in 80 percent of cases. Typically the abuser is a relative or someone known to the senior. Affected seniors often feel ashamed and do not view what is happening to them as abuse. As such, SSL also plays a key role in increasing community awareness and community capacity to address the issue of elder abuse through public education and the coordination of resources. These resources include fact sheets to help bystanders recognize the warning signs of abuse and how to respond safely and effectively. In its over 12 years of operation, the SSL has helped well over 90,000 callers. The majority of
ADVERTORIAL
callers, 86 percent, are seniors themselves. Their reasons for calling have been remarkably consistent over the years, with emotional abuse and financial abuse cited by 75 percent of callers. Since the COVID-19 shut down, we have seen a significant increase in calls from older adults who are socially isolated and at a higher risk of experiencing elder abuse. Many others have called because they are having difficulty coping and have heightened levels of anxiety. Still, others are unsure as to what services are still available and how to access them. Throughout the pandemic, SSL counsellors have been supporting seniors in any way possible. From being a friendly voice to speak to over the phone, to providing information about how to deal with difficult situations, to reassurance and validation, SSL is a valuable resource for seniors and concerned friends and family members. With your help, we will continue to be there for seniors beyond the pandemic. Visit awhl.org/seniors to learn more.
The Future of Climate Heroes: Allie Rougeot on the Highs and Lows of Fighting Climate Change collective that is fighting on the same side and for the same demands can make them feel With the rise of the climate like one part of a much bigger movement, a new generation of activists has also risen. Fridays for whole. “Collective actions like striking not only bring us closFuture Toronto, a chapter of the youth-led-and-organized global er, they make those who try to climate strike movement, takes an oppose us feel smaller and less intersectional approach to climate powerful,” says Rougeot. action, recognizing that climate While Fridays for Future has change is as much a social crisis as certainly inspired collective it is an environmental one. action, creating a community of As 22-year-old Allie Rougeot young people who feel confiof Fridays for Future Toronto dent advocating for changes in climate policy, it often seems would put it, there is immense power in being social for good. like protests and demands for Rougeot co-led Toronto’s 2019 action fall on deaf ears. “Unfortunately, our impact has Fridays for Future strike that saw 50,000 people fight for climate not been sufficient, and we are still not on the right path to address action, and throughout the pandemic, she has been taking climate change,” shares Rougeot. her support online, mobilizing “Governments and industries continuously try to answer our deyoung people to feel confident mands with shallow, greenwashed in making their voices heard. Humans are social creatures, plans, so we still have work to do. strengthened by community Moreover, our fight is about more than climate change: it’s about and encouraged by solidarity. having a more just future for all. While a person may not feel particularly powerful protesting And on that front, we are still far on their own, being part of a from a victory.”
ALL PHOTOS © JOSHUA BEST
RAYE MOCIOIU
However, there have been many victories worth celebrating, like the incredible turnout of the 2019 strike and seeing the city declare a climate emergency. “We’ve seen an increasing amount of teachers, parents, and other allies join our fight and take on a climate activist role in their own spheres,” Rougeot says. “We have seen internal victories too, like building our capacity as a group and learning how to mobilize during a pandemic.” Fridays for Future has also been incredibly successful when it comes to using the power of social media to energize young people and turn online interactions into real-life demonstrations that capture media attention. “Because we walked in the footsteps of incredible change-makers before us, social media was able to connect us with others and spread our message faster,” Rougeout says. “It’s important to learn about and build relationships with
ADVERTORIAL
safe for either the mother or the baby,” shared Djama’s mother. “We also learned that when girls get an education, they tend to look after their parents better when they are older.” ADRA knows that longterm, integrated programs that bring education and income opportunities are necessary to break cycles of extreme poverty and bring about lasting, positive change. “ADRA built a school compound near our village with beautiful classrooms, toilets, and a good well,” Djama’s mother added. “They gave the children everything they needed to learn, like backpacks, textbooks, exercise books, pens and pencils, and a solar lamp to study their lessons after dark! ADRA also worked with the teachers to help them improve their teaching methods so that they could become better teachers! “ADRA has changed how our whole community now thinks about the importance of education and early marriage for our girls. After meeting with our village elders and community
© 2019 ADRA | FRANK SPANGLER
A Cancelled Wedding In Djama’s culture, a man will give a healthy girl’s parents at least ten cows when they marry. If the girl has agreeable traits, she could be worth as many as 25 cows! When she was eleven, Djama’s father made it public that she was ready to be married. An older man from another village began negotiations with her father. The bride price was settled, and the engagement was announced. Djama told us, “The man was someone that I did not know and he already had three wives. I was to be number four. I didn’t like the idea, but in my country, it is not the child who decides these things, it is the parents.” Djama’s mother said, “We didn’t mean to cause her any harm. It is quite common in our culture for girls to marry early. We didn’t know how dangerous it could be for our daughter.” The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) gathered parents and teachers from Djama’s community to discuss the dangers of child marriages and the importance of education. “We learned that having a baby before the age of 18 is not
people from other walks of life, so that we are not only in solidarity when we strike, but also sensitive to each other’s struggles. We need to normalize the fact that the climate crisis is permeating every part of our lives, instead of avoiding conversations because they are scary. We need to get into the habit of talking about it. Talking about our hopes and ambitions is also an important action. The reality is that we all have different gifts, and we should be putting our best skills forward for this fight!”
DJAMA AT HER DESK
leaders to discuss these issues, they have also started recommending that we keep our girls in school.” Djama said, “When all of this started happening, my parents decided to cancel the plans for my wedding. First, I was accepted into a special speed school where I was able to learn the ba-
sics so I could catch up to other children my own age. I am now in grade six and I am loving it! It is my dream to finish here and go on to secondary school. Someday I wish to become a teacher myself!” ADRA Canada is collaborating with our partners in a fouryear project to increase access to
quality education for girls and women in vulnerable communities in countries such as Niger. The communities are chosen based on their fragility due to remoteness, climate change, and post-conflict conditions. This project will help many young girls like Djama realize a much brighter future.
Education helps prevent child marriages.
Donate today ADRA.ca/education
