NOVEMBER 2023
WORKING TOWARDS A TRULY JUST, HEALTHY AND PEACEFUL WORLD
HEALTH AND WHOLENESS
LET US PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE SICK BY JANICE BIEHN
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COMMUNITY CONNECTION RESTORES INDIGENOUS HEALTH BY JACQUELINE TUCCI
(above) Ishkode sacred fire is shared with elders, ecumenical members and helpers holding space for healing and wellness teachings. (left) A young man shares his message promoting life and offering encouragement, that every voice makes a difference.
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ince the 1960s, the Anamiewigummig Kenora Fellowship Centre in Kenora, Ont., has responded to the needs of Indigenous community members in the Traditional Territory of Treaty 3 with a daily drop-in and other programs. This year it was one of several organizations to receive a $15,000 PWRDF Indigenous Responsive Grant. Indigenous people across the country continue to feel the impacts of colonization, which led to anti-Indigenous government legislation and residential and day schools, the Sixties Scoop, a disproportionate number of Indigenous children in Canada’s child welfare and justice systems, and Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (as well as girls, boys and two-spirited people). All of these realities have contributed – and continue to contribute – to Indigenous peoples being disconnected from their communities and cultures. The results are seen in poor mental health and wellbeing outcomes, including high rates of suicide and substance abuse within many communities. In response to these ongoing and tragic realities, PWRDF has partnered with the Anamiewigummig Kenora Fellowship Centre to serve the community, which is 85% Indigenous, including Ojibway, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Métis. “The Fellowship Centre serves as a ‘home base’ for many displaced individuals in the Urban area of Kenora,” said Executive Director, Yvonne Bearbull, who along with 90% of her staff is Indigenous. “The Indigenous community we serve have predominantly been impacted by [government] policy and program failures.” With the PWRDF grant, the Anamiewigummig Kenora Fellowship Centre was able to respond to community needs for an intensive period of four months. Its programs included: • Promoting positive mental health with the help of facilitators who provided appropriate arts and crafts and games; • Cultural support and urban gatherings focusing on the land; • A mentorship program, with on-the-job training to staff.
Other program priorities included addressing food insecurity and building relationships between Indigenous and nonIndigenous communities in Kenora. A social media campaign was designed to raise awareness of intergenerational trauma, which helped build community bridges. “One way we have promoted and modelled belonging and inclusion was the implementation of our urban land-based initiative utilizing the teachings of the sacred fire, also known as Ishkode,” said Bearbull. “Many were not familiar with the teachings and roles and responsibilities. We engaged with elders and sought guidance of elders, held open sharing circles and teachings of prayer offerings, gifting and feasting. The land-based initiative helped strengthen those who took on responsibilities of helpers, firekeepers, and walked with respect [and] encouraged care for the area.” The land-based gatherings and sacred fire offered a source of comfort, genuine care, and connection for those who attended. Bearbull shared that during one circle, a young woman experiencing distress sat at the feet of an elder at the fire and laid her head in their lap. “We asked if she needed us to call for her worker,” said Bearbull. She said ‘No, this is all I need.’ ”
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ften when we pray, we ask God to heal us or our loved ones. To rid us from disease or illness, to make us whole. Indeed, as Jesus began his ministry he miraculously healed many sick people by the mere laying on of hands. Those of us who have experienced injury or illness, or who have nursed a loved one back to health, know how very debilitating poor health can be. PWRDF partners in Canada and around the world know too, but they also know how elusive good health can be in the face of food insecurity, climate change, economic instability, conflict and gender-based violence. Good Health and Wellbeing is #3 on the UN’s list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. But it is inextricably linked to #1 (No Poverty), #2 (Zero Hunger), #4 (Quality Education), #5 (Gender Equality), #6 (Clean Water), #8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and #13 (Climate Action). In short, good health is everything. In this issue of Under the Sun, you’ll read about our partners who are working to improve mental health in Indigenous communities in Canada, educate about sexual and reproductive health in Uganda, prevent gender-based violence in Lesotho, restore clean water in the Philippines and provide income opportunities for refugees living along the Thai-Burmese border so that they in turn can be healthier. On our back page, read how Anglicans across Canada are showing they care about the health of our neighbours by raising funds to support PWRDF’s many partners. As you read about the health challenges facing the people in these pages, please add them to your prayers.
