Family Violence Initiative

COMPENDIUM OF PROMISING PRACTICES TO REDUCE VIOLENCE AND INCREASE SAFETY OF ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN CANADA

INTERACTIONS WITHIN COMMUNITIES

Raising Awareness in the Broader Community

Program Name:

The Gookomisag Odanokiitaanaawaa Mino Bimaadiziwin (Grandmothers Working for Good Life)

Organization/Community:

Ka Ni Kanichikh Inc.

Location:

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Website:

N/A

Goals and Objectives:

To provide a community voice and assert that violence against Aboriginal women and children must stop; to provide organizational and spiritual support; and to increase public awareness concerning health issues through events, education and spiritual ceremonies.

Target Group Description:

Everyone (with a focus on Aboriginal women).

Program Description:

The volunteer group of grandmothers has a number of women pipe carriers and others with different gifts and abilities. They provide ceremonial comfort and prayers for the victims of violence and for the community. They have gone into correction facilities and conducted ceremonies and held discussions with Aboriginal men serving life sentences about what Aboriginal women need from the male community and they were very well accepted. They have organized walks for victims of violence in the Aboriginal community and work to associate the date of September 24 (Equinox) as a day of protection of children with wellness and health.

Program Successes/Impact:

Increasing public awareness of issues through organized walks. Successfully implementing their programming in correctional institutions.

Key Lessons/Challenges:

The difficulty in quantifying positive changes that are qualitative in nature makes it hard to provide data within performance measurement reporting mechanisms.

Program in operation since:

2006.

Program:

Ongoing.