CARE Canada is Walking the Talk on Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy
Launches "Feed Her Future" Awareness Campaign
OTTAWA, June 26, 2018 /CNW/ - Following a successful G7 Summit earlier this month, where gender equality and Canada's feminist international assistance policy were key points of discussion, CARE Canada and its partners are launching the "Feed Her Future" public awareness campaign. Today's launch also marks just under one-year to the Women Deliver Conference – the world's largest gathering on the health, rights, and wellbeing of women and girls, set to take place on June 3, 2019 in Vancouver.
"Feed Her Future" shows Canadians that CARE's gender and nutrition programming is an important example of Canadian aid projects that put women and girls first.
Over the past two years, CARE Canada and its project partners – Cuso International, the Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development (ICAD), and McGill University – have been working directly with communities in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia to improve the nutritional status of women and children. The project, known as the Southern African Nutrition Initiative, is funded by the Government of Canada and is shining the light on women and girls' access to proper nutrition as a basic human right.
CARE aims to reach over 575,000 individuals by working with women, men, healthcare providers and community volunteers in each of the project countries to foster an environment where women and girls can become champions of their own futures. This is the foundation of our gender transformative nutrition programming – we take a human rights approach to women and girls' right to food.
Gender inequality is a significant determinant of women's nutritional status and one of the key barriers to women exercising their right to food. Inequality determines who eats first, who eats last, whose right to food is protected, and whose right to food is discriminated. We have seen first-hand that providing health and nutrition education creates healthier individuals and stronger communities.
"The goal of the Feed Her Future campaign is simple: we want to raise awareness and engage with Canadians about the importance of giving women and girls access to proper nutrition – and everything that 'access to nutrition' entails," said CARE Canada's CEO Gillian Barth on behalf of all program partners. "Canadians feel a strong sense of pride in our ability to drive positive change at home and globally. It's because of Canadians that CARE is able to provide this dedicated programming to women and girls in in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia."
"By seizing the global spotlight that comes with serving as host country, Canadians have a unique opportunity to power progress for girls and women at home and around the world. Women Deliver is thrilled to see so many individual Canadians and Canadian organizations stepping up for gender equality and the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women," said Katja Iversen, President/CEO of Women Deliver.
The Women Deliver Conference, to be hosted next June in Vancouver, will focus on accelerating progress for girls' and women's health matters, education, environment, political participation, economic empowerment, and access to resources; including nutrition. CARE looks forward to engaging in the discussion, to sharing our experiences, and highlighting best practices.
With the help of our partners, our teams on the ground, and the generosity of Canadians, our goal is to uncover the social and gender norms that are affecting women's access to nutrition so women and girls are empowered to create sustainable change. This is how Canadians can help to #FeedHerFuture.
Connect with us and join in the conversation @FeedHerFuture. Read, like, share and comment. To learn more about the Feed Her Future programming, visit us at www.FeedHerFuture.ca.
For the campaign backgrounder, please click here.
SOURCE CARE Canada
Media Inquiries Contact: Darcy Knoll, Communications Specialist | CARE Canada, [email protected] | 613-228-5641
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