Indigenous and Black women, women of colour (IBPOC) and their families will see continued assistance from the local non-profit organization Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Colour (SNIWWOC), due to a $50,000 grant from the Province.

The grant was awarded for a project called Get Your Groceries that increases access to healthy food. In the post-pandemic recovery period, IBPOC women have been disproportionately affected by job loss and are struggling to bring home wholesome food amid factors such as soaring food prices and limited access to vehicles.

“Non-profits work tirelessly to deliver critical and culturally appropriate services to people that need them,” said Niki Sharma, Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development and Non-Profits. “We are so pleased to support SNIWWOC in the important work it does, delivering nutritious food to IBPOC women and their children.”

The organization focuses its efforts on supporting the health and wellness of IBPOC women. More recently, it has focused on responding to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in increased family violence, women’s economic instability and compromised mental and sexual health. These effects have been more prevalent for IBPOC women due to systemic discrimination and inequities. SNIWWOC has served more than 4,000 women since 2014.

“We are thankful for the support of the Province and grateful for the opportunity to provide Indigenous women and women of colour services that are deeply needed as we all recover from the pandemic,” said Boma Brown, founder and executive director, SNIWWOC.

Throughout the pandemic, SNIWWOC has also been providing free mental-health and career counselling, domestic-violence and addictions workshops, a food-security program and COVID-19 care packages.

“It’s great to see local organizations receiving grants so they can continue to deliver important, culturally appropriate services that support the health and wellness of marginalized communities,” said Rob Fleming, MLA for Victoria-Swan Lake. “These services are critical to the people who depend on them and it’s important that people have access within the communities where they live.”

Since TogetherBC, B.C.’s poverty-reduction strategy, was released in 2019, the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction has provided almost $26 million to planning and implementing poverty reduction and food security in communities throughout B.C., including First Nations communities.

Learn More:

TogetherBC, B.C.’s Poverty Reduction Strategy:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/about-the-bc-government/poverty-reduction-strategy

Learn more about SNIWWOC: https://www.sniwwoc.ca