As part of the One Billion Rising campaign to end violence against women, and the 11th annual UN World Interfaith Harmony Week community members from various faith groups will gather to create care packages for women and children living in transitional housing, shelters, and low income housing.
Surrey, BC: On February 5, 2020, we will be creating care packages filled with personal hygiene necessities to help women and children across the Lower Mainland. This will be our 8th year in uniting as neighbours from many cultures and faiths to collaborate and enrich our communities. This free event is family friendly and is open to the public.
Date and Time: Wednesday, February 5th, 2020; 6-8pm
Location: L.A. Matheson Secondary School 9484 122 Street Surrey, BC V3V 4M1
Event Format: 6-6:30pm cedar brushing and refreshments 6:30-8pm program and assembly of care packages
Event Registration: www.sur1brlm.eventbrite.ca
In February 2019, we were honoured to have Vera Jones, from Indian Residential School Survivors Society, talk to us about the struggles facing Indigenous women in British Columbia. We also created care packages for almost 1,000 people in our communities.
This year, we’re continuing the conversations we’ve started and building on our tradition of helping women and children in need. We will be supporting organizations such as:
- Ama Transition House
- Azure Place
- Bill Reid Place
- Charlford House
- Cynthia’s Place
- Dixon House
- Durrant Transition House
- Elizabeth Gurney House
- Evergreen Transition House
- Extreme weather shelters in the Lower Mainland
- Firth Residence
- Fraserside Emergency Family Shelter
- Hyland House
- Joy’s Place
- Kenkinow Native Housing Society
- Koomseh Housing
- Maxxine Wright Place
- Monarch Place
- Nova House
- Shimai Transition House
- Springhouse
- Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter
- Vi Fineday Family Shelter Society
Members of Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society irsss.ca will be welcoming event participants by doing cedar brushing, a traditional practice used to help clear negative energy. This will be followed by brief presentations by our partnering organizations, the reading of an official proclamation from the City of Surrey declaring February 1-7th UN World International Harmony Week, and the assembly of more than 500 care packages.
A similar event will be held in Vancouver at the Jewish Culture Center on Monday, February 3rd.
Our community partners include:
- Global Girl Power represented by Lucky Kaur Gill
- Global Peace Alliance
- Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen represented by Tej Kaur Sumbal
- Kaur Project represented by Jessie Kaur Lehail
- Mustang Justice represented by Annie O’hana
- Surrey Interfaith Council represented by Jonquil Hallgate and Sherry Marceil
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints represented by Sherry Marceil
- World Sikh Organization represented by Amanpreet Kaur Panesar
- Worldwide Shift Disturbers represented by Zach Coumont
Background on One Billion Rising provided from:
1 in 3 women across the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. That’s ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. Every February, we rise – in countries across the world – to show our local communities and the world what one billion looks like and shine a light on the rampant impunity and injustice that survivors most often face. We rise through dance to express joy and community and celebrate the fact that we have not been defeated by this violence. We rise to show we are determined to create a new kind of consciousness – one where violence will be resisted until it is unthinkable.
One Billion Rising is the biggest mass action to end violence against women (cisgender, transgender, and those who hold fluid identities that are subject to gender- based violence) in human history. The campaign, which launched on Valentine’s Day 2012, began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS.
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