Canadian Women's Foundation Annual Report 2023-2024 - Report - Page 44
COUNT ME IN FOR
CLOSING THE GENDER GAP
IN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
We’ve all been directly or indirectly affected by wildfires, floods, and/or rising temperatures.
These increasingly frequent extreme weather events have overlooked gendered impacts. They
intensify inequalities experienced by women, girls, and gender-diverse people, especially those who
already face intersecting barriers. These crises are linked to spikes in gender-based violence. And
community organizations struggle to meet increased demands for services.
We have to close the gender gap in our climate crisis strategies to reduce these harms. Your support
enables the Canadian Women’s Foundation to advocate for emergency preparedness that addresses
gender inequalities and meets the needs of diverse communities.
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You enable us to collaborate on research and make a strong case for regional and federal
policymakers to close the gender gap in disaster preparedness.
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You support our advocacy for stable funding to women’s and equality-seeking organizations so
they can better serve their communities through climate events and other crises.
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Thanks to you, we help local service organizations prepare for crises. We launched a free online
course on how organizations can plan ahead to keep operations going in times of disaster.
Climate Impacts on Our Grantee Partners
Catastrophic wildfires forced thousands to evacuate the
Northwest Territories in August 2023. “It was chaotic. There
wasn’t a lot of planning, and organizations like ours had to
figure out how to support vulnerable populations,” said Hawa
Dumbuya-Sesay, Executive Director of the YWCA Northwest
Territories. “Women staying in Lynn’s Place, our second-stage
housing, had to evacuate the area, too. They had to worry about
things like getting food, paying rent on time, and staying safe.
The evacuation created a whole other level of anxiety.”
“Hay River has endured three evacuation orders in a span
of two years,” says Joanna Ahenakew, Executive Director at
Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre in Hay River, Northwest
Territories. “In the flood of Hay River 2022, many homes
and livelihoods were damaged. In the May 2023 forest fire
evacuation, a portion of the K’atlodeeche First Nation was
burned. In the August 2023 evacuation, many properties in the
hamlet of Enterprise, Paradise Gardens, and Pattersons Road
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“It was chaotic.
There wasn’t a
lot of planning,
and organizations
like ours had to
figure out how to
support vulnerable
populations.”
- Hawa Dumbuya-Sesay, Executive
Director, YWCA Northwest
Territories
