Events

Despite significant progress in reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR), Sierra Leone's MMR remains six times higher than the Sustainable Development Goals target of less than 70 per 100,000 live births. Currently, 1 in 17 women in Sierra Leone faces a lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy or childbirth. Strong knowledge and ongoing research indicate that the leading causes of maternal and neonatal deaths in Sierra Leone are preventable with skilled birth attendants. This project will address this issue by providing classroom-style lectures, skills lab practicum and on-the-job training to local midwives and nurses.

The involvement of diaspora medical professionals and Canadian master trainer midwives is a key component of this project. These highly trained and experienced professionals will travel to train and exchange knowledge with their local counterparts, forging strong partnerships that will enhance trainees' effectiveness. Their participation brought valuable insights and expertise, contributing to the overall success of the project. These nurses will be our guests and share their experience with us.

Vocational training for 14 leaders from beneficiary communities of the global grant “Rebuilding lives: Nigeria sustainable bricks project” (GG2234921)
This grant is for a vocational training workshop to upskill leaders trained in CEB brick building technology from the 7 communities participating in the previous district 5360 grant and ongoing global grant, totalling 14 leaders (both women and men).

Rotary Club of Calgary North, under the leadership of Emmanuel Gye, will partner with the University of Jos, Nigeria, to train these leaders in developing their entrepreneurial skills for pursuing commercial building contracts (e.g., bill of quantities, proposal writing). Included in the workshop is also interpersonal skill training that helps them organize their community cooperatives into work teams: communication, leadership, operations, and collaboration to help them take action for gainful employment.

Jinkai Aid Initiative will support the cooperatives after the workshop with hands-on tasks to put their learnings into practice. Members of Jinkai Aid Initiative have been involved all along in implementing the ongoing grant and are familiar with the communities and their challenges.

Lawrence L. Schembri

Fraser Institute and Tulo Centre for Indigenous Economics

Major natural resource, electricity and transportation projects are critical for the future prosperity of all Canadians, especially as we strive to increase business investment and diversify our international trade.  Such projects often, if not always, take place on the traditional territories of Indigenous communities. Partnerships with Indigenous communities through shared equity ownership and fiscal jurisdiction generate mutually beneficial returns, information sharing and risk management. In addition, they help to ensure the environmental sustainability of these projects and to preserve the land for future generations. The lack of access to finance has been a major obstacle to Indigenous economic inclusion and development. Alberta’s experience offers useful lessons about overcoming this and other obstacles to achieving successful partnerships with Indigenous communities. Restoring Indigenous prosperity supports Indigenous self-determination and promotes economic reconciliation.