The Doulas for Aboriginal Families Grant Program (DAFGP) provides funding for Indigenous families to access doula care in BC. In Vancouver, Indigenous families who live in the city and who travel to the city from rural and remote communities under the birth evacuation policy rely on the DAFGP to access doula support. However, the DAFGP recently announced that they have run out of money until the new fiscal year (April, 2022). As a result, there is no funding for families trying to access doula services between now and April 2022. To address this problem, we are fundraising on behalf of the ekw’i7tl Indigenous doula collective to cover the cost of doula care for 20 families until the DAFGP is restored.

Currently, members of the local ekw’i7tl Indigenous doula collective are serving several families impacted by the DAFGP outage. ekw’i7tl members also routinely serve Indigenous families experiencing emergency birth evacuations, whose requests for doula support often come at the last minute. Due to the DAFGP outage, ekw’i7tl members are faced with the choice to work without pay or decline caring for families who need it most. This is simply unacceptable when we know hospital and healthcare settings are unsafe for Indigenous families (see: In Plain Sight) and COVID-19 restrictions mean families are more isolated in pregnancy and birth than ever before.

The ekw’i7tl doula collective is a network of Vancouver-based Indigenous doulas and student midwives that provide culturally relevant care to Indigenous families through the full-spectrum of reproductive-health related experiences, including pregnancy, birth, postpartum, pregnancy loss, family planning, menstruation, abortion, and infant loss. They offer Indigenous-led educational workshops and training for community members and health systems partners. The ekw’i7tl collective works alongside midwives, doctors and other health systems partners to educate and advocate for Indigenous women’s health and gender inclusivity in reproductive health care. For more information, please visit: https://ekwi7tldoulacollective.org/our-story/

To raise funds for this vital program and ensure these families get the care they need, Massy Books is holding a reading series with local children’s authors in November and the beginning of December. At each event, there will be representation from ekw’i7tl to answer any questions related to the program, or if any new parents have questions. All attendees will receive a free signed book and get the chance to win:

– SIGNED copies from all the authors at the event,

– 30% coupon to Massy Books

– Julie Flett Print! By supporting this series and fundraiser, you are actively engaging in the work of reconciliation and directly impacting the lives of Indigenous families.

Donations are:

$25 Meet the authors, get a free book!*

$75 Meet the authors and get signed copies of ALL the books!*

$500 Sponsor a Family! Get signed books from ALL the authors from the entire series, a free Signed Julie Flett Print, AND 30% off everything you buy at Massy Books until the end of the year!*

*Please note, proof of vaccination and masks are required to attend events at Massy Arts Society and Massy Books. 100% of all tickets and donations will go to the ekWi7tl collective. All books have been donated by PRH, Orca, Greystone, and Massy Books.

We thank all the authors for donating their time, Penguin Random House, Orca Press, and Greystone Books, for their donations and coordination! What a beautiful coming together of folks to make this happen. Kinanaskomitin!

This weeks event includes readings from Bree Galbraith (Hold That Thought!, Wednesday Wilson Gets Down to Business, Usha and the Stolen Sun, etc.) and Tiffany Stone (Little Narhwal, Not Alone, Wood Could, Tree Song).

BREE GALBRAITH likes writing stories that inspire kids and adults to think critically about the world around them. Her books include Usha and the Stolen Sun, Milo and Georgie, and the Wednesday Wilson series. Bree holds a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, and a Master’s degree in Communication Design from Emily Carr University. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family.

Tiffany Stone is a children’s poet and critically acclaimed picture book author. She was inspired to write Little Narwhal, Not Alone by her lifelong affinity with the North (her dad worked in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland) and by her volunteer work with new immigrants. She lives in B.C. with her family and a plethora of pets.