Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy

Last Friday, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie launched Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy.

Our Executive Director, Danny Glenwright, shared his thoughts on this exciting announcement in The Globe & Mail.

We know from our +30 years of experience that when women and girls are included in planning and implementation of humanitarian responses, it improves outcomes overall. So we’re thrilled that the Government of Canada is putting women and girls at the centre of international assistance.

For example, we know this from our work in West Africa, a region that has experienced recurring droughts that affect harvests and increase child malnutrition. The project, called Mommy MUAC, is named after the plastic bracelet (similar to a measuring tape) that we use to measure a child’s middle-upper arm circumference (MUAC) to identify malnutrition. Instead of employing more medical staff to regularly survey vulnerable children, this project trains mothers to use a MUAC so they can monitor their own kids. Early results show a significant decrease in kids with malnutrition compared with the previous year. Social pressure and regular checking means mothers are catching poor nutrition early and nipping it in the bud before it gets worse.

 

More information on the Feminist International Assistance Policy.
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