Afghan Women Fund
PIRS has established the Afghan Women Fund to provide trauma-informed and culturally appropriate support to Afghan women and their children in our community.
Between August 23rd and September 27th, 300 Government Assisted Refugees (GAR) arrived in Metro Vancouver, with over half (55%) being children under the age of 18. 78 families have come so far, and we are expecting many more families to arrive in the coming months. So far, only 16 families, or 54 individuals, have obtained permanent housing (Source: ISS of BC). To learn more, click here.
Large populations of children arriving require childcare and/or education. Meanwhile, refugee women arrive and find themselves without local support systems, facing inaccessible and expensive childcare, and are already at a disadvantage in terms of literacy and English language proficiency.
Without access to childcare and resources, women miss out on orientation services and personal and professional opportunities that are necessary for their transition into Canadian life and their sense of belonging and agency.
At PIRS, we understand the challenges of newcomer women, and we want to help newcomer women thrive in their transition to Canadian life.
Our Afghan Women Fund aims to raise $50,000 to help 50 families and to provide more trauma-informed English classes for women and their children, deliver culturally relevant mental health support, and provide accessible childcare at locations where newcomers will be oriented or housed.
Donate Today
Community Fundraising
Raising funds to support Afghan women is a community wide effort! We are grateful to local businesses and community members finding creative ways to partner and support the Afghan Women Fund.
To join these efforts and contribute to supporting Afghan women in finding a supportive community in Canada, you can:
- Donate here and select Afghan Women Fund.
- Fundraise amongst your personal networks or organizations (e.g. for your birthday!) Visit our Fundraising page for our Fundraising Toolkit, instructions, and ideas.
- Donate gift cards to the PIRS Food Hub Program
- Become a PIRS member and/or volunteer
- Follow us @pirsvancouver on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to stay updated!
- Subscribe to our newsletter and stay informed.
- Share any fundraising ideas you have with Cathy (cxu@pirs.bc.ca) and Holly (hbenna@pirs.bc.ca)
Your donation will help Afghan women with young children access language programs and childcare that build a sense of community and belonging.
Online Auction
To raise funds to support Afghan women, we hosted an online auction from November 8-26, 2021, featuring high quality auction items donated by local businesses in our community. To learn more about our online auction efforts, click below: