News Release: Restoring the Sacred Bond Community Launch
The Southern First Nations Network of Care (SFNNC) and Wiijii’idiwag Ikwewag invites you to a sacred feast and ceremony to honour and bless it’s new initiative, Restoring the Sacred Bond.
Restoring the Sacred Bond offers a new model for health in our First Nations communities.
Balancing traditional knowledge with current education, birthing science and proven support systems, the Restoring the Sacred Bond Initiative offers new hope for healing First Nations communities. In it's governance role, the Southern First Nations Network of Care is responsible for supporting our program delivery partner – Wiijii’idiwag Ikwewag – to meet key performance indicators of reducing the number of First Nations infants apprehended at birth.
The Fire of Our First Nations Lives Within Our Women
We believe that reigniting the personal power of our women is the critical first step in strengthening the bond between mother and child and healing our communities.
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The Initiative
Setting the goal of keeping more First Nations children at home.
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Wiijii’idiwag Ikwewag
Holistic program delivery through trained Indigenous Birth Helpers.
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Guiding Principles
The Seven Teachings guide us towards restoring the mother-child bond.
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“The Southern First Nations Network of Care is honoured to be selected for the Restoring the Sacred Bond Initiative as the landmark social impact bond in Manitoba. Our First Nations leadership has made a Chiefs’ Resolution calling for a shift in service delivery for our communities which honours the sacred ways of traditional childrearing. This initiative supports shifting child welfare services to preventative care for Indigenous expectant Mothers through a culturally appropriate lens as called for by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls for Action and National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls for Justice. Our member Agencies have embraced this practice and we have already seen the positive impacts of Indigenous Birth Helper supports to expectant Mothers, including the prevention of infant apprehension and early reunification of infants. Miigwetch!
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Through the Restoring the Sacred Bond initiative, our goal is to create a successful, scalable program model that supports the health of our Manitoba First Nations communities by facilitating circles of women coming together and reclaiming their roles as guardians of the sacred bond between mother and baby.
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