Giving Compass' Take:

· Devex interviews Hannah, an anishinaabekwe woman from Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve in Ontario, to talk about her position in advocacy at Canada's G-7 meeting. Hannah spoke not only for women and girls, but also for the indigenous people living in underdeveloped areas of Canada and their needs to improve life.

· What can be done to provide Canada’s indigenous people with the same opportunities as others in their country? How can philanthropy ensure the presence of indigenous voices at decisionmaking tables? 

· Learn how philanthropy can play a role for indigenous communities.

Canada’s G-7 presidency brought the rights of women and girls to the fore of this year’s agenda and gave women a seat at the table to advocate for policies that will improve their lives. As a part of that dialogue, Canada is acknowledging that it still has work to do within its own borders regarding its First Nations.

Hannah is an anishinaabekwe woman from Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve in Ontario, Canada. She is a member of the youth council in her community, which advocates on behalf of young people to the chief-in-council. She came to Whistler along with five other women from Benin, Jamaica, Lebanon, Mali, and South Africa to advocate directly to G-7 ministers.

Hannah, 20, told Devex she felt incredibly inspired to speak with her fellow women leaders, but said she was disappointed that the condition of Canada’s First Nations was bad enough that she had to be there.

“In this country, we are considered developed, and yet my community’s needs are pretty great considering. The ones up north — they are living in shacks, they don’t have plumbing, and no running water,” Hannah said. “It’s sad that I had to go there, but happy I was able to give voice for those who don’t have theirs yet.”

There is a lot of work left to do to provide Canada’s indigenous people with the same opportunities as others in the country while allowing them to nurture their cultural heritage, said Hannah. Many of her peers suffer from physical or emotional abuse that leads them to miss school. The community doesn’t have appropriate resources to help girls deal with such problems and ensure that they do not negatively impact access to education, she said.

Read the full article about bringing Canadian indigenous voices to the table on development by Teresa Welsh at Devex International Development.