(Image credit: Okangan Indian Band)

By Liam Verster

$34,600 for OKIB food security

OKIB and other local First Nations receive poverty funding

Oct 6, 2021 | 11:10 AM

The Okanagan Indian Band in one of six First Nations in the Thompson Okanagan, and one of 62 communities province wide, that is receiving provincial funding to support poverty reduction efforts.

The First Nations Well Being Fund, allocated under the TogetherBC plan and administered by the First Nations Public Service Secretariat, is intended to support First Nations and Tribal Councils as they work to improve quality of life for community members on and off reservations, promote well-being, and reduce poverty at the community or nation level.

“Numerous studies have shown that Indigenous people experience the highest levels of poverty, with a shocking 25 per cent of Indigenous people in Canada living in poverty,” said Cheryl Casimer, political executive, First Nations Summit.

“This poverty reduction initiative was created to assist B.C. First Nations to increase well-being within their communities and membership. This welcome program is a modest step toward addressing the disproportionally high rates of poverty for First Nations citizens in B.C. The program was very oversubscribed, which clearly shows there is a high demand for much-needed funding for these types of important community projects. We hope that the success of this initiative will lead to greater poverty reduction funding opportunities for our communities in the future.”

The First Nations in the region that will benefit from the grants are:

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• Okanagan Indian Band: $34,600 for food security initiatives, including skill building workshops, apiculture (beekeeping) training and a community garden;
• Coldwater Indian Band: $32,257 to record traditional teachings and decolonization, and implement an Elders’ cultural and Knowledge-Keeping group;
• Lower Similkameen Indian Band: $35,000 for food security initiatives, including food distribution and restoring a local greenhouse;
• Lytton First Nation: $35,000 to deliver training and skill-building programs around mobility and fall prevention for Elders in the community;
• Osoyoos Indian Band: $25,000 to deliver eight community-based sessions to develop and build a well-being plan for band members.

“As we continue the work to build and maintain strong relationships based on recognition and implementation of the inherent rights of Indigenous peoples, it’s good to know that many of the plans and projects being funded through the First Nations Well Being Fund are designed to preserve and respect Indigenous cultures and promote community well-being,” said Murray Rankin, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation in B.C.

The First Nations Well Being Fund is distributing more than $2 million in grants to 62 First Nations communities throughout B.C. under this initiative.