Calgary Vietnamese Women's Association

Published purpose

This 30-month project will support a feminist response and recovery from the current impacts of COVID-19, through systemic change. Calgary Vietnamese Women’s Association will achieve this by conducting and documenting a formal needs assessment informed by Vietnamese women in Calgary; researching existing community service supports and advocacy literature for this racialized population group; writing white letters and calls-to-action papers to community organizations and government representatives to address identified service support gaps; meeting with service providers to help design inclusive programs and services; and disseminating project findings among stakeholders and influential decision makers to advocate for culturally relevant program and service planning and funding policy practices. At the end of the project, the organization will have contributed to addressing systemic barriers by advancing inclusive policies and practices, encouraging more equitable and effective sharing of resources, and increasing networks and collaboration to accelerate systemic change to support women’s equality. This project will engage research professionals, community service providers, ethno-cultural sector experts, political leaders, and women with lived experience in addressing the equality challenges experienced by Vietnamese women in Calgary, particularly the barriers to their economic security and prosperity. In collaboration with Action Dignity, Calgary Vietnamese Women’s Association will seek to advance key recommendations for practices and programs towards a recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. The impact will be documented through an ongoing evaluation.