2. Women's Perspectives - Christian Aboriginal Infrastructure ...

Twenty years later, Anduhyaun is still in operation, providing Aboriginal women and
their children with a culturally based supportive environment and the resources to work
on a variety of problems, including abusive relationships, family and marital breakdown,
legal and financial difficulties, and alcohol and drug abuse. Staff at Anduhyaun help
Aboriginal women get housing, medical services, further education, skills development
and employment. They also operate a food bank. 84
In describing their work, managing director Catherine Brooks noted that many Aboriginal
women who become residents of Anduhyaun are accompanied by their children, who
have also been exposed to or experienced violence. She spoke about other experiences
Aboriginal women go through such as discrimination in housing and employment.
In 1986, Anduhyaun began to work on the development of a second-stage supportive
housing program (first-stage housing is the shelter operation). The purpose of the secondstage
program is to support women making changes in their lives by addressing issues
underlying substance abuse and assisting them in formulating and attaining their goals:
Whether her goals are to become an effective parent or reunite her family or acquire
education or skills for…employment that is meaningful to her, Anduhyaun's purpose is to
support her in achieving her goals.
Catherine Brooks
Managing Director, Anduhyaun
Toronto, Ontario, 26 June 1992
In their written brief, Anduhyaun relayed their belief that the underlying cause of
violence is the sense of lack of control experienced by Aboriginal people. The answer,
they believe, is self-determination in every facet of community life, which means "seeing
our situation as it is, then developing and controlling the community responsive resources
to change our lives in positive directions". 85
Along with the need for an increased emphasis on culturally appropriate health and social
services, we were struck by the many interventions that disclosed the vulnerability of
Aboriginal women and children. We heard testimony from individual women who have
survived violence. We also heard from Aboriginal women's organizations whose
representatives described the current difficulties and special challenges that Aboriginal
women face. But, of equal importance, we heard about the goals Aboriginal women are
pursuing in the firm belief that "they will lead to positive, healthy changes in their lives
and those of their children as well as those of their community as a whole". 86
In Volume 3, we examined family and community violence. We highlighted the fact that
violence is a complex, multi-faceted and widespread social problem in many Aboriginal
communities. Since it was raised by so many Aboriginal women during our hearings, we
raise the issue again here. We believe it is important to let their voices express their
feelings of vulnerability and to convey what they are doing about it.
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