COVID-19 has increased family breakdown and domestic violence. Help create a safe daycare space for children dealing with trauma.
GIVE THE GIFT OF PLAY
When Jasmine was 4, her mother was murdered. The shock from this traumatic event was monumental and left her confused, scared and shy. Her father, now a single parent, needed to find a place and a support system that understood the extraordinary challenges she faced.
With your help, we can build a safe space for children like Jasmine, right here in Greater Victoria.
The Little Phoenix Daycare will be a safe haven for children who have potentially experienced deep-rooted trauma resulting from experience/exposure to domestic violence, sexual, psychological, physical and emotional abuse and/or the refugee camp experience. It will be the one of the first of its kind in Canada and the first in B.C. The Daycare will have staff equipped to assist children – trauma counsellors, art therapists and other childhood experts supporting each child in a peaceful, therapeutic setting.
Daycare space is at a premium as it is and Little Phoenix will help children age 5 and under dealing with serious life challenges such as domestic violence, inter-generational trauma and significant health issues, as well as for children emigrating from war-torn countries. The curriculum will be tailored to individual life situations and personal needs allowing each child to transform their life for the better.
Together with long-term community partners, Family Services of Greater Victoria and the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society, you can help us finish the construction of the daycare space, furnish the facility, and fill the shelves with books and toys.
As a result of COVID-19, domestic violence and family breakdown is on the rise. Relationships are strained because of a lack of certainty about the future and potential job loss. Children are often caught in the middle underscoring the need for a daycare like this.
The first five years lay the foundation for a child’s life. No child should be left behind.
SHOW JASMINE THAT SHE HAS A SAFE HOME HERE.
Additional investment opportunities: United Way funds programs that help families facing poverty raise their children so that they can have the tools to better transition through all of life’s stages including early year’s programing, after-school care and homework clubs, parent training, counselling and single parent supports and respite.
Women United held a Fundraiser & Gin-Tasting in support of the Little Phoenix Daycare on Monday, October 19. Over $31,000 was raised in support of the Daycare.