Is your organization struggling to make ends meet?

Not sure how to raise the money needed for your work’s long-term success?

Wish you had an effective strategic resource development plan?

Did you answer yes to any of these questions? You are not alone.

There is stiff competition among non-profits for donors and volunteers. Groups often feel unable to compete, yet many have found success.

So how can you get there?

Thanks to funding from Ontario Women’s Directorate and Status of Women Canada, this online assessment tool was developed to help you create own effective resource development plan – whether you are a Board member, volunteer, Executive Director, or staff member in a women’s organization!

Women Thrive Worldwide has recently released a new resource: Fundraising Guide for Women’s Community-Based Organizations. Women Thrive Worldwide believes that the best way to fight global poverty is by investing in local women’s groups in the developing world.

Read more and download the guide here.

CWHN has recently produced this nine-page fact sheet in both English and French.

Health policy researcher Janet Currie produced the document for the Canadian Women`s Health Network after Dr. Barbara Mintzes's successful webinar on the topic last October.
A recording of the webinar on this topic is available here.

For pregnant women or women contemplating pregnancy, reading literature about depression, pregnancy and medication often leaves them feeling only more confused. This fact sheet is intended to point out what is and is not known in the medical literature concerning the use of SSRI anti-depressants during pregnancy and, for women who decide ultimately that they do not want to start or continue using antidepressants, offers helpful information on how to come off them. It also offers some other options for dealing with depression and some resources for further reading.

The Institute of Gender and Health presents present volume 1, issue 2 of its biannual newsletter Intersections. This issue is dedicated to IGH's strategic research direction "clinical interventions: enhancing effectiveness". This issue highlights key examples of advances and achievements in this field, and the researchers behind these stories. The newsletter also shines the spotlight on trainees, profile successes in knowledge translation, and feature news at IGH and in the gender, sex, and health research community.

Intersections is available online in html and pdf formats.

"The Pregnancy Intentions of HIV-Positive Women: Forwarding the Research Agenda," a two and a half-day conference composed of plenary sessions, interdisciplinary breakout sessions and a half-day research symposium was convened at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts from March 17th to 19th 2010.

The conference brought together a multidisciplinary group from six continents engaged in HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health and rights work.

This conference report synthesizes current knowledge and discussions related to the four conference themes and five cross-cutting issues, identifies points of consensus and points of departure amongst participants, highlights suggestions for promoting multidisciplinary research in identified areas, and concludes with recommendations for future research.

The full report (PDF) is available on the HSPH Program on International Health and Human Rights website, as well as short document that highlights our proposed research agenda.

The short document is available here. (PDF)

Resilience: Stories of Single Black Mothers is an intimate, richly detailed documentary that confronts long-held sterotypes by stepping inside the lives of three real women in the real world. 

For more information about the film and launch dates, please visit its official website. 

For regular updates about the film, please become a fan of the film's Facebook fan page.

South Riverdale Community Health Centre, Mount Sinai Hospital’s Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre, Toronto Public Health and members of the Advisory Committee are pleased to announce the release of…Engaging Seldom or Never Screened Women in Cancer Screening: A Compendium of Pan-Canadian Best and Promising Practices

Funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, this is a unique Canadian publication on improving access to equitable healthcare and screening participation across the country for all women.

To download the compendium, please click here.

Please share this link with your contacts.

For more information, please email srchc@srchc.com or call 416-461-1925, ext 348.

The POWER Study (Project for an Ontario Women's Health Evidence-based Report) Musculoskeletal Conditions chapter is now available for download. The POWER Study (Project for an Ontario Women's Health Evidence-based Report) is producing a Women's Health Report to serve as an evidence-based tool for policy makers, providers, and consumers in their efforts to improve health and reduce health inequities among Ontario women.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) Conditions limit physical function, impose significant pain and suffering and are the number one cause of disability in Ontario. As a result, the associated costs to our health care system and to society are staggering. This chapter examines condition-specific prevalence, indicators of health and functional status, access and utilization of services and clinical care indicators for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. We examine performance on these indicators for women and men and assess differences by income, education, age and geography.

To download a copy of the full chapter or the highlights document (which outlines the chapter's key findings and messages), please visit the POWER Study website.

Mounting research shows a significant amount of Canadian prevention initiatives do not adequately meet and address the needs of our diverse population. To help address this issue, the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), in collaboration with key partners and researchers from across Canada, has developed the Sex, Gender and Diversity-based Analysis (SGDBA) Checklist. (PDF)

To learn more about both the Checklist and the foundational document mentioned above, please visit the CCSA website and click on ‘National Framework’ under the ‘Priorities’ tab.

These two archived webinars hosted by the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals describe current knowledge of emergency contraception, including myths, safety and efficacy, and counseling. 

This Joint Policy Brief by the World Health organization on behalf of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies examines how to reduce gender inequities using health systems.

The key messages are:
- Data on mortality, morbidity and use of health services reveal some important differences in health experiences between women and men.
- Health systems can make important contributions to gender equality and gender equity by addressing gender in a variety of ways.
- Identifying gender inequalities and addressing gender equity are also central to good stewardship of health systems.

Download the brief from the WHO website.

New multilingual resources from the South Asian Women’s Community Centre in Toronto!

Project Éco-santé tous ensemble's environmental health educational tools were created through a two-year partnership between the South Asian Women's Community Centre (SAWCC) and McGill University with help from our Community Consultation Group.

Our health is linked to the quality of our social and physical environments. Project Éco-santé tous ensemble explores the links between women’s heart, breathing, and mental health and their environments through a photo-video and a graphic booklet available in 10 languages (French, English, Urdu, Dari, Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Portuguese, Creole and Spanish), and three brochures (available in French and English).

All the project tools are available electronically on this page. Scroll down the page to find them.

The 2010 report reviews progress over 2000–2010. Countdown to 2015 Decade Report (2000-2010): Taking stock of maternal, newborn & child survival was launched at the Women Deliver conference in Washington D.C., 7-9 June 2010.

Countdown to 2015 is a global movement of academics, governments, UN agencies, foundations, health care associations and nongovernmental organizations formed in 2005 to track progress in reducing maternal and child deaths in the 68 countries where over 95% of these deaths occur. The movement aims to raise awareness and stimulate country action to accelerate progress towards reducing child mortality and improving maternal health.

Read the report here.

The World Health Organization Reproductive Health Library (RHL) is an electronic review journal published by the Department of Reproductive Health and Research at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. RHL takes the best available evidence on sexual and reproductive health from Cochrane systematic reviews and presents it as practical actions for clinicians (and policy-makers) to improve health outcomes, especially in developing countries.

See the journal here.

A new Consumer Side Effect Reporting Form was announced by Health Canada on June 17, 2010. The Consumer Side Effect Reporting Form, developed by Health Canada, has made it even easier for Canadians to report side effects to health products to the Canada Vigilance Program.  Health Products include prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs, and natural health products.

The news release, including a link to the form, is available on the Health Canada Web site.

In May, Women’s Health Environments Network (WHEN) co-presented the Canadian Premiere of the film Living Downstream with the Planet in Focus Film Festival in Toronto.

Based on the acclaimed book by ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., Living Downstream is an eloquent and cinematic feature-length documentary.  This poetic and character-driven film follows Sandra during one pivotal year as she travels across North America, working to break the silence about cancer and its environmental links.

For more on Sandra Steingraber, read her essay: What It Means to Be a Cancer Survivor.

Giving birth is quite a life-changing event on its own. Combine this with a new environment where you cannot find information in your own language, a whole set of new cultural values and expectations, and social structures to navigate through. You might start to understand the dramatic situation that some newcomers are experiencing when giving birth or raising their young children in Canada for the first time.

Ontario receives the largest number of immigrants and refugees in Canada. Many newcomers may not have sufficient literacy skills in English or French to read informational materials about services and supports available to them as expectant or new parents. There is a dearth of high quality, accessible material related to maternal and newborn issues in multiple languages.

The Best Start Resource Centre, a key program of Health Nexus, has adapted and translated some of its best brochures and booklets on topics related to preconception, pregnancy and early child development in eight languages (in addition to French and English):

To view and download these resources and to order print copies online, visit Best Start.

Author Heather Kuttai will be in Winnipeg on June 7th to launch her book, Maternity Rolls: Pregnancy, Childbirth and Disability. Heather will give a talk and sign copies of her book. The launch starts at 7:30 pm and all are welcome to attend

• Date: June 7th
• Time: 19:30
• Place: McNally Robinson Bookstore, Grant Park, Winnipeg

From the publisher: Fernwood: Heather Kuttai is a 40-year-old white, heterosexual woman. She is married and is the mother of two children. Living in a quiet, middle-class neighbourhood, her life is, in many ways, seemingly the quintessential picture of what many consider to be traditional. However, her life is not as conventional as it appears: she is a paraplegic and uses a wheelchair for mobility. Her disability dramatically changes the picture. Much of the writing about the experiences of women and mothers excludes the stories of women with disabilities. Established norms dictate that a mother’s body be “healthy” and “whole.” Because the body with disabilities is often seen for what it cannot do, taking on the role of mother can give the body a different value, status and worth. Heather’s experiences as a woman with a disability experiencing pregnancy and childbirth offers insights into what is already known about women’s bodies. The stories she tells of her life, her pregnancies and giving birth illustrate both her self-awareness and her awareness of our society’s negative perceptions of disability.

More info on the book at this website.

OTTAWA, April 29 /CNW Telbec/ -

WHO:   Olympic skating star Joannie Rochette is teaming with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute for iheartmom - a dynamic new initiative to fight heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women.

WHAT:  See the videos at www.iheartmom.ca of Joannie and others who explain why women of all ages need to know about the dangers of heart disease.

Videos of the Top Ten Things Women Should Know about Heart Disease and more are available on our YouTube channel or by visiting the Heart Institute page on Facebook

Learn more about women and heart disease on the Heart Institute website. 

Read the stories from women who are sharing their experience of heart disease in a discussion on the Heart Institute page on Facebook.

Views photos of our launch with Joannie and more on Flickr.

WHY:   It is not generally recognized that heart disease is the leading killer of women. Through the Heart Institute Joannie is helping to boost awareness of the disease, increase prevention measures and generate more heart research, and raise funds.In 2005, more than 25,000 Canadian women died from heart disease. That represents 50% of all deaths from heart disease. Risk of the disease in women increases with age and the onset of menopause. Yet, heart attack is not uncommon in women in their 30s.

For further information: Marlene Orton, Senior Manager, Public Affairs, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, (613) 761-4427, morton@ottawaheart.ca

The Canadian Breast Cancer Network (CBCN) has developed a workshop titled “Intimacy After Breast Cancer: A Program for Young Women”. This workshop was created to address sexuality and intimacy issues after breast cancer as they were identified by young women at the 2007 Young Women’s Conference in Toronto. The workshop was developed by clinical psychologist and breast cancer survivor Dr. Sally Kydd and was tested with the collaboration of 15 young women survivors in 2009.

CBCN is making this resource available free of charge to breast cancer support organizations throughout Canada. CBCN will provide organizations with a facilitators manual, a PowerPoint presentation that coincides with the manual and a copy of Dr. Sally Kydd’s book “Intimacy After Cancer” for each participant. The manual and PowerPoint presentation are available in both English and French. Due to the sensitive nature of the material, workshops must be facilitated by qualified professionals.

If you are interested in coordinating or hosting this workshop in your community please visit the website.

A report released April 28 by York University health researchers offers Canadians the opportunity to learn how their living conditions will determine whether they stay healthy or become ill.

Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts shows why these factors are so important for health and documents the state of these living conditions in Canada in an accessible manner for the Canadian public.

“Our key message is that the health of Canadians is much less determined by the health care system than we typically think. Much more important are public policies that influence our living conditions,” says Dennis Raphael, Professor in York’s School of Health Policy & Management and the report’s co-author.

Raphael and visiting scholar Juha Mikkonenexplain in everyday language and with compelling graphics how Canadians’ health is shaped by how much income and wealth they have, whether or not they are employed and if so, the working conditions they experience. They pull
together a wide range of research to show how health is powerfully influenced by Canadians’ ability to obtain quality education, food and housing, among other factors.

The report finds these conditions are declining with serious ramifications for the quality and longevity of Canadians’ lives, and outlines specific ways that the situation can be improved. The report is free to the public on this site.

The National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases has released a new fact sheet on contraception and HIV positive women. The fact sheet is available through their website.

Chapter 7: Access to Health Care Services. Bierman AS, Angus J, Ahmad F, Degani N, Vahabi M, Glazier RH, Li Y, Ross S, Manuel D. March, 2010

The POWER Study (Project for an Ontario Women's Health Evidence-based Report) is producing a comprehensive Women's Health Report to serve as an evidence-based tool for policy makers, providers and consumers in their efforts to improve health and reduce health inequities among the women and men of Ontario. The Access to Health Care Services examines Ontarians’ access to health care services and how it differs by sex, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, language, immigration and where one lives. The chapter includes sections on access to primary care, access to care for chronic diseases and access to and wait times for specialty care and home care.

Visit the POWER Study website (www.powerstudy.ca) to download all chapters and highlights documents. Introduction to the POWER Study, POWER Study Framework Burden of Illness, Cancer, Depression, Cardiovascular Disease and Access to Health Care Services.

View the POWER Study CVD chapter launch here. You may download the launch slides here.

See the direct Link to Full 74-Page UNFPA 2010 Report. (PDF). You may also visit the website for more information.

Girls Action Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of this viedeo created to showcase our Why Girls? resources. Check it out here.

Featuring the themes of Leadership, Media & Pop Culture, Sexual Health, and Violence Prevention, the Why Girls? resources are easy-to-use tools that offer fresh perspectives and add girls' and young women's voices to the current discourse that surrounds them.

Grounded in girls' realities, these tools are designed to support educators, parents, girls' programmers, the media, and anyone who would like to know more on how to address these topics in a positive and pro-active way.

To know more about Why Girls? or the work of Girls Action Foundation, please get in touch with Valérie Plante.