The Canada FASD Research Network says Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder affects four per cent of Canadians, which is more than autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome combined, making it one of the leading neurodevelopment disabilities in Canada. The lifelong disability affects the brain and body of people who were exposed to alcohol in the womb. Each person with the disorder has both strengths and challenges and will require special supports to help them succeed with various aspects of daily life.
There’s an organization in Winnipeg that’s been offering services to those with FASD for the last decade, strengthened by cultural practices and traditional teachings.
Oshki-Giizhig celebrated 10 years in operation last month. Executive director Eric Friesen has been there since the beginning, with co-founder Grant Duncan, who died in 2021. Duncan pushed for Indigenous language programs and for spiritual and cultural activities. He lobbied government for funding, supported community and inspired those around him to carry on his work.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS
Eric Friesen is the executive director of Oshki-Giizhig, an Indigenous non-profit organization that provides support to people with the life-changing disorder.
“At the anniversary celebration last month, we had volunteers; we had community members, participants, participant families and staff members,” said Friesen. “Shoutout to the group of students from Met Centre for Arts and Technology who came and volunteered and served our participants and community.”
The Ojibwa name Oshki-Giizhig, bestowed through a sacred ceremony, reflects the “new sunrise” that the organization tries to create from the shadows cast by FASD. The Indigenous-based non-profit provides support in the community, accommodating people with FASD and other disorders.
Friesen began working with FASD in Manitoba nearly 20 years ago. He said back then the majority of people they were providing supports to were Indigenous, but those providing those supports were not. With help from elders and the United Way (and others), Oshki-Giizhig was born after consultations with the Province, Thunderbird House and folks in various affected communities.
“We provide supports to 200 people in the province with FASD, ranging in age from 16 to 65. We employ 80 people; the majority of our staff are Indigenous. The services we provide are based on the medicine wheel. We have a walking stick community support program. Wherever they are at in their lives — whether they are incarcerated or unhoused or living independently — we’ve got staff everywhere in the community providing those supports. Our services are long-term in nature. We provide supports for up to a lifetime.
“One of the first teachings we got was from an elder. We are learning from the folks that we serve. We find that true to this day. Every participant is unique. We learn so much, which has built and informed our programs and services. With the right services, positive and healthy supports, we are having a lot of success with participants who are able to parent their children.
“Years ago, CFS would have been involved. There would be birth alerts in the past. That’s not the case now. We are starting to see these children grow to be wonderful and happy and healthy.”
Stigma has remained an issue for those living with FASD and Friesen says that it causes trauma in their lives in terms of how they are seen and in their interactions with community.
Oshki-Giizhig services have long been informed by the words of the late justice Murray Sinclair who said the prevalence of FASD in Indigenous children can be linked to the stress and trauma caused by the residential school system in Canada.
“We need to recognize the prenatal alcohol exposure and the effects of intergenerational trauma,” Friesen said. “The majority of the folks we serve are really good-hearted, loving people. Some of them are parents, sons and daughters, some of them are employed.
“From our perspective, FASD did not exist on Turtle Island before colonization. We see FASD as one of the most significant effects of colonization. By providing Indigenous-based supports to our participants, we feel that this is reconciliation in action, we are doing our part to help fix the harms of colonization.”
Oshki-Giizhig’s holistic services work to enhance physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual wellness and help participants maintain healthy relationships, secure safe housing, acquire income and assist with finances, navigate and understand the justice system and assist with medical and basic needs.
The organization assists in restoring balance among participants, as many are heavily affected by trauma and violence. It fosters self-determination and employment opportunities, such as having a green team made up of participants, who go out into the downtown community cleaning the streets. The program was created as a way to introduce them back into the workforce and provide a means to generate their own income source.
One program in which participants learn a variety of life skills — cooking, maintaining relationships, financial literacy, basic health and wellness — on a daily basis, is Beaver Lodge Day Services. Oshki-Giizhig offers supports to parents by helping them reconnect with their children.
The charitable organization gratefully accepts both monetary and in-kind donations year-round, but at this time of year they’re needed more than ever.
“Quite a few of our participants are unhoused,” said Friesen. “With winter coming, we have folks that don’t have winter gear, mittens, hats, jackets. The majority of our clients are living in poverty, on EIA. There’s always a need for women’s hygiene products, and food as well,” he said, adding that arrangements can be made to drop off at 230 Princess St.
Financial contributions can be made through https://oshki-giizhig.org/
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