Women Rescue Initiative is currently a monthly program of YFPC focusing on offering help and support to girls and women regardless of, color, disability, race, religion, and sexual orientation. Empowering women and girls are essential to the health and social development of families and communities. When women are living safe, fulfilled, and productive lives, they can reach their full potential. contributing their skills to the workforce and can raise happier and healthier children.

Under the leadership of Dr. Titilope Ogunlade, (trained as a Medical Doctor in Nigeria, she also holds a Master’s in Health Management from Nigeria. While living in Canada she obtained a DEP, PSW PDSB, HCW, and CPR Certification to continue providing health care to her community), the Women’s Rescue Initiative seeks to help black and low-income women adjust to life in Canada by providing them support to access the resources that are available, of which they are not familiar. 

We are well positioned to offer gender-based programming as our leadership team and most members of our community were at one time new to Canada. We deeply understand the unique needs of visible minorities settling in a primarily white culture. Our leadership team is made up of professionals in the immigration, education, health, law, food security, and economic development streams and is able to offer significant assistance to women and girls who arrive in our community. 

We understand the distinct challenges that they face. Many of our girls and women have experienced gender-based violence in their home countries and do not know about the services Canada has to offer. We counsel and assist women who seek safety from current partners and who are looking for help to recover from violence. We advocate on many levels for women in our community and help them learn to take control of their own situations by offering support and acknowledging the difficulties they face. 

We offer advocacy to help girls and women find appropriate and safe housing, we also offer legal and court support with immigration help to those at risk of deportation into a violent situation in their home country. Girls and women who access our programs have already faced significant barriers in their new communities in Canada and as our leadership team has experienced these, we understand the barriers that are present for Black Africans in the GTA.

The women and girls who attend our monthly event are from black and racialized communities primarily from Western Africa and are seeking help to alleviate poverty, loneliness, and the trauma that comes with moving to a new country, even though many of them have been in Canada for years.