Slaight family donates $15M to fund international initiatives
The Slaight Family Foundation has announced that it will donate $ 15 million to international organizations to fund impoverished women and girls’ access to health care, education and legal support.
To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, the foundation will distribute the funds among 15 non- profit organizations — including the Canadian Red Cross, Save The Children, World
Vision, UNICE F Canada, Crossroads International — all working in poverty-stricken, conflict-affected areas in the Middle East and Africa to mitigate issues affecting women and children.
“The project we are funding will leverage the expertise of these vital organizations to protect women and girls in the most fragile countries from direct harm, rebuild the lives of those who have been unjustly affected by conflict, deprivation and disease and give them the tools and support the need to survive and thrive,” said Gary Slaight, CEO of Slaight Communications.
The funds will support programs to improve menstrual hygiene management for school- aged girls in Somalia who are victims of female genital mutilation, reduce child marriage in Mali, increase literacy rates in children and improve access to HIV prevention- services in sub-saharan Africa.
The Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, founded by retired Canadian senator Romeo Dallaire, will also receive money to support programs reducing child soldier recruitment and conflict-based sexual violence.
The donation will also help a Human Rights Watch program documenting the abuses of male guardianship over women in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as a War Child program that gives legal support to those affected by the genderbased violence in countries such as Afghanistan, Uganda and Iraq.
“The investment in international NGOS is unprecedented and the projects being supported will directly assist more than one million women and girls in some of the world’s most fragile regions,” said Samantha Nutt, president of War Child Canada. “For the Slaight Family Foundation to recognize the threats faced by women and girls, and acknowledge that their concerns matter with such a historic gift, is a profound message to send. On behalf of the entire group, we extend our sincerest gratitude to the Slaight Family Foundation for their incredible support of our collective work.”
Gary Slaight is a Canadian businessman and media entrepreneur known for his philanthropic endeavours as well as for his 2005 induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. His father, Allan, who owns Slaight Communications, is a rock ‘n’ roll radio pioneer and also an active philanthropist.
Since 2013, the foundation has been donating to strategic initiatives targeting health care, global humanitarianism, youth advancement and Indigenous issues. Last year, it donated $30 million to various Toronto hospitals, national health organizations and the United Way to support Canadian seniors.