A place to heal for female veterans and first responders who are living with PTSD
Healing garden offers a safe, supportive environment
Women serve alongside men in the military and as first responders. Women are heroic in these essential services, just as men are. And like their male colleagues, women are sometimes injured in the line of duty.
But there are differences. In a 2017 report by the Centre for International and Defence Policy on The Gender Dimension of Veteran Reintegration, Marin Ingalise Beck describes the gaps in services faced by women transitioning to civilian life. They face unique, gendered challenges because of injury, trauma and sexual assault, but services that are available are often one-size-fits-all, leaving women feeling left out, disconnected and isolated.
Women speak of their need to feel supported by their peers, to feel a sense of community and to serve in a new and meaningful way. The Women Warriors’ Healing Garden, a federally registered non-profit corporation based in Ottawa, is designed to fill this gap. This innovative corporation, led by veteran and visionary Dr. Erin Kinsey, supports female veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder and other debilitating life traumas. Dr. Kinsey and her team offer — free of charge — a chance for therapy, compassion and healing in a peaceful and serene garden environment. Female veterans, along with their children, can come together to raise vegetable and fruit crops, chickens, and to care for small animals.
The WWHG has formed a strong local partnership with The Well/La Source, a women’s drop-in centre in downtown Ottawa. The produce from their garden, including vegetables, grapes, strawberries and over 3,000 fresh eggs a year, support feeding the centre’s hundreds of women and children in need. Thanks to a Sparks Grant from the United Way, the WWGH members have been able to offer workshops on food canning at The Well, giving valuable training on food security for women in need, but also offering an opportunity for female veterans to serve their community.
Other programs include bringing eggs into classrooms where children with special needs can raise them into chicks, forging a sense of responsibility, compassion and camaraderie among these new chicken “parents.”
With the new gardening season fast approaching, the WWHG is gearing up to plant a vegetable garden and prepare their space for a new season of peer support, animal care, art therapy and other programs. Donations and community volunteers are always welcome to support these unique and valuable programs.