Addressing the challenges of food insecurity

Illustration by Celina Koops of a series of pipes labelled "income" feed money into three bowls. The bowls are labelled "rent," "bills," and "food." While "rent" and "bills" are full of coins, there is no money left to fill the "food" bowl.

In acknowledgment of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Reduction, CHASI Lead Researcher Larissa Kowalski shares her insight into the field of food insecurity, a significant issue in the Fraser Valley and for university students. COVID-19 has led to severe and widespread increases in global food insecurity (World Bank, 2021; Statistics … Read more

Striving for safe and respectful childbirth

Illustration by Celina Koops of a mother holding her baby while wearing a mask. Both of them are symbolically being held and supported by embracing arms.

September 17 marks World Patient Safety Day, a day which “calls for global solidarity and concerted action by all countries and international partners to improve patient safety.” This year, the theme is safe maternal and newborn care — an essential conversation, as the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 6,700 newborns die every day, while 810 … Read more

Labour Day in Canada

Illustration by Celina Koops of workers in clothes indicating different professions: a healthcare worker, a person in a suit, and a construction worker.

Canadians are about to enjoy the Labour Day long weekend with an extra day off as the unofficial end of summer and start of the new school year. But for such a major weekend of vacations and gatherings (in normal years, at least), how often do we really consider the name and origins of Labour … Read more

International Day of Friendship

Illustration by Celina Koops of two friends emerging from the screens of their laptops to share a hug.

Today is the International Day of Friendship. Writing on the day’s meaning, the U.N. explains that confronting the world’s challenges requires “promoting and defending a shared spirit of human solidarity that takes many forms — the simplest of which is friendship.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, friendship has looked different, and many of our connections have … Read more

Disability Pride Month

Illustration of Karsten Renaerts wearing a cowboy hat and riding a horse, with a sun-like yellow glow illuminating him from behind.

July is Disability Pride Month, and in celebration of this observance, CHASI is proud to share the following guest post from Karsten Renaerts, an Accessibility Advisor for UFV’s Centre for Accessibility Services. When I was asked if I wanted to contribute to this blog post, I enthusiastically said “Sure! I’d be happy to.” Then, I … Read more

Celebrating Pride and acknowledging what still needs to be done

An illustration of two cartoon, rainbow-coloured hands coming together in celebration. Text reads: Canada is home to 1 million people who are LGBTQ2+, accounting for 4% of the total population

Content warning: suicide June may be coming to an end, but CHASI is proud to celebrate Pride year-round. This year, Canada marks an exciting milestone, reaching one million members of the LGBTQ2+ community! Canada still has a long way to go, however. Statistics Canada has also shared information on the discrimination and challenges that the … Read more

World Refugee Day

Photo collage of members of the UFV Student Refugee program

In acknowledgement of World Refugee Day, CHASI is pleased to partner with UFV Student Refugee Program members Gina Dhinsa, Holly Janzen, and Catherine Janzen. Today, we celebrate World Refugee Day and honour displaced persons around the world. We are members of the UFV Student Refugee Program – a group of students that sponsors refugees to … Read more

International Domestic Workers’ Day

Illustration of a woman with arms stretched in all directions, trying to care for a baby, a child, a person in a wheelchair, and an elderly person all at once.

Today is International Domestic Workers’ Day. The often invisible labour of these essential workers deserves acknowledgement and support, and their difficult labour deserves to be valued. COVID-19 highlighted the challenges women face in our societies. It aggravated these challenges, as many women face an increased workload at home and significant losses in the labour market. … Read more

International Day of the African Child

For the International Day of the African Child, CHASI is pleased to welcome Dr. Cherie Enns, UFV student Jacqueline Fanta, and UFV alum Njavwa Mukwavi to share the history of the day and their own reflections. Dr. Cherie Enns My name is Dr. Cherie Enns, and I teach in both Global Development Studies and the … Read more