Launching of First-of-Its-Kind Financial Literacy Training Program for Survivors of Domestic Economic Abuse
CCFWE’s work is instrumental to changing the landscape and empowering economic abuse survivors to liberate themselves and to gain financial knowledge and independence.
– Marieke Vandekolk, TD Manager
In an exhilarating event, we launched My Money, My Freedom Project – an innovative financial literacy training program for equity-seeking survivors of Domestic Economic Abuse, funded by TD Ready Commitment Group.
Held on November 1st at 12 PM via Zoom, the event provided a deep dive into this groundbreaking initiative. Over 93 participants gained valuable insights as diverse finance, women’s services, and gender-based violence professionals shared perspectives on how intersectional financial literacy contributes to the recovery of survivors of domestic economic abuse.
The event drew a diverse audience committed to the broader cross-cultural effort to eliminate Economic Abuse in intimate partner relationships. Participants included representatives from women’s shelters, women’s organizations, academics, researchers, finance experts, human rights professionals, policymakers, and, notably, survivors themselves.
The event promoted the financial literacy training program among stakeholders in the community and raised awareness about the need to collaboratively work to empower and support survivors of Economic Abuse.
As the Executive Director of a frontline women’s organization, I am extremely excited about this first-of-its-kind 6 week training program, which will provide women with essential knowledge, skills, tools and support that they need to overcome economic abuse and rebuild their lives with dignity. Their economic freedom will foster their social mobility and generational equity, and give them more opportunities to improve their living standards as well as pass this knowledge on to their children and their grandchildren.
– Mercy Lawluvi, Executive Director of Immigrant Women Services Ottawa
For any post-event inquiries or to learn more about how to register, please reach out to the Project Manager, Andrea Prajerova, at andrea.prajerova@ccfwe.org.
We express our sincere appreciation to the women who have faced the impact of economic abuse, recognizing their courage, strength, and unwavering acts of resistance and resilience.
- Read our press release here.
- If you want to join, please click here.
- If you want to partner as an organization on this project, please click here.
Speakers:
- Marieke Vandekolk, TD Manager
- Andrea Prajerova, PhD, Manager of Financial Literacy at CCFWE
- Meseret Haileyesus, Founder and Executive Director of CCFWE
- Angela Lyrette, Professor and Coordinator at Algonquin College
- Sarah Woodward, Team Lead at Interval House
- Chantel Chapman, CEO and Founder of Trauma of Money
- Merci Lawluvi – Executive Director of IWSO
Panelists’ Profiles
Joël Jones
Joël Jones – Educator/Creative/Activist – Prouldy integrates her lived experiences with her diverse and colourful professional background to create spaces of growth, inspiration and collaboration.
Joël is an Education Officer with the Canadian Association for Professional Employees and had a keen interest in knowledge mobilization, accessible education and social justice.
As a part of her passion for food and nutrition Joël has a YouTube channel where she prepares delicious and healthy meals that are flexible and easily integrated into any diet.
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeljones2/
Marieke Vandekolk
Marieke Vandekolk is a community builder with a strong record of stakeholder engagement, project management and strategic policy development.
Through her multi-sector background she has led projects with multiple levels of government, First Nations leadership, non for profits and private corporations. In her work with former Prime Minister Paul Martin, she supported the active expansion of Indigenous led pilot programs focused on teaching entrepreneurship and business to First Nations youth across Canada. More recently she helped launch TD Bank’s Corporate Citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment, managing a community investment portfolio of over $28 million, focusing on increasing financial security through investing in community initiatives that help people live their lives with greater financial confidence.
Dr. Andrea Prajerova
Dr Andrea Prajerova (she/her) is a white queer intersectional feminist, researcher and gender-based violence expert. She is the Financial Literacy Program Manager at CCFWE. With a career that straddles both academia and the nonprofit sector, she is bringing with herself extensive experience in project management, evaluation, education and grant writing. She is passionate about developing strategies to combat gender-based violence and finding innovative solutions to new and old challenges. She is committed to advancing the rights of diverse women, children and youth and sexually and gender diverse people through intersectionality. Dr Prajerova has also worked as the Director of Board at several other non-profit organizations. She believes that creating a better world without violence is possible if we do it together.
Angela Lyrette
Angela Lyrette is an Educational Developer, Program Coordinator, and Professor at Algonquin College in Ottawa. She brings to her teaching role 18 years of experience in the banking sector; as an Assistant Manager, Financial Advisor and Investment Specialist at TD Canada Trust. Angela is passionate about facilitating career goals through education, coaching and networking. Angela’s research interests include the role of workplace and adult post-secondary learning in ensuring economic growth and equality.
Angela holds a Masters in Education (MEd.) specializing in workplace and adult learning from the University of Calgary, an Honours Certificate in Teaching Adult Lifelong Learners (TALL) from Algonquin College and an Associate, Institute of Canadian Bankers designation (AICB) from The Institute of Canadian Bankers, now The Canadian Securities Institute (CSI).
Meseret Haileyesus
Meseret Haileyesus is a multi-award-winning thought leader and change-maker with a distinguished record in championing economic justice and health equity. For the past 22 years, she has dedicated her life to advancing progressive policies on access to reproductive health, women’s and children’s health, public health research, and women’s economic rights. As the visionary founder of the Canadian Centre for Women’s Empowerment (CCFWE), she has been unflagging in her efforts to address economic disparities and dismantle systemic barriers that hinder marginalized women’s economic advancement. Through pioneering policy advocacy, groundbreaking research, educational initiatives, and programs preventing Economic abuse, Meseret is at the forefront of this critical work.
Her primary mission is to shape public policy and legislative decisions that empower women to achieve economic independence in Canada. Meseret is dedicated to bridging gaps in existing approaches to combat economic abuse. Her commitment to societal improvement extends beyond CCFWE. Meseret serves on the Board of Directors at Centertown Community Health Centre and the End FGM Canada Network. She is also a member of the Network for the Advancement of Black Communities Public Policy Advisory Council and the Governance Committee for the City of Ottawa’s Community Safety Wellbeing Plan, aimed at addressing poverty, systemic racism, and mental health challenges faced by Black youth and their families in Canada.
Sarah Woodward
As the Residential Program Team Lead at Interval House, Sarah Woodward is an integral part of the team. She has been at IHO for the past 12 years and brings a wealth of experience to the organization. Sarah’s frontline experience and leadership role play an important part in the daily function and support the shelter provides to all residents. Sarah joined the team as a student in 2011 and has consistently moved up internally. She is passionate about ending Gender Based Violence/ Violence Against Women and hopes for a future filled with equality. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys chasing after her two young sons and traveling the world.
Mercy Lawluvi
Mercy Lawluvi is the Executive Director at Immigrant Women Services Ottawa (IWSO) which is one of the leading women’s organizations in Ottawa providing services to meet the unique needs of immigrant and racialized women with special focus on the elimination of all forms of violence against women and children and achieving social and economic equity for immigrant and racialized Women.
Mercy has worked at IWSO for the past 17 years and has held the position of Executive Director since 2016. Mercy is also a vice-president of World Skills Employment Centre; she is a member of the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership Council (OLIP) and the co-chair of the OLIP Language Sector Table. She was the Eastern Regional Director of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) from 2019-2022.
Mercy, who sits on several advisory tables, is also a keen advocate of women’s rights and continues to work tirelessly to raise awareness of issues affecting women including Gender Based Violence.
Mercy has a background in teaching, social work and small business management.
Chantel Chapman
Chantel Chapman is a refreshing voice in the financial recovery and education space; renowned for her cutting-edge, relatable, and trauma-informed money guidance. In 2018, Chantel founded The Trauma of Money™, an accredited course certifying professionals in facilitating and healing money trauma. Leveraging 14+ years in mortgage and financial literacy/recovery consulting, Chantel has taught and written finance curricula for numerous Universities and non-profit organizations like United Way. She’s also a proud member of the National Task Force for Economic Justice, supporting Canadian Center for Women’s Empowerment in ending financial abuse. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Real Simple Magazine, and Refinery 29.
