Hellos GRANs,
Happy New Year! We hope you've enjoyed a wonderful holiday season with family and friends and are feeling refreshed and ready to dive back into GRAN advocacy on the Right to Food.
January and February will be key months for advocacy as the government begins to develop the 2024 Federal Budget.
Letter from GRAN Co-Chairs
GRAN is starting off our advocacy in the New Year by reaching out to Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen. GRAN Co-Chairs have recently sent him this letter, letting him know about GRAN, and offering our help to build support for international assistance. In the letter, we emphasize the importance of quality funding with flexible and long-term investments focused on women smallholder farmers, support for nature-based solutions, and a priority on sub-Saharan Africa.
Postcards from GRANs
The second step is an action by all GRAN members. We'd like you to send the postcard pictured above to Minister Hussen to reinforce the key points of our letter. We believe that this coordinated approach, amplifying the Co-Chairs’ letter with a follow-up grassroots action, will increase the impact of our message. (Heads up: we will also be following up with a further GRAN action in February, this time targeting our MPs, to continue to keep these priorities in the minds of our government.)
How To…
You can choose how you wish to send the postcard. You can either print it and send it via Canada Post, or you can send it as an attachment in an email.
To print: A printable version is available in both English and French. Instructions for printing are provided here. You will either need a home printer that can print postcards on cardstock, or you can have it printed at a local print shop such as Staples. (Save the postcard file to a “memory stick” to go in in person or email it to your local print shop for online orders.) If you are able, consider printing off a number of them to share with others. (Note: Each page produces 4 postcards.)
Please handwrite your own personal message on the Right to Food in the space provided on the back of the card. This will increase impact and personalize your outreach.
Send by Canada Post to:
The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, P.C., M.P.
Minister of International Development
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
To send in an email: Download a single English or French postcard (or both!) to your device and include it as an attachment in your email to the Minister. Use your cover email as an opportunity to add a personal message about why this issue is important to you. Send to ahmed.hussen@international.gc.ca
Let Us Know!
Please amplify our impact by participating in this follow-up action and let us know you've sent your postcard to the Minister by sending a note or cc'ing: info@grandmothersadvocacy.org. Please feel free to share this postcard widely with partners, friends, neighbours, and networks. The more postcards sent, the better!
Welcome, GRANs, to a new year of advocacy!
Linda and Sharon
GRAN Co-Chairs
