Members of the Chee Mamuk team assemble Kloshe Nanitch medicine bundles Kloshe Nanitch Supporting Indigenous-led health initiatives The act of reaching out to Indigenous is a core priority for the Foundation and a key communities with bundles of support, hope and responsibility within the public health sector. healing is a small step in our work towards Truth One of our current funding priorities is the and Reconciliation. The historical and ongoing Kloshe Nanitch medicine bundles, a thoughtful colonization and oppression of Indigenous project which demonstrates how we can work Peoples has created a pervasive lack of trust in upstream to build trust and forge new ways of government and related institutions, including working collaboratively to eradicate the harms of public health. It has created ongoing health colonialism and structural racism. This project is and socioeconomic disparities, poorer health led by communities who collaborate with Chee outcomes, and extensive inequities. Building that Mamuk, the Indigenous-led, self-determining trust and addressing these inequities program within the BCCDC. will require hard work and Kloshe Nanitch means “take care” in Chinook collaboration with Indigenous Jargon, used as a trade language between First communities, with a focus Nations, Métis, Inuit, and early settlers and on thoughtful public traders. This is precisely what these bundles health initiatives strive to do. They take care of health and rooted in wellness needs in Indigenous communities respect. throughout the province. Because gifting is such an important way to show respect in many “When we think and act upstream, Indigenous cultures, these bundles build trust we create a healthier and safer world. and reciprocity. Small or big, upstream solutions must become the way of our future.” — Kristy Kerr, CEO, Paci昀椀c Public Health Foundation 9 Annual Report 2023-2024