"Protecting Our Home Fires" is a strategy geared to show Indigenous communities credible information amid the COVID-19 global pandemic. (Brady Lang/650 CKOM)

By Brady Lang

Indigenous strategy launched to help communities access credible COVID-19 information

Apr 2, 2020 | 5:28 PM

A new strategy developed in Saskatchewan, geared to Indigenous communities, is looking to provide credible, and easy to access information on the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“Protecting Our Home Fires” was launched Tuesday by a researcher at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) and Morning Star Lodge, a research-based lab in Regina.

Indigenous communities will have an opportunity to learn about the risks of COVID-19 infection and how to prevent its spread through the strategy, which includes fact sheets and short informational YouTube clips.

U of S community health and epidemiology professor Dr. Carrie Bourassa told 650 CKOM that credible information is hard to come by for some, and they want to bridge that gap.

“We started to put out some information that is culturally safe, that is (reliable), easy to read and easy to share. We didn’t expect that it was going to, sort of, blow up in a good way. But it seems that a lot of people are really seeing value in (the project).”

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Dr. Bourassa said the feedback has been great so far. The research team is now looking to roll out more information in the coming week, including 19 activities for “healthy home fire.”

They include beading competitions, where participants can post photos of their beading patterns and offering different traditional recipes for those looking to fill their time amid the pandemic.

“I think people might be struggling to find different activities to (get) their mind off of some of the anxiety that is happening right now (in the Indigenous community).”

Dr. Bourassa admitted different communities within the province are in different situations surrounding COVID-19. Resources at their disposal, along with where they are located are different aspects that make each community unique in their responses to the global pandemic.

With COVID-19 a possible risk for elders within the communities, Dr. Bourassa hopes that those in the communities take the disease seriously before it is too late.

“We need to keep them safe, and protected. I think that people are now starting to really, really understand how this virus is attacking many, many people. But we can mitigate many of these risks, and we all have to do the best that we can to social distance ourselves, and do it in a positive way, with positive messages.”

For more information, including the fact sheets and links to the short YouTube clips for the “Protecting Our Home Fires” strategy, click here.