A grant of more than 20 million, awarded in partnership to the Hygeia Observatory of the Université de Montréal

On February 24, Sonia Lebel, Minister responsible for Canadian Relations and the Canadian Francophonie, authorized a funding agreement of more than twenty-one million dollars with the Université de Montréal.

This is a great recognition for the work of the Hygeia Observatory, which brings together a group of women including Violaine Lemay and, more recently, Miriam Cohen, from the Faculty of Law. Already a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Scholarships and having recently obtained a $200,000 grant from World Vision, Hygeia is now partnering with the International Health Unit in a large-scale project called "TUSEME-KWELI-Disons la vérité". This project is based on an ongoing collaboration with the Panzi Foundation, created by Denis Mukwege, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner and honorary doctor of our University.

The Hygeia Observatory is primarily dedicated to interdisciplinary support for the empowerment of Girls, Adolescents and Women (GAW) within the Francophonie. The empowerment of GAW has been shown to generate individual and social benefits of various kinds, including public health, social justice equality, social health, socioeconomic and political/educational benefits. This explains why these actions are propelled by a host of national and disciplinary cultures, aligning perfectly with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This content has been updated on 19 April 2022 at 14 h 19 min.