Why we need your help.

Whether it’s a battlefield in Afghanistan or a boardroom in Toronto, women like Nichola forge ahead in a world where strong women continue to face real barriers on their journeys.

The Captain Goddard Fund helps servicewomen, Veteran women and their families manage the realities of a career in the military, and help serve as role models to other women in Canada and around the world.

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Servicewomen play an integral role in the peace process.

In operations, servicewomen have access to populations and spaces that are closed to men. In the words of Major General Lund of Norway, the first woman to serve as a Force Commander in a United Nations peacekeeping operation, “being a female, from my recent deployment in Afghanistan, I had access to 100 percent of the population, not only 50 percent.”

In the peace process, the strength of women’s influence is positively correlated to agreements being reached and implemented. When women participate in the peace process, the resulting agreement is thirty-five percent more likely to last 15 years, according to the International Peace Institute. The World Bank has also validated that higher levels of gender equality, are associated with a lower propensity for conflict, both between and within states.

Military service takes a physical and mental toll.

A career in the military is one of the most physically and psychologically challenging roles in the world. 40% of military personnel released each year will experience a psychological injury requiring support and treatment. Female veterans also have a 81% higher risk of suicide compared to the general Canadian population.

Canada needs strong women.

Canada is one of the only countries in the world where all military occupations are open to women, and have been since 2000. Supporting strong female military leaders serves a symbol of Canadian’s values of diversity and equality, both in the communities our military serves within, and to other militaries in developed and developing countries.