VANDU Fundraiser for Intl Overdose Awareness Day
UPDATE: Fundraising Goal raised to $15K!!
Vancouver, unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nations
August 31, 2021 marks International Overdose Awareness Day. We recognize this as a day to honour those lost to the War on Drugs – a senseless war fuelled by colonial dispossession, racist violence, capitalist exploitation, and police criminalization that has taken far too many lives. Since 2017, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) has observed August 31 as a day to remember our loved ones, to grieve our losses, and to recommit ourselves to the drug user liberation movement.
We grieve thousands.
This August 31, VANDU will be holding a block-wide event, organized by, with, and for 300-Block neighbours and the greater Downtown Eastside Community. We have a fundraising goal of $10K for this year’s activities. With your support, VANDU can fully fund the International Overdose Awareness Day events and won't overextend its over-stretched budget.
About VANDU
VANDU was formed in 1998 to bring together users and former users dedicated to improving the lives of drug users, their families, and our communities. VANDU is committed to ensuring that drug users have a real voice in the creation of programs and policies designed to serve them. VANDU members facilitate weekly peer education groups and operate a low-barrier safe consumption site in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Over the last year, VANDU's work in the community also included...
- Calling for safe supply and highlighting high rates of overdose deaths in Indigenous Communities
- Highlighting the harmful impact of the “Vancouver Model” of decriminalization and how it will further criminalize drug users
- Educating people about the deeply personal impacts of the ongoing War On Drugs
- Supporting efforts to defund the VPD and decriminalize poverty
- Calling attention to police brutality, including misconduct and murder