Sharing Knowledge Across the North: IFNA Presents at the NUNAMED Conference

October 14, 2025

From October 3–5, Reclaiming Our Bundle lead Charlotte Oades and Jordan’s Principle Manager June Trout travelled to Nuuk, Greenland, to attend the NUNAMED Conference, a gathering focused on advancing healthcare in the Arctic through shared knowledge, collaboration, and innovation.

This year’s theme, “Education and Future”, brought together healthcare professionals and educators from across Canada, Europe, and beyond to explore how education can inspire new approaches and improve health outcomes in northern regions.

Charlotte’s presentation, “Reclaiming Our Bundle: Revitalizing Indigenous Midwifery and Community-led Perinatal Care in Northwestern Ontario,” shared IFNA’s ongoing work to bring birth back home for member Nations. She presented striking statistics showing that many expectant mothers must travel more than 400 km from their homes, families, and communities to give birth. Through Reclaiming Our Bundle, IFNA works alongside Elders, midwives, and community health teams to restore traditional birthing knowledge and build Indigenous-led perinatal care rooted in culture and community.

June Trout shared a personal story about her grandmother, who was born in the early 1900s. After losing her first child due to complications during birth, her care was taken over by her sister Amelia, a midwife, who helped her safely deliver six more children in the years that followed. Her grandmother’s story is a reminder of the strength and knowledge that once existed within communities, and how vital it is to reclaim and restore those practices today. Reflecting on the moment, she said, “I just kept thinking about what my grandmother would say. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to go—it’s important to have Indigenous representation.”

Charlotte shared, “Presenting Reclaiming Our Bundle at NUNAMED was such a gift. We met people from all over the world who are working towards the same goals, and it showed how much we share. It felt like an open invitation to keep learning, growing, and doing this work together. We were surrounded by Indigenous leaders and partners walking alongside, pushing for wellness, health equity, justice, and real stewardship. I was honoured to stand beside June and watch her story land in the room. It resonated with so many and served as a beautiful reminder of why we need to keep these conversations going—to honour our stories, memories, and history.”

June said the conference was a powerful opportunity to meet others from around the world who, despite the distance, face similar challenges in their Indigenous communities to those we see here in Northern Ontario. She was inspired by the ideas and innovations emerging to strengthen culturally safe healthcare across the arctic region and beyond.

As she reflected on the experience, June shared her final thoughts: “We have a lot of opportunities to learn from each other, we just need to be open to it.”