On September 30, across Canada, we observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (also known as Orange Shirt Day). This day is a solemn reminder of the ongoing legacy of residential schools — to remember the children who never returned, to honour survivors, and to commit ourselves to meaningful reconciliation. At Moyo Health & Community Services, our mission has always been rooted in care, compassion, and inclusion. On this day, we reaffirm our commitment to listening deeply, learning persistently, and acting with intention.

The impact of residential schools is not just historical; its effects are very much alive and present. Generations of Indigenous peoples carry the trauma, grief, disruption of culture, language, and identity. These harms are not isolated—they intersect with current issues of health inequity, justice, education, and community wellbeing.  

For organizations like Moyo, especially in health and community sectors, reconciliation means more than acknowledgement. It means:

• Ensuring culturally safe, accessible, and respectful services

• Recognizing and working to mitigate systemic barriers faced by Indigenous peoples

• Listening to Indigenous voices — survivors, communities, leaders — in shaping policies, programs, and healing initiatives

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On September 30, we wear orange — not just as a symbol, but as a visible reminder of what was lost, and what still matters. We actively hold space for the grief, the stories, the truth — for survivors, for the children who never returned, for their families. We work to challenge our assumptions, address inequity, support Indigenous leadership, and foster healing and unity in our communities.

At Moyo Health & Community Services, we are committed to doing this work — to be part of reconciliation that is genuine, lasting, and rooted in respect, humility, and love.

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