Acknowledgements

First and foremost I would like to thank the parents and families with young children who inspired this project and those who participated in it at many levels - as interview participants, subjects of photographs, translators, and reviewers of project materials. They have provided us with the information that we are disseminating and I hope that we have done justice to their challenging and remarkable lives.

I would also like to thank Alejandra Priego and Maureen McDonald for recognizing the critical importance of work in this area enough to write the project proposal and then continue to contribute to the project. My appreciation also goes to Amanda Dale and the rest of the Women's Health Centre staff for providing a stimulating environment to work in as well as sharing their expertise.
In addition, I would like to thank Health Canada's Health Promotions and Programs Branch for supporting and funding the project. Special thanks to the National Advisory Panel for coming on board at the start of the project and dedicating much time and thought to guiding the project as well as coordinating interviews and dissemination in their regions.

The other health and social service providers across Canada who assisted in coordination of interviews and dissemination, along with all the staff from social service agencies who contributed to resource collection and documentation for the development of the toolkit, also deserve special mention.
Thanks also to Judith K. Bernhard for her encouragement and input into the interview guide, and to Interrobang Graphic Design, Web Networks, and Traductions a la Page, for their patience, creativity, and professionalism. I also appreciate the support and enthusiasm of the Women's Health Centre Community Advisory Panel and Health Canada's Regional Program Consultants.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank all the support staff who helped make the project happen: Dina Kaldas and Gwen Cada for administrative support, Alexandrina Stoilova for help tabulating the demographics of the interviewees, and Neora Snitz who started with the project on a student placement and then stayed with it to see it through.

A special thank you to Sherry Thompson for being so meticulous and thorough in her final editing of the document.

On a personal note, I would like to thank my family and friends for their loving support through all the ups and downs - especially to Rehana Jade Mawani, my wonderful niece, for providing me with my inspiration for this project. And to Zohrab and Annabel for bringing her into the world, at just the right time.

Farah N. Mawani
Project Coordinator