Victoria Olympian puts the issue of food security on the table

Victoria -

She may be better known for her achievements on the rugby pitch, but Olympic athlete and Rugby Sevens player Pamphinette Buisa is making an even bigger difference off the field. 

The Victoria native and activist is addressing the urgent issues facing our planet with a focus on food insecurity.

Busia, alongside three other like-minded B.C. youth, were recently selected by organic snack brand MadeGood to join its “Un-Wrecking Crew.”

The pandemic brought food insecurity into the spotlight, with experts saying that as many as 1.7 million Canadians now face going hungry. In B.C., more than one in 10 households are food insecure.

“Obviously, this global pandemic heightened a lot of those issues,” says Buisa, an Olympian and community organizer.

“We need to start thinking about ways that we can alleviate that and start thinking outside of these ideas of scarcity, but think of abundance in ways that we can not only think of the land, but think of the resources and also the bodies in which (we) are existing on these territories.”

Hundreds of young people across the United States and Canada submitted both written and video entries to become part of the brand’s “Un-Wrecking Crew,” highlighting their efforts to reduce food insecurity in their communities. The individuals chosen were selected based on the focus of their initiatives, the impact they make, and the quality of their presentations.

All the participants selected received an in-kind product donation to the organization or event of their choice.

Buisa chose Binkadi Community Services, a Victoria organization that assists individuals who are in government care, those living with developmental disabilities or mental illness, and others. 

“The more that we can bring love and care there; support, resources and listening and providing more and more opportunities for youth to be empowered and to be in their power (the better),” Buisa says.

Beyond her talent in sports, Buisa is also affiliated with many different causes. She works with unhoused individuals and with youth, and she is committed to uplifting the voices of those in disenfranchised communities.

The Olympian’s advice to those willing to help make the world a better place is: “Lean in, listen to the community, be there, show up.”

More information about the “Un-Wrecking Crew” can be found here.