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WINNIPEG CHAPTER -- ANNUAL REPORT – 2009

The Winnipeg Chapter was formed just after the 2007 AGM in Toronto. Following a launch event held in January 2008 and attended by Board member, Salima Ebrahim, the Winnipeg chapter has held regular monthly meetings and has successfully recruited 16 members, all of whom are strongly committed to the mission and values of CCMW.

• Meetings are held once a month at a member’s home. There are always lots of snacks and time to socialize.

Networking, Education and Getting Involved

Due in part to lack of funds at this stage, we have been selective in attending events but have made an effort to get involved in community gatherings and spread the word about our organization.

• We held 2 Family Law workshops last fall. The workshop for legal professionals, mediators and other community members was well attended and also roused some interest from certain social service agencies who are interested in more “training” or education about Islam and Muslim women. The workshop for Muslim women was also well attended and provided an excellent forum for discussion about family law and interpretation of Muslim law.
• Our members have also attended several other events in the community including the Manitoba Muslim 25th Anniversary Fundraising dinner (to raise money for a local Muslim publication), Creative Retirement Manitoba for a dialogue between Jews, Christians and Muslims and interfaith session at University of Winnipeg.
• We held a Basic Computer Skill Workshop for seniors this spring.

Contributing to our Community

We have focused on volunteering as a group in our City.

• We send groups of volunteers (including our husbands, children, brothers and friends) to volunteer at the local food bank, Winnipeg Harvest, one evening per month.
• Last August, a few members and friends volunteered at a Habitat for Humanity home building project.
• We have for two years in a row fundraised and put together Ramadan hampers that include food basics, treats for kids, toiletries and other household essentials, for 2 needy Muslim families and for 6 other families entering the community after receiving treatment or services from a local women’s shelter for abused women.
• We collected donations of prayer scarves and put together a basket of scarves to donate to the local mosque for use by the public.

Future Plans

• The Muslim women who attended the Family Law session have indicated interest in more sessions regarding this subject. We plan to hold informal discussion groups regarding various topics related to Islam and women in the near future.
• We plan to have more computer skills workshops for seniors over the next year.
• Family Bowling night in the near future.



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Update From Winnipeg Chapter May 08

The Winnipeg chapter of CCMW was launched in January 2008 at the Millennium Library.  Board member, Salima Ebrahim and local Board Chair of Winnipeg Harvest spoke at the event encouraging our local Muslim women to get involved in CCMW and in the community.

In 5 short months, we have recruited more than 22 members and after surveying their various interests and needs are in the process of coordinating various Chapter events and activities.  We held our first family volunteer night on April 23 at which 20 men, women and children gathered to tour our local food bank to learn about the great need in our City and then worked to sort and pack non-perishable food.  It was a wonderful evening.  The group was so enthusiastic about the evening that we are heading back to Winnipeg Harvest on June 17 and are looking into a monthly volunteer commitment by CCMW friends and families.  I have attached some photographs.

We are currently in the process of organizing a food and clothing drive to take place prior to Ramadan so that we can provide basic necessities and other items to 2 or 3 women's shelters in the city.  We made a conscious decision with respect to this project to give during the holy month, but to give to both Muslim and non-Muslim people to also educate and create awareness of Muslim values.

Our members, Bilquis Khan and Sumera Sahar, attended an interfaith dialogue at the University of Winnipeg and were interviewed by the Winnipeg Free Press.

We are planning a community picnic and are looking for ways to regularly contribute to the broader community in which we live.  We have identified a project to highlight the successes of local Muslim women and raise awareness of non-traditional career choices for our local youth, a project to compile resources for new Muslims in the city and other interfaith and advocacy projects that we hope to engage in late this year or the next.  We will be holding an election in early October.

Our family law sessions are booked:  One for Muslim Women on Saturday, May 10 from 2:00- 4:00 pm at Pembina Trails library and a second for lawyers, mediators and social service providers on Wednesday, May 14 from 6:00- 8:00 pm at the University of Winnipeg, Room 2M70.  Isha Khan and Bilquis Khan will be presenting but several other CCMW members will assist in coordinating the workshops.  We already have 15 confirmed for the professionals session and 8 confirmed for the session for Muslim women.  We have also had 3 requests to conduct customized sessions for various groups (Canadian Muslim Womens Institute, Manitoba Justice and the Law Society of Manitoba, Family Law subsection of the Manitoba Bar Association).

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History

Started in 2008, the Winnipeg Chapter invites community-minded, Canadian Muslim women of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, and political views to assist in building a strong voice representative of our province's diverse Muslim women.

The Winnipeg Chapter plans to initially focus on community engagement initiatives such as volunteering with local women’s groups to promote civic engagement and building cross- cultural understanding in our city. As the group more firmly establishes itself, it will be holding events and activities open to the public and media.

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