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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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