Ottawa
PLEASE CONTACT OTTAWA CHAPTER FOR CURRENT ACTIVITIES.
2011:
The Ottawa Chapter was established in early 2010 (see below) at the instigation of Roya Rahmani, former country director for CW4WAfghan in Kabul and Board Member of CW4WAfghan. Roya left our chapter at the end of April to return to Afghanistan and work as an advisor to the Afghanistan's Ministry of Education. Helen Hayward and Jennifer Simpson agreed to act as Co-chairs, with Margaret Williamson as member of the executive, Eileen Olexiuk, as Treasurer and Mahshaz Yousufzai as our Secretary. We are also fortunate to have the support of other engaged and passionate women in Ottawa.
To initiate interest and awareness, an event was held on April 28 at which Roya spoke on women and Islam, the same presentation she gave in Kelowna last October. About 20 women attended and participated in an interesting discussion and question period following Roya's presentation. We also had a draw for a beautiful mounted photograph of a woman in a white burqa among white doves which she is feeding donated by Farzana Wahidy.
Helen, Jennifer and Eileen are planning to attend the upcoming AGM in Oakville and are looking forward to connecting with chapter members across the country.
2010:
Background: On the 5th day of February 2010, the Ottawa Chapter of CW4WAfghan was formed. Six women from diverse backgrounds met in Westboro, Ottawa at 6:30 pm. The meeting was led by Roya Rahmani, who has long worked with the CW4WAfghan and presently is a member of the organization's board of directors.
In this meeting all the participants took turn to introduce themselves and talk about what brought them in to this meeting and becoming a member. Ms. Rahmani summarized the history of the organization, described its structure, and highlighted its major accomplishments and success in various projects supporting women in Afghanistan.
A treasurer, events coordinator, communications coordinator, and a secretary were appointed. Roya Rahmani will take on the role of the president and Margret Willamson volunteered to be the vice president of the chapter. The group brainstormed ideas and decided on hosting a major event in the fall of 2010. The group set the date for a second meeting on 14 March 2010 where attendance of a larger number of interested women is expected.
