TORONTO – An award-winning Canadian Muslim women group has announced receiving $761,720 funding to “strengthen capacity to empower Muslim women and girls”, Muslim Link reported.
“We celebrate the women and women’s organizations breaking through barriers, and express our gratitude to those who have been doing this work for decades on little more than a shoestring budget,” Honorable Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, said.
“The women’s movement across Canada has been asking for a reliable, predictable and accessible source of funds to ensure the sustainability of their work. Our government listened.
“With this stable and flexible funding, we are helping them scale up so they can grow and endure because we know that investing in women’s organizations is the most effective way to advance gender equality. By supporting a movement that has achieved amazing results, we are growing the middle class, strengthening families and communities, and creating lasting change that benefits everyone.
Under the capacity-building fund, Monsef with the Ahmed Hussein, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Member of Parliament for York South–Weston, announced that the government will invest in over 250 projects from women’s organizations and Indigenous organizations serving women across Canada.
The fund stems from the Budget 2018 announcement of $100 million over five years to support a viable and sustainable women’s movement across Canada.
The Canadian Council of Muslim Women will receive $761,720 which will help the organization better identify the interconnecting challenges faced by Canadian Muslim women.
Nuzhat Jafri, the Executive Director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women stated: “It’s our mission to support Canadian Muslim women and promote an understanding of our lived experiences through community engagement, research, public policy, and positive change.”
“We are honored to be receiving this federal support to sustain our efforts. It is especially special to us that the announcement today was made by Canada’s first Muslim federal Cabinet Minister.”
Founded in 1982, the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) is a leading progressive voice for Muslim women in Canada and works to promote and encourage understanding and interfaith dialogue between Muslims and other faith communities.
In April 2017, the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) was awarded the Peter Gillespie Social Justice Award by the Canadian social justice organization, Inter Pares.
Inter Pares – which means among equals – believes in solidarity, not charity, as an approach to international cooperation.
For over 40 years, the organization has worked closely with courageous activists and more than a hundred inspiring organizations throughout the world to build peace, advance justice and globalize equality.