Arts Programming

Dear Community Members, Partners, Supporters, and Friends,

We are sharing this message together—as the women who founded, nurtured, and continue to guide the Coalition of Muslim Women of KW, which we have fondly referred to as CMW. Our journey began from lived experiences of isolation, struggle, and deep community need, and from a shared belief that things could—and must—be different. What started as a response to our own realities grew through care, courage, and collective effort into an organization rooted in trust, community connection, and purpose. This message reflects not only where we are going, but also the responsibility we carry as community‑rooted leaders to honour what has been built and to lead with integrity into the future.

We write this message as women who proudly identify as Muslim. We have lived at the intersections of multiple forms of marginalization, including racialization. These identities shaped our lives and deeply shaped this organization. From the beginning, CMW was created by women who understood exclusion through lived experience and who chose to respond by building care, safety, and belonging—for one another and for the communities around us.

While six of us are sharing this message today, this work has never belonged to us alone. **Hundreds of local Muslim women—racialized and non‑racialized, immigrants, newcomers, and those born here—**have built CMW alongside us as members, volunteers, staff, donors, supporters, and community leaders. Together, we transformed shared struggle into shared strength. What exists today is a collective achievement and a lasting contribution to the Waterloo Region—our adopted home—grounded in dignity, connection, and mutual wellbeing.

Because we are deeply rooted in our communities, we have always kept our fingers on the pulse of what people are experiencing. We listen through structured engagement and everyday conversations, through formal feedback and informal relationships, and through our own lived experiences. This deep listening has guided how our work has grown and how we respond to emerging needs.

For example, our housing support services began in 2023 after housing insecurity surfaced repeatedly through our gender‑based violence work. Survivors seeking safety were also facing limited or unstable housing options, and we could not ignore what we were seeing. In response, we expanded our services to include housing supports. In the same way, our anti‑hate work was initiated and strengthened as communities shared increasing experiences of hate, fear, and harm. These programs were shaped and reshaped by what people were living through and what they asked of us.

Our renewed mission statement affirms this approach. It clearly names our commitment to upstream work—addressing root causes and preventing harm—which has always been central to how we operate. It also affirms our role as a responsive organization, guided by community voice, trust, and lived experience.

As part of our recent strategic planning process, we also took a careful look at our capacity and sustainability. We asked ourselves what we could continue to do with excellence, where our focus was most needed, and what could be responsibly let go. This led us to sharpen our focus around three core service areas: Gender‑Based Violence supports, Anti‑Hate services, and Housing supports—where our impact is strongest and most responsive to community needs. At the same time, we remain confident that communities continue to access strong women and youth social inclusion and employment support programs through trusted partners and systems already positioned to deliver that work effectively.

With this clarity—gained through strategic planning, and with deep care for both our roots and the future of the organization—we made the decision to update our name to Centre for Mutual Wellbeing (CMW), with the tagline For Racialized Communities.

We changed our name for three clear reasons. The new name more accurately reflects the work we actually do, grounded in prevention, safety, education, and collective wellbeing. It is also more inclusive, helping a wider range of people see themselves reflected in this organization. And it reduces barriers for those seeking support—especially in moments of crisis—by clearly and simply communicating who we are and how we can help.

We see this change as a natural evolution of our work. What emerged from desperation, isolation, and unmet need has become something enduring. What began as community survival has grown into a legacy—a lasting gift to the Waterloo Region—created by Muslim women, strengthened through collective effort, and carried forward with care and intention.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the women who have been part of this journey—those who served CMW as members, staff, volunteers, leaders, advocates, and caregivers in their families and communities. Your time, trust, labour, and love shaped CMW in ways that cannot always be measured, but will always be felt. You are the heart of this organization.

We also thank our allies, partners, funders, and supporters. Your solidarity, partnership, and belief in this work have helped make sustainability and impact possible.

As we move forward, we do so grounded in our values, proud of our history, and deeply committed to collective care and mutual wellbeing.

With gratitude,

CMW Board: Ghazala Fauzia, Howida Sayed Ahmed, Tahira Bilal

CMW Leadership Team: Fauzia Mazhar, Sarah Shafiq, Wisam Osman