Helping Women and Families Settle: Afghan Women's Organization

The Afghan Women’s Organization (AWO) grew out of humble beginnings in 1990, with a handful of refugee women from Afghanistan coming together to help other women alike. The AWO provides settlement services to all newcomers, with a special focus on women, their families, refugees and people who have experienced war and persecution. They have welcomed newcomers from around the world, including Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa and assisted them in their first stages of settling into Canada. AWO has operated a transitional support system, helping the refugees in finding a home, work, learning English, educating them on Canada’s legal and health care system.

In 2022 alone, the grant supported around 200 Afghan refugee and new immigrant women and their families in the Cooksville area through their various initiatives. They were given key opportunities for social interaction through English reflection sessions, helping them break their isolation and connect with other newcomers, get more familiarized with life and culture in Canada and increase their English language speaking abilities. Throughout the year, trips were organized to nearby parks and trails, the Art Gallery, Square One Mall, Central Library, University of Toronto Mississauga, Erindale Park and many other culturally significant locations. These visits helped them get to know the city better, feel better in a group environment while cultivating confidence in their ability to navigate the city independently.

Newcomers often immigrate to Canada after suffering a great deal of stress and anxiety from their home country. In situations like these, the AWO has successfully provided them with essential resources through their various sessions on English Reflection, Health Basics, Diversity and Inclusion, Emergency Services to New Canadians (Safety and Fraud Session by the Peel Region Police), Waste Management and many more.

AWO continues to serve more newcomers and their families, especially women, and extend their empowering support to help them build their confidence, entrepreneurship abilities, communication skills and relationship building skills. The staff and volunteers at AWO go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that each newcomer has a foundation to build a healthy life for themselves in Canada.