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About Us

Who We Are

Founded in 2010, the Centre for Mutual Wellbeing (formerly The Coalition of Muslim Women of Kitchener-Waterloo) was built on the strength and leadership of Muslim women determined to stand up against hate, discrimination, Islamophobia, and gender-based violence. What began as a grassroots movement has grown into a dynamic organization serving diverse racialized communities across the Waterloo Region. Guided by our commitment to upstream, preventative work, we deliver innovative and culturally responsive programs that address systemic barriers to social and economic inclusion. With a focus on housing, gender-based violence, anti-hate initiatives, and public education, we continue to work toward our vision of a just, harmonious, and equitable community for all. 

Mandate

CMW’s mandate is to empower racialized Muslim women and girls to be leaders and changemakers by bridge building between Muslim women and youth and the larger community.

How We Do It

The Coalition actively addresses gender-based violence, racism, discrimination, Islamophobia, and xenophobia (anti-immigrant sentiment) through culturally appropriate support services, diverse outreach, advocacy, and bridge-building programs. We provide racialized Muslim women and youth opportunities for personal and professional growth, and leadership development. Over the years, we have worked from the ground up to generate avenues for strengthening social connectedness, providing culturally relevant support, cultural integration with an aim to increase self-worth and self-esteem among Muslim women and youth. Our programming provides newcomer women and youth not only professional development but also social enhancement and integration in the community as they deal with isolation caused by language barriers and an unfamiliar environment. A core aspect of our programming is to increase social and emotional skills among Muslim women and youth to boost positive mental health, confidence, and self-assurance. Our work involves community partners and organizations that can help open a variety of opportunities for racialized women.

Vision

  • A just, harmonious, and equitable community.

Mission

  • With an unwavering commitment for upstream work, CMW thoughtfully responds to emerging needs with innovative and culturally responsive programs and services for members of racialized communities - including Muslim Women - that address barriers to social and economic inclusion.

Values

Proactive

We develop innovative solutions in response to emergent needs.

Courageous

We lead boldly, delivering practical solutions that truly matter for the people we serve.

Diversity & Inclusion

We celebrate the diversity within the radicalized communities – including Muslim women – and work towards inclusion.

Calling In

We invite dialogue so we can build bridges between people of diverse backgrounds and with diverse viewpoints.

Safety

We strive to create physically and psychologically safe and brave spaces for the spaces we serve.

Outreach & Collaboration

We actively seek partnerships and invite community members and organizations to join us in building a just, inclusive, and equitable community.

Strategic Directions

Community & Collaboration

Sustainability & Capacity Building

Service Excellence

BEHIND THE LOGO

BY: KATIE FORD

My name is Katie Ford, I am the Executive Assistant at the Centre for Mutual Wellbeing (CMW). Over the past while, I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in many of CMW’s creative pieces – from social media to newsletters and storytelling. Creativity has always been something I enjoy, so when the leadership team began discussing a rebrand and asked whether I might be interested in creating a logo, I was both surprised and honoured.

When I was first brought into the conversation, I was shared the new name — Centre for Mutual Wellbeing — and the heart behind this rebrand. CMW was entering a new chapter. While remaining to serve Muslim women, there was a clear and intentional desire to expand beyond that scope: to welcome racialized communities as a whole, individuals and families of all identities, and to reflect an organization that opens its arms wider than ever before. This rebrand wasn’t about leaving anything behind, but about growing with purpose.

One of the most meaningful parts of our conversation was the importance of staying connected to CMW’s roots. I was introduced to the symbolism of the crescent moon, which appears just after the new moon and represents new beginnings, renewal, and light. That idea resonated with me instantly. It felt like a perfect reflection of the work CMW does every day — walking alongside people during transitions, offering hope after hardship, and supporting fresh starts.

I spent time experimenting with how the crescent moon could live within a logo that felt modern, inclusive, and warm. Through that process, the final icon began to take shape: three crescent moons, arranged together in CMW’s core colours, with a single dot placed above them. When viewed together, the shapes resemble a person with open arms.

This visual felt right. The open arms symbolize the mutual wellbeing CMW strives to offer — a welcoming presence for individuals and families, a place of care, dignity, and connection. The crescents themselves reflect community, movement, and ongoing renewal, while the figure as a whole represents the human heart behind the work.

Colour played an important role in telling this story as well. Purple and gold are colours long associated with CMW and carry deep meaning. Purple represents CMW’s work in addressing gender‑based violence and supporting empowerment, dignity, and strength. Gold reflects CMW’s anti‑hate work and stands for justice, worth, and inclusivity.

Teal was introduced as a new colour for the organization. It represents CMW’s housing and transitional services, embodying compassion, stability, care, and the sense of safety that a home can provide. Together, these three colours reflect the full spectrum of CMW’s work — past, present, and future.

 

Every element of this logo came from listening carefully to CMW’s vision, its history, and its hopes. My goal was not just to design something visually recognizable, but to create a symbol that quietly holds meaning — one that reflects who CMW has been, who CMW is today, and who CMW is becoming.

 

This logo represents community, welcome, and new beginnings. It reflects mutual care, shared humanity, and the belief that everyone deserves to be met with open arms. I am incredibly grateful to have been trusted with this creative process and proud to see a logo that tells CMW’s story in a way that feels gentle, inclusive, and full of light.

MESSAGE FROM THE LEADERSHIP TEAM & BOARD

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