About us
Leadership Team
Fauzia Mazhar
Executive DirectorBio & Contact InformationFauzia Mazhar
Executive DirectorFauzia Mazhar has 18+ years of experience in the local social profit sector, much of it in leadership and management. She holds a Masters of Social Work degree with specialization in Community, Policy, Planning, Organizations (CPPO), and a post graduate certificate in Leadership and Management from Wilfrid Laurier University. Fauzia also completed Community Leadership Training by Leadership Waterloo Region. Fauzia has previously worked at House of Friendship, The Working Centre, Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre and The Family Centre (Family and Children’s Services of Waterloo Region), and her work experience include managing a neighbourhood based community centre and a large size service hub as well as leading community collaborations and social change initiatives. She has served as the President of Pakistan Canada Association, Council Member and Chair of the Belong Group for Immigration Partnership Waterloo Region, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery.
In 2010, Fauzia joined hands with a handful of women in KW to start the modest initiative to empower Muslim women to be leaders and change makers, able to address stereotypes and misconceptions about Muslim women through community outreach and bridge-building, which is now known as CMW. Fauzia has provided consistent leadership to CMW throughout, overseeing strategic planning, program/service planning and coordination, financial planning and funds development, volunteer recruitment and engagement, and outreach and alliance building.
Fauzia has a big picture outlook and a growth focused mindset which keeps her on her toes to make all things better, all the time. She is community builder and an engaged citizen, passionately bringing people and groups together to build a welcoming, inclusive and safe community. She is also an optimist who likes a good laugh.
226-499-2269 ext. 4001
fauzia.mazhar@cmw-kw.orgSarah Shafiq
Director of Programming and ServicesBio & Contact InformationSarah Shafiq
Director of Programming and ServicesSarah is the coordinator of Islamophobia Project by the Coalition of Muslim Women of KW. She is engaged within the community as a member of the Interfaith Grand River and as a member of Waterloo Region’s Crime Prevention Council. Having received her doctorate in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame, US, she is currently teaching at Martin Luther University College, WLU as an adjunct faculty. Sarah grew up in Pakistan and considers herself to be a bridge between her childhood home and Canada.
226-499-2269 ext. 4002sarah.shafiq@cmw-kw.orgMehreen Shahid
Director of Funds Development and CommunicationsBio & Contact InformationMehreen Shahid
Director of Funds Development and CommunicationsMehreen Shahid comes to the CMW team with a background in psychology, journalism, publishing, fundraising, and communications. After moving to Canada in 2011, and owing to life circumstances, she switched careers and entered the field of journalism.
As an immigrant and a woman, Mehreen faced several challenges when making her way through Canadian society. Where dealing with a new culture, new language and new system was exciting, it required an attitude guided by improvisation and quick-thinking.
Work brought her to small-town Orillia in 2015. The move opened up a world of opportunities and a chance for further self-development. As a reporter for the local newspaper, Mehreen was able to experience Canada in a way very few people get to. Her job not only made her a feature at every local event, but the interaction with people also made her feel at home in the community.
Mehreen has worked extensively in the field covering municipal politics. She has interacted with politicians at all levels and understands bureaucracy at the various levels. Mehreen has also worked with several non-profits, helping with communications and fundraising campaigns. She displays a keen interest in projects that address gender diversity, minorities, housing, and climate change.
Mehreen made her move to the K-W area earlier in spring of 2021 and came across the work being done by the CMW. She found that the non-profit's passion matched her own drive to deliver change in the community. Mehreen looks forward to helping create a sustainable financial future for the various programs offered by the coalition by sharing stories of fabulous achievements by staff and stakeholders.
226-499-2269 ext. 4003 mehreen.shahid@cmw-kw.orgRowba Mohamd
Operations CoordinatorBio & Contact InformationRowba Mohamd
Operations CoordinatorRowba came to Canada 15 years ago and has been actively involved in the community in numerous ways. As a mom of two young kids, and someone familiar with both the Canadian and Syrian cultures, she became very active with the local community centre in 2015 after a wave of newcomers arrived in Canada. She volunteered time with refugee families, offering them help as needed to ease them into their settlement. Rowba helped with matters related to education/school, health, shopping, general translation and much more. In 2019, she graduated from TriOS College with a diploma in Honours Business Administration and subsequently from Conestoga College with a diploma in General Office Administration. In 2021, she joined the CMW to give back to the community by leveraging her knowledge and experience.
226-499-2269 ext. 4004rowbamohamd@cmw-kw.orgProgram Lead and Admin Team
Uzma Bhutto
Coordinator, Women Building Women ProgramBio & Contact InformationUzma Bhutto
Coordinator, Women Building Women ProgramUzma has been fortunate to embark on experiences across the globe, working and travelling in the developed and developing world. These experiences have instilled in her the capacity to appreciate diversity and respect integrity, both required to support communities in today’s dynamic globally interconnected environment. With a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Waterloo she was the first amongst her medical doctor MBBS graduates to step into the exciting field of public health in Canada. Through her enriching experiences she has gained valuable understanding of global health issues/problems, with a focus on female and mental health issues. During her MPH at Waterloo, she worked on an under researched topic by connecting theoretical concepts and job practice, successfully completing a research paper on “Domestic Violence against South Asian Women in Ontario”, and later contributing her number of years of work towards mental health in diverse communities.
Uzma had been involved with CMW for the last ten years. Currently Uzma works as the Operations Coordinator for the Coalition of Muslim Women-KW. At work and beyond, Uzma’s passion is to serve communities by making an impact on the ground, assisting all people, specially newcomers to our Region, achieve their full potential. For this she has received few awards, such as The Leading Women/Leading Girls Building Communities Recognition award that celebrates women and girls whose volunteer work has improved the lives of others in their community and the 5 Year Service award from CMW. She will soon be receiving 10 Year Service Award by CMW. Her day to day activities at work focus on working closely with Executive Director to coordinate and optimize CMW performance, and coordinating logistics for CMW’s projects and activities. . Uzma really enjoys working with the community members, partners, sponsors, donors and our incredible volunteers
226-499-2269 ext. 4004uzma.bhutto@cmw-kw.orgWisam Osman
Coordinator, Towards Violence Free Homes Program Bio & Contact InformationWisam Osman
Coordinator, Towards Violence Free Homes ProgramWisam Osman came to Canada 12 years ago with a Bachelor in Computer Science and Statistics. Since her arrival, Wisam has been engaged in the community in different ways. She started with her friends a Moms & Toddlers’ interactive group that welcomed everyone to join. She became very active in the local Sudanese community helping and organizing social events, ladies gathering and youth activities. In 2012 Wisam joined the coalition of Muslim Women of KW as a volunteer and shortly after became a member. Wisam has served CMW in many capacities including 4+ years as a member of the Board of Directors. Wisam always believed that everyone is able to give back to the community because everyone is gifted in a special way.
226-499-2269 ext. 4005wisam.osman@cmw-kw.orgMifrah Abid
Coordinator, Together Against Islamophobia Bio & Contact InformationMifrah Abid
Coordinator, Together Against IslamophobiaMifrah Abid holds a Master’s in English and is a gold medalist from the University of Pune, India. She was a college lecturer for several years before immigrating to Canada in late 2017. Since then she has earned her diploma from the London Language Institute to become a certified ESL trainer. She has worked closely with several refugee and immigrant ESL learners, many of who were Muslim women. She has a significant corpus of volunteer work in various community initiatives like Halton Environment Network, Recycling Revisited, Islamic Relief, also with the Coalition of Muslim Women of Kitchener-Waterloo. She is the host and producer of the podcast, ‘Across Her Table’ that celebrates the successes of Canadian Muslim women with immigrant roots. She spends her weekends teaching Muslim children at the Tazkiyah Academy, Milton. She also serves on the city of Kitchener’s Heritage Committee. She believes that societies are stronger when their diverse communities understand each other better.
226-499-2269 ext. 4006mifrah.abid@cmw-kw.orgFatima Awan
Youth Engagement LeadBio & Contact InformationFatima Awan
Youth Engagement LeadFatima is a current student at the University of Waterloo, studying Political Science, Legal Studies, and minoring in Public Policy and Administration. She has a huge passion for volunteering and community service which has helped her accumulate over 1,000 hours. She was recently awarded the Young Adult - Woman of the Year Award 2021 and the honorable Principal Award 2020. Fatima has been involved in over five youth committees and initiatives over the past four years. She is involved with City of Cambridge Youth Advisory, Region of Waterloo’s Youth Initiatives, Youth Force, University of Waterloo PART Member, and much more. Fatima is looking forward to working with CMW and hopes to create evolutionary initiatives and programs for the youth of the Waterloo Region.
226-499-4009Fatima.awan@cmw-kw.orgMunise Gültekin
Youth Programming LeadBio & Contact InformationMunise Gültekin
Youth Programming LeadMunise is an enthusiastic and motivated researcher and practitioner in the field of international education with academic and professional experience in Turkey, Germany, Lebanon, the United States and Canada. She holds a BA in Foreign Language Education from Bogazici University, Turkey, and a Master’s Degree in International Educational Development from the University of Pennsylvania, the United States. Munise is interested in the role of education in social cohesion and inclusion and the social and political rights of marginalized populations. She likes engaging in volunteer activities, connecting with people and learning from others. Outside of work, she enjoys cycling, dancing and world cuisines. In her role as the Youth Programming Lead, Munise looks forward to building youth leadership, and supporting racialized youth and women in developing digital communication skills to challenge racist, Islamophobic and xenophobic narratives.
226-499-2269 ext. 4010munise.gultekin@cmw-kw.orgEkram Al Momani
Hate Incidents and Discrimination Documentation LeadBio & Contact InformationEkram Al Momani
Hate Incidents and Discrimination Documentation LeadEkram began her career in Canada as a teacher, while volunteering in different organizations to support many causes such as cancer patients, newcomers, women and children.
After arriving at Waterloo Region, she was inspired and believed in the vision of the Coalition of Muslim Women, immediately becoming a member and volunteering in projects and programs.
She is a co-founder of the Association of Canadian Arabs and the Women Empowerment Group.
Her name means 'generous' in Arabic, and she fulfils this meaning as she loves to bake and cook for people and ensures that her food is always made with love, care, and passion (which might be why her food is so delicious).
In addition, one of her favorite things to do is admire nature.
Ekram is the recipient of the Volunteer Action Centre, Volunteer Impact Award, and the recipient of the Coalition of Muslim Women, Women who Inspire Award.
She is hopeful to one day see a community free of xenophobia, racism, and any form of discrimination towards anyone, one filled with peace and harmony.
Ekram is very excited about her role in the Together against Islamophobia Project as the Hate Incidents and Documentation Discrimination Lead.
226-499-2269 ext. 4007ekram.almomani@cmw-kw.orgAnahid Shirkhodaee
Together Against Islamophobia (TAI) Expansion Project LeadBio & Contact InformationAnahid Shirkhodaee
Together Against Islamophobia (TAI) Expansion Project LeadAnahid is a PhD candidate in Human Geography at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her PhD research focuses on the lived experiences of Iranian Muslim immigrants in Waterloo Region, how their lived experiences have been impacted by Islamophobic and xenophobic discourses and their experience of discrimination. Anahid’s research findings were discouraging regarding Muslims in Waterloo Region and encouraged her to take action, leading her to join the Coalition of Muslim Women of Kitchener-Waterloo. She brings extensive education, research, and community outreach experience to her role as the expansion project lead for Together Against Islamophobia. As a recent immigrant from Iran, her personal journey also helps shape her work. Anahid is motivated to engage the larger community in discussions about Islamophobia, to develop an understanding of the extent and impact of Islamophobia in our community and to explore ways to create allies in the fight against discrimination.
226-499-2269 ext. 4010anahid.shirkhodaee@cmw-kw.orgMitul Mahmud
Project Willow LeadBio & Contact InformationMitul Mahmud
Project Willow LeadA firm believer in social justice, Mitul has worked in the non-profit sector for eight years. Fighting for gender equality is at the core of her professional and personal life. Mitul has published several policy briefs on forced migration for the G20 and on women’s unaccounted work for many leading non-profit organizations in Bangladesh. An astute communicator and researcher, she has completed her Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of London and also holds an MBA in Marketing and a Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Leadership from BRAC University in Bangladesh.
226-499-2269 ext. 4010mitul.mahmud@cmw-kw.orgCommunity Support Workers
Aoussaf Arrout
226-499-2269 ext. 4015aoussaf.arrout@cmw-kw.org
ArabicRahmah Omar
226-978-6572rahmah.omar@cmw-kw.orgSomali, ArabicMaryam Farooque
226-899-6382 maryam.farooque@cmw-kw.orgUrdu, HindiTuba Sangar
226-201-4736 tuba.sangar@cmw-kw.orgDari, Pashto, FarsiNermin Ozdemir
226-201-4792nermin.ozdemir@cmw-kw.orgTurkish