"Something I had to learn early on was how to navigate the Canadian financial system as a newcomer.   Now that I'm four years into my career with TD, it's very rewarding to be able to help other newcomers learn the same information," says Ada Tony-Ilebor, our newest columnist for Connections, IWSO’s quarterly newsletter.

"I understand that many newcomers to Canada face greater challenges than citizens, and that women still face greater challenges than men. Since I am part of an immigrant family and was raised by a single mom, I fully empathize with those in need of IWSO services - so of course, the work of IWSO resonated with me as very meaningful and important."  Rory Baksh, Partner, Dillon Consulting

Knights of Columbus President, Dan Sullivan said, “We are proud to once again support IWSO in their mission.  The Columbus Club knows how important it is to provide a safe, secure and confidential environment for immigrant women who are escaping violent circumstances.”

The OCF's Director of Strategic and Community Initiatives, Rebecca Aird said, “When IWSO approached us, explaining that many Immigrant Women, never being exposed to computers before, were finding it very difficult to grasp the basics, we knew OCF could help."

Mercy Lawluvi, Executive Director of IWSO is thrilled to announce our new partnership with TD Bank.  "Partnering with IWSO  helps us connect with Immigrant women in the community.  We look forward to forging a long term relationship," says District Vice President Nathalie Weiner 

"Providing administrative support to the Crisis Intervention and Counseling Services department, I learned about IWSO’s approach to providing non-judgmental, culturally-sensitive support to newcomer women fleeing abuse and gender-based violence."

Connecting Ottawa student, Anneka Oh, in partnership with the uOttawa chapter of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL), has gathered a listing of newcomer businesses in Ottawa. We encourage you to have a look at the listing and share with your networks.

"Canada has undertaken significant efforts to assist those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, including introducing two new programs to facilitate temporary residence applications for Ukrainians and expediting the processing of all immigration applications made by Ukrainian nationals", says Andrew Mortenson, Immigration Lawyer.

 “It was a grand launch to start of the project. The event promoted the project, and we also gathered data through our focus group breakout rooms that would feed into our project activities," said Brenda Abokhai, Project Manager, Leadership for Systemic Change.  IWSO is grateful for Women & Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) for funding the Leadership for Systemic Change project.

IWSO, with the assistance of our Language & Interpretation Service (LIS) is proud to offer our website in Spanish made possible by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

"I was always curious about what Canada had to offer. I knew that I wanted to move to Canada when I got older for school, " shares Addis Ababa.

Donate to IWSO this month to give us a chance to WIN $20,000 during the Great Canadian Giving Challenge with CanadaHelps.
As IWSO continues to support vulnerable immigrant and racialized women in our community, we still need your support over the summer months.

The blend of moroccan flavours and different textures make this dish excellent for taking to summer picnics. Warm or cold, everyone enjoys delicious couscous as a main course or a side dish.