What is TVFH?
Towards Violence Free Homes or TVFH is a core program of the Coalition of Muslim Women of KW that addresses gender-based violence (GBV) among Waterloo Region racialized Muslim women and their families.
TVFH is a culturally integrative, multilingual, GBV-focused outreach and support program in Waterloo Region. TVFH fills a crucial gap in local GBV services by reaching out to very isolated women and providing them with information and connections in their language and cultural communities. The aim is to empower isolated Muslim women and their families with knowledge, skills, information, connections, and resources to effectively respond to family violence situations involving spouses and/or parents and teens.
We provide our TVFH services through community support workers (CSWs) that speak different languages. The CSWs conduct community education sessions and awareness-raising activities around violence and abuse in families.
Everyone working together is crucial to TVFH’s work in addressing GBV.
Our CSWs have successfully built trusting relationships within their communities, resulting in a continuous increase in referrals for CMW.
Mission & Vision
TVFH follows the CMW’s vision of a just, harmonious, and equitable community.
TVFH leads the mission to:
- enhance communication and foster understanding between Muslim women and the larger community,
- provide opportunities for personal and professional growth, and leadership development for Muslim women, and
- engage and support Muslim women to actively participate as leaders in the Muslim and larger community.
Our values are grounded in faith-based principles that demonstrate the strength of Islam. These values guide all that we do.
- Empowerment and Support: We encourage, support and equip current and future women leaders to foster positive change in their communities.
- Social Activism: We actively promote social justice locally, nationally and internationally.
- Outreach: We constantly strive to build bridges and focus on removing systemic barriers faced by marginalized communities.
- Equity, inclusion, and diversity: We strive to create safe spaces, seek to understand, support belongingness so that everyone is welcomed and encouraged to participate.
TVFH Staff
Fauzia Mazhar
Executive Director
Fauzia Mazhar has more than 18 years of experience in the local social profit sector, much of it in leadership and management. She holds a Master of Social Work degree with specialization in community, policy, planning, and organizations (CPPO), and a post graduate Leadership and Management Certificate from Wilfrid Laurier University. Fauzia has also completed Community Leadership Training by Leadership Waterloo Region. Her work experience includes managing a neighbourhood-based community centre and a large-size service hub, as well as leading community collaborations and social change initiatives.Fauzia has worked at House of Friendship , The Working Centre , Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre , and Family and Children’s Services of Waterloo Region . 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 K-W 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. The initiative grew to an organization, which is now known as Coalition of Muslim Women of Kitchener-Waterloo. Fauzia has provided consistent leadership to CMW since its inception, overseeing strategic planning, program/service planning, coordination, financial planning, funds development, volunteer recruitment, engagement, outreach, and alliance building.
Fauzia has a big-picture outlook and a growth-focused mindset. She is a community builder and an engaged citizen, passionately bringing people and groups together to build a welcoming, inclusive, and safe community. Fauzia is also an optimist who likes a good laugh.
Wisam Osman
Coordinator, Towards Violence Free Homes
Wisam Osman came to Canada 12 years ago with a Bachelor’s 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. Wisam has been very active in the local Sudanese community, helping and organizing social events, ladies’ gatherings, and youth activities. In 2012, she joined the CMW as a volunteer and shortly after became a member. Wisam has served CMW in many capacities including more than four years as a board member, after which she joined the staff roster as the Coordinator for TVFH. Wisam always believed that everyone is able to give back to the community because everyone is gifted in a special way.
Community Support Workers
Munazza Abbasi
South Asia Community Support Worker
Munazza, originally from Pakistan, has a undergraduate degree in Sociology and Legal Studies from the University of Waterloo. As a young immigrant, who came to Canada with her family, Munazza has personally experienced challenges immigrants usually face. But she has learned to navigate the system not only as a Pakistani immigrant but also as a Canadian who grew up here. Having been through the struggles of immigrants, Munazza decided to become actively involved in the community through initiatives of empowerment for marginalized and at-risk populations. She has worked with many non-profits, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and multiple women’s groups in her hometown, Toronto. Munazza has also been a host for CMW’s Tea and Tales with Muslim Women program. She is motivated to create a happy, healthy, and safe space for everyone.
Eda Ozturk
Turkish Community Support Worker
Eda Ozturk is a motivated and passionate social worker, who has academic and work experience in both Turkey and Canada. She holds undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in Sociology. After moving to Canada, Eda changed her career path to social work with a dream of trying to promote social justice and provide everyone equal access to resources, especially to marginalized and vulnerable groups. She has worked for several non-profit organizations, playing various important roles in supporting different events. As CMW’s Turkish Community Support Worker, Eda is looking forward to enhancing the lives of Turkish women in Waterloo Region. She looks forward to supporting racialized women and aims to listen to their concerns and needs. Eda also strives to connect them to local resources and initiatives that will help them improve their circumstances, and mental/physical health.
Rahmah Omar
Black/African Community Support Worker
Rahmah Omar has lived in Waterloo Region for over 25 years. Upon arriving in the region, she pitched in the neighbourhood and community to help fellow Somalis as an interpreter for school and medical appointments. Rahmah then volunteered with the YMCA, working with newcomers and helping them better access and know their surroundings. This led to her finding work with different non-profit agencies in the region, such as the Community Information Centre of Waterloo and Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region. Rahmah has now been with the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre as a freelance interpreter/translator since 2008. She is also one of the founding members of the Coalition of Muslim Women of Kitchener-Waterloo. Rahmah's passion to empower and advocate for women and children has now led her to be part of CMW’s TVFH team.
Tuba Sangar
Dari/Farsi Community Support Worker
Tuba has an undergraduate degree in Journalism from Afghanistan after which she worked as women’s cricket team manager with the Afghanistan Cricket Board. She has volunteered with the Afghan Women Journalist Union since 2015, working for Afghan women growth, empowerment, and development in journalism. Tuba also has a one-year diploma in Leadership and Advocacy and in 2016 she also promoted women’s athletics when she participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program, a U.S. Department of State premier professional exchange program. Tuba moved to Canada in 2021 and joined CMW as a Community Support Worker in 2022.
Bouran Abbas
Arabic-speaking Community Support Worker
Bouran Abbas is a moved to Canada in 2021 from Lebanon and quickly became involved in the Kitchener-Waterloo community. She helps those around her by using skills gained from years of social work experience, dealing with the vulnerable and refugees. Bouran has collaborated with various local groups to help Arabic-speakers overcome challenges they face in the community. She is directly involved in helping others understand and gain control of their situations, access practical support, and managing problem solving in a better way. Bouran has a master's in psychosocial support and dialogue, as well as a bachelor's in social work and sociology from Lebanon. She has worked for the United Nations for more than 25 years, providing support in the field of mental health. In addition, Bouran was the chair of the Community Based Rehabilitation Centre for Disabilities program in Lebanon for more than 10 years.
If you or someone you know is facing domestic abuse or violence, help is available here.
