Support to racialized communities in Waterloo Region
As COVID-19 and lockdowns took hold in 2020, it became clear that racialized communities were being disproportionately affected by inequities that were deepened by the pandemic. Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) responded by establishing a fund focused on supporting organizations led-by and serving members of our community who self-identify as Indigenous, Black or a person of colour.
Bring on the Sunshine and the Muslim Women of Cambridge were two of the 17 organizations that received funding – assistance that in their situations helped their organizations not only survive, but grow and continue to thrive.
Thinking Outside the Box
Bring on the Sunshine, which offers a variety of programs and events to support people of African descent living in Canada, received a $10,000 grant. The funding supported transitioning their annual African community festival to an online environment, and the further development of a youth leadership program. It also allowed the organization to purchase project management software to support festival organizers who now had to socially distance.
“We couldn’t have hosted the festival without it,” said Alice Penny, Executive Director of Bring on the Sunshine. “It’s hard enough when you can meet in person.”
The funding also allowed Bring on the Sunshine to do something it has never done before — support the creation of videos by partners across Africa. In one such video, three young girls in traditional African dress demonstrated a dance that happens in Ghana when introducing young women to the community. The content was shared at the virtual event and on social media.
“One of the blessings of COVID has been to rethink everything,” said Penny. “And when you’re going through it, it’s daunting. But without those borders, we were able to think outside the box.”
A Stronger Group
Muslim Women of Cambridge (MWC) is comprised of a group of passionate women who aim to bridge the gap between the Muslim community and the larger community by fostering open communication. The pandemic forced their organization to shift essential workshops and education sessions, normally held throughout the community, to an online environment.
Those online meetings included the development of five new workshops. They covered a variety of topics, including mental health in the Muslim community, a vaccination info session, how to report hate incidents, accessing resources in the community, and celebrating Islamic Heritage Month, which happens annually in October.
“Through this funding, we are trying to educate all sides of the community,” said Abiha Syed, co-chair and founding member of MWC.
But perhaps even more transformational was how the $11,000 in funding was also used to help the organization move forward. An external strategic consultant was hired to supported MWC members with the application process to become, federally incorporated under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act and the infrastructure of the organization. Over this one-year period, WRCF funds supported MWC with incorporation, establishing and training a board of directors, and creating a strategic plan for MWC’s next three years.
This money helped us to become stronger as a group,” said Syed. “It helped us build connections and increase the community leadership skills of our members. In September 2021, WRCF announced that once again we would be supporting racialized members of our community through the Racial Equity Fund, in partnership with the Astley Family Foundation, with additional funding provided by Equitable Life and several WRCF Fundholders and Donors.
To learn more about Bring on the Sunshine or Muslim Women of Cambridge, including how to provide support - please visit https://bringonthesunshine.ca or https://mwcambridge.net. If you would like to learn more about partnering with WRCF to support racialized members of our community contact Dan Robert at dan@wrcf.ca or 519-725-1806 x 205
Note: This story was written prior to Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation and Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation unifying to become Waterloo Region Community Foundation. Although the story was created by KWCF, we have updated the organization name to WRCF throughout the story.