Shokoofeh Moussavi: Helping Immigrants in Calgary

[OmSai73]

In the 20 years or so Shokoofeh Moussavi has been in Canada she has helped more people than most of us could hope to help in a lifetime.

She came to Canada from Iran because she values the rights Canadian citizens enjoy – and she has demonstrated her understanding that such rights are protected by the daily actions of individuals, like her. That is why Shokoofeh, like 11 others, was a 2010 recipient of Canada’s Citizenship Award, a national honour granted to Canadians who have made an important contribution to our country by promoting the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship or helping newcomers to integrate into Canadian society.

She has dedicated herself to assisting immigrants, especially women, in need of legal aid. As the Settlement and Integration Manager for Calgary Immigrant Women Association (CIWA), her day job focuses on community outreach and support. In her “spare time,” Shokoofeh oversees the CIWA free Legal Clinic and operates a foreign live-in caregivers’ support group.

In Iran, Shokoofeh and her husband worried about raising a family in the midst of war, so they left the country in 1984. After a time in Belgium, the family decided to go to Canada, a country Shokoofeh says they chose because of “its fundamental rights and freedoms.” They arrived in Calgary on Christmas Day 1988, eager to become a part of their new nation. As a trained and educated social worker, Shokoofeh knew that community outreach was a way of both providing for her family and contributing to Canada. She has always valued volunteerism and community involvement, so it was a natural fit to take on the role as regional coordinator for the Calgary New Friends and Neighbourhood Groups program, one of the few programs for immigrants in the city at the time. She remembers many of the early clients who sought help from the program were victims of domestic violence, not reporting their circumstances to the police. Unable to rest with the knowledge that women who were victims of abuse felt they had to remain in violent situations, she dedicated herself to assisting those in need. Her director at the CIWA, Bebe Svigir, notes that “Shokoofeh made herself available until 11:00 pm, seven days a week,” providing counselling, and information about how to access emergency shelter, food and clothing.

Her experience with these women led Shokoofeh to realize that many immigrants lacked sufficient knowledge of the Canadian legal system. They did not know how to access justice. “I began to dream of creating a free weekly legal clinic for newcomers,” said Shokoofeh. She entered into a partnership with the Calgary Legal Guidance organization to ensure that her dream became a reality. Now in its 18th year, the clinic was been instrumental in providing Calgary’s immigrant population legal advice, information and referrals.

Shokoofeh has been tireless in developing and managing many other programs to help immigrants settle, integrate and practice the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship. Shokoofeh’s ongoing contributions to the immigrant community and to Canadian society at large make her a deserving recipient of Canada’s Citizenship Award 2010.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/stories/moussavi.asp

 

[pittabread]

So how to contact Shokoofeh Moussavi and what she can do for me?

Thanks