Every woman and child deserves the chance to live a healthy and productive life. They have the right to nutrition, clean water, good sanitation, quality health services, and an education.
Why do Canadians believe this is possible?
Imagine
Most of the women in my family and lots of the people outside expect me to be at home.
There is no such thing as equal pay for equal work.
I am happily married, which is a good thing. Were I not, I wouldn’t have the right to divorce my husband.
where might this be?
This was the story of many Canadian women in the 1920s and 1930s.
Right here in Canada.
Not so long ago, women in Canada had limited rights and opportunities. Consider what was possible when the conditions were right – when political, social, academic and other institutions moved in concert.
In just decades, we changed the course of history and empowered millions of Canadians.
And then there is today
We share a very similar kind of day.
She has career ambitions. She is changing lives every day. I haven’t met her. But I can see myself in her. I aspire to be more like her.
She’s a young professional woman in Tanzania. She is spirited and motivated.
It’s vital to remember how recently Canadian women faced a very limited outlook, a very narrow definition of what they could and couldn’t do.
I’m 33 years old. The movement to increase women’s rights was part of my Canadian history, and now when I look at my daughter’s young face…she can do anything she wants to or believes in.
Today, through the development work we invest in as Canadians, there are stronger and stronger commonalities between our lives and those lived in places like Tanzania. Suddenly, we share the same hopes and dreams.
The pace of change is accelerating
Customers like Gulandom are my favourite. Not because they are good borrowers…but because they are great planners.
When she came into the bank that day, she asked me for a $100 loan to expand her tailoring service. I explained that she qualified for a small business loan and that she can repay the bank through her earnings. I introduced her to a savings account and her eyes lit up.
The loan was for her, but the savings are for her daughter; for her future.
I see an Asia and an Africa that offer me possibility and opportunity. New ideas, new innovations and new tools allow us to leapfrog stages of development. We simply do not have the learning curve that we did in Canada 90 years ago.
I’m no young idealist. In my lifetime, the evidence shows, development and creating hope is not just working – it’s happening faster.
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In April 2014, Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) hosted a breakfast series across Canada called In My Lifetime. Four Canadian women shared personal stories to spark dialogue about why Canadians are interested in international development and the importance of investing in women and children.
Each storyteller came from a different generation and offered a different perspective. The common thread was the belief that change is possible.
Naz Hasham
Naz is a Regional Campaign Coordinator for AKFC and manages the World Partnership Walk and Golf in the Edmonton region. She was born and raised in Dar es salaam, Tanzania, and the oldest in a family of seven sisters. She attended the University of Nairobi and settled in Canada in 1974. Naz is married with two children and two grandchildren. Naz’s story of change in Canada was shared with audiences in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary.
Cathy Damji
Cathy is a long-standing volunteer with AKFC. She has helped to plan and organize the World Partnership Walk in Kitchener-Waterloo for the past five years. Cathy lives in Guelph, Ontario and considers herself a global citizen. She is married, owns a pharmacy and sings in a local choir. Cathy shared her story of hope and possibility in Toronto.
Fatima Crerar
Fatima has volunteered for the World Partnership Walk marketing team for the past two years. Her parents were born in Iringa, Tanzania and she and her younger brother were born in Toronto. Today, she has two young children and works and volunteers with a number of non-profit organizations. Fatima shared her story in Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary.
Kendra Thorogood
Kendra is an AKFC International Youth Fellow who worked at the First Microfinance Bank in Tajikistan from June 2013 to February 2014. Kendra is passionate about social finance and impact investing. She was born and raised in Calgary, and has lived and worked around the world. She spoke to audiences in Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary.
Shakeel Bharmal
Shakeel is the Director of Operations and Resource Development at AKFC. In December 2013, Shakeel travelled to East Africa to experience the impact of AKFC’s work on communities in Mozambique and Tanzania. His travels inspired him to share stories from the field with fellow Canadians and help them get involved.
Aga Khan Foundation Canada hosted these events in Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton,
with financial support from Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada.
