Woman of the Week, August 3, 2010: Almas Jiwani

Humanitarian, gender advocacy activist, and President of United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Canada, Almas Jiwani is our Woman of the Week. She recently took some time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions for Women’s Post’s readers.  Read on about this inspiring woman...

How did you get started volunteering for gender equality and what was your first experience like?

As a young Ismaili Muslim follower of His Highness the Prince Aga Khan, I was influenced by the values of my family towards our religion, Islam, whose base is in philanthropy. I learned how to practice compassion and support our leader's tireless efforts to alleviate poverty globally along with local NGOs in the spirit of pluralism with support from all the diverse community members.

I must admit that I am became an ardent supporter of gender equality when I first started volunteering. I realized that communities had apathetic attitudes towards women and did not allow them an enabling environment for their intellectual and social growth. I also realized the importance of making a difference in the lives of underprivileged families, the alleviation of poverty, and uplifting women in society. In fact, I owe my humble beginnings to the exceptional work of these institutions [Aga Khan Council for Canada, Aga Khan Development Network and the Focus Humanitarian Assistance] that operate in some of the most inhospitable and backward sectors of civil society, and provide an enabling environment for humanity to flourish under the umbrella of social and ethical responsibility in a culturally, religiously pluralistic ethos and pathos for the greater good of humanity. I strongly believe that the social advancement and general well being of communities are greatest where women are least debarred by artificial barriers and narrow prejudice from taking their full positions as citizens.

What has been your most satisfying volunteer experience so far?

Perhaps by satisfaction you mean accomplishment. In volunteer work, you derive real satisfaction if you help others, but if one starts looking towards accomplishment, I believe it takes away the whole notion of the sense of responsibility which is what I believe in. Thus, to answer this question, there are simply too many satisfying experiences to mention.

Is there any one person or people who have been an inspiration for you?

I was taught to learn history through role models like Prophet Muhammad’s first wife Khadija as an entrepreneur, or his daughter Fatima, the wife of Ali, for her leadership and scholarly activity. I must emphasize that I was given aspirational footage thanks to my parents who encouraged me to be inspiredby Mahatma Ghandi, scientists like Madam Curie, Dorothy Heights, Florence Nightingale, and many more – they were not just talking, but were devoting their lives for humanity.

Since my childhood, Prince Aga Khan, the spiritual leader and humanitarian, has been a hugely inspirational source. He has consistently engaged in guiding his community to adopt the motto of service above self. I have followed that motto since my early years, and worked with various boards and portfolios of the Aga Khan council for Canada to advance the status of gender equality.

I’ve also been inspired by Canadian women such as the Famous Five, in particular Emily Murphy. Presently, I am also particularly inspired by Canada’s Governor General, the Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean who has been instrumental in representing the voice of various women across the world in her public service career.

What is UNIFEM and why did you decide to volunteer with this organization?

UNIFEM is the women's fund at the United Nations, dedicated to advancing women’s rights and achieving gender equality.

Themain reason I agreed to undertake the responsibilities with UNIFEM was because a lot of the issues such as violence against women, women’s literacy, eradication of poverty and economic empowerment of women that UNIFEM tackles have been dear and close to my heart.

How has UNIFEM Canada changed, since you’ve become President?

Since the advent of the presidency, I have set out from the very start a rigorous and highly ambitious goal for this organization, many of which have been realized and others are in the process of formulation.

I have steered the Board of Directors and UNIFEM Canada to strategically and systematically address the gender inequality and heteropatriarchy that exists in the structures that frame our society

My goal is to provide the women in Canada and across the world with a voice and a platform to express their issues, their fears, and their hopes. In that regard, UNIFEM Canada has achieved some true milestones this year. Our organization has expanded dramatically and under a new and highly qualified board of directors and executives, operates active chapters in several regions of Canada – Winnipeg, Montreal, and Toronto – while many others are under construction in Vancouver, Edmonton, Peel, Calgary, and Iqualuit.

UNIFEM Canada has also made major headway in advocating for and advancing the rights of women and girls in the years 2009 and 2010, and we are now receiving recognition and support locally, nationally and internationally as has never been experienced before in our history. One of the biggest highlights in the history of UNIFEM Canada occurred when Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean accepted the 2009 UNIFEM Canada award which was bestowed at a historic high profile private ceremony at Rideau Hall on June 2, 2010.

Subsequent to this momentous occasion, we organized a Violence Against Women event at Parliament Hill where numerous academics, dignitaries, politicians, non-governmental organizational staff, United Nations staff, and gender equality activists were in attendance.

What would you say are the most fundamental programs UNIFEM is currently executing around the world?

Currently, the most fundamental programs that UNIFEM is operating are the Results Based Initiatives (RBIs) that have yielded significant success in empowering women and girls to take control of their future.

The RBIs are innovative programs that support and measure women’s economic empowerment. They cover a range of core issues, such as strengthening women’s entrepreneurship and access to markets, linking agricultural productivity and food security, and making gender central to private sector human resources management.

Some of the successes of our RBIs can be seen across the world in Kenya, Egypt, and Peru where we notice that as of this instance these initiatives are allowing women to expand their incomes and drive forward a flourishing small business sector.

Almas, you have just accepted the Goddess of Artemis Award in Athens at what I hear was a lavish red carpet affair. Can you tell us about this experience? I also understand that other recognitions took place during your stay in Greece, some of which were bestowed upon you by the Government of Greece.

I have to admit that I was surprised to hear about the award nomination and humbled at the red carpet affair at the Zappeion Megaron Pavilion in Athens, Greece where I was one of 16 distinguished honorees bestowed with this award.

Loula Alafoyannis of the Euro-American Women’s Council (EAWC) and the Government of Greece presented me with commemorative stamps and induction into the Women's Hall of Fame at Delos, the birthplace of the Goddess Artemis for my efforts to bridge cultures and to bring together women of the world.  

The Goddess Artemis Award recognized my achievements in eliciting awareness of equal rights for women and encouraging women’s empowerment, my contributions to the UN and developing countries, and promoting strong leadership skills to connect women worldwide.

Tell us a little bit about your business endeavors; we have been informed that you are also a successful entrepreneur. What advice do you have for entrepreneurial women?

My advice for future women entrepreneurs is based on my personal axiom "inspire to aspire." This means that our entrepreneurial effort should be both inspiring in its own right, as well as a goal to aspire for the very best that we want to adopt.

As we are witnessing, the “glass ceiling,” or barrier to career advancement for women, we need to realize that this ceiling will not be shattered with one massive fracture; it will be broken by thousands of tiny cracks. These small openings will be created by each successful outcome from all our endeavors. And so, the more we have of those, the faster the ceiling will disappear. I think this is something very important that aspiring women in the business sector need to realize – that success does not come overnight and it requires patience, resilience, and courage above all else.

As a successful woman who dedicates so much time to women's economic empowerment and equality issues, what is your secret recipe and final advice for our audience?

The biggest advice I have for all readers is to have faith in yourself. I strongly believe that hard work, enthusiasm, determination, and perseverance are prerequisites for success. I would also suggest that people should be ready to accept changes and never have fear of anything in this world. In my humanitarian and entrepreneurial pursuits, there were times when I must admit I felt pretty small and lonely. But, with strong faith, self-confidence, hard work, and enthusiasm I was able to be somewhat self-directed and a bit courageous; some would call me fearless. This overpowering attitude over fear, and my courage and confidence is the secret to my success.