14. mail toimus seega esimest korda Vahtralehemaa pealinnas HOPE GALA, mis korraldati HOMSA (Heads of Mission Spousal Association) ja CFUW-Ottawa (Canadian Federation of University Women-Ottawa) initsiatiivil ning koostöös ICO (International Club of Ottawa) organisatsiooniga. Üritusel oli rohkesti toetajaid ja sponsoreid, nendest suuremateks oli organisatsioon Islamic Relief Canada ja järgnesid Otto’s BMW, Air Canada, Wills Transfer ja Walia perekond. Islamic Relief Canada nimel esines sõnavõtuga pealinna piirkonna tegevjuht Yazan Nasreddin. Ürituse peakõneleja oli tuntud fotograaf ja ajakirjanik Sally Armstrong. Kõnedega esinesid Elizabeth (Lizz) Sleith Wilfert – Canadian federation of University Women Ottawa (CFUW-Ottawa), president ja HOPE Gala for Refugee Women Chairperson, HOMSA president ja Uus-Meremaa suursaadiku abikaasa Sarah Harvey. Gala-õhtu moderaatoriks oli Iiri suursaadik dr. Eamonn McKee, kes pälvis tugeva aplausi oma entusiasmi ja huumorimeele eest. Ottawa ,,Mezbaan“ Afghani restorani <I>chef</i>i ja Shaw Centre <I>chef</i>i poolt valmistatud oli haruldane kolmekäiguline õhtusöök, mida saatis afghaani muusikaline ja tantsuline vahepala. Toimus palju huvitavaid esinemisi ning moe<i>show</i> ja viktoriin. Selle ürituse ühe tähtsama võidu: WestJet ,,The Gift of Flight“ võitis. Bill McGrimmon, a Deputy Director, the Office of Protocol, Global Affairs Canada.
HOPE Gala for Refugee Women Chairperson, HOMSA President ja Uus-Meremaa suursaadiku abikaasa Sarah Harvey võttis oma sõnadega kokku selle nii tähtsa fundraising ürituse mõtte:
,,The idea for the university scholarships came once we realised that (…) we needed something that was a local and long lasting solution to help refugee women be able to integrate into Ottawa society. We wanted to ensure we were not replicating something that was already being done for refugees. We pitched the idea to Carleton university and then University of Ottawa and to our delight they both agreed that creating endowed scholarships for refugee women was both possible and a good idea. From that point on we had the confidence to reach out to potential sponsors because we had the support of the two universities in Ottawa. I was delighted with the support this idea has generated. Coming out of two years of social isolation and inactivity we knew we were asking people to overcome their fears of COVID and embrace a positive initiative for refugee women. We were delighted that people could see that these scholarships are a long term legacy from this time in history into the future.“
,,Mul on väga hea meel, et HOMSA heategevuslik gala läks hästi korda. Seda valmistati pikalt ette ja tulemus oli seda väärt. Pean väga tähtsaks, et HOMSA-l on ka oluline ühiskondlik roll kanda, toetades põgenikke ja aidates kaasa põgenike naiste hariduse omandamisele Kandas,“ sõnas Eesti suursaadiku abikaasa Piret Lukk lõpetuseks.
Aitame uusi inimesi, kes meie ühiskonda proovivad integreeruda ja toetame seda uut stipendiumi ,,HOPE“ – HOMSA Opportunity Program in Education For Refugee Women.
HOPE GALA komitee:
Betty Young – The International Club of Ottawa (ICO), president
Lia Mazzolin – ICO, member
Lorna Bickerton – CFUW-Ottawa, member
Elizabeth (Lizz) Sleith Wilfert – Canadian federation of University Women Ottawa (CFUW-Ottawa), president
Alice Bolt – CFUW-Ottawa, member
Olawunmi Asekun – Head of Mission Spouses Association (HOMSA), spouse of Nigerian ambassador
Aliaa El Sherif – HOMSA, spouse of Egyptian ambassador
Caroline Choquette – CFUW-Ottawa, member
Patricia Duffey – CFUW-Ottawa, member
Arian Ahmadi – HOMSA, spouse of Afghan ambassador
Sarah Harvey – HOMA president, HOPE Gala chairperson, spouse of New Zealand High Commissioner
Heather McCrimmon – independent
Abeer Al Jassim, HOMSA, spouse of UAE ambassador
Annetusi HOPE stipendiumifondi saab jätkuvalt teha:
https://futurefunder.carleton.ca/campaigns/hope-scholarship-for-refugee-women/.
Lisainformatsioon: https://www.facebook.com/HOPEforRefugeeWomen
Ülle Baum, Ottawa
FOTOD – Heather McCrimmon ©2022
