Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Mrs. Pakistan Tahmena Bokhari meets Amanat Ali and Jawad Ahmad
Mrs. Pakistan Tahmena Bokhari meets Amanat Ali and Jawad Ahmad
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Mrs. Pakistan Tahmena Bokhari meets Sunidhi Chauhan and Chang
Mrs. Pakistan Tahmena Bokhari meets Sunidhi Chauhan and Chang
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Mrs. Pakistan Tahmena Bokhari raises funds for Pakistan Floods
Toronto Community Raises over $15,000 for Pakistani Flood Survivors
heARTS for Pakistan successfully pledges support towards the worst humanitarian tragedy
Toronto, ON - Over 200 Torontonians came together at heARTS for Pakistan this Monday, October 18, 2010 at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, where over $15,000 was raised, with approximately $5000 matched by CIDA and the Canadian government, for survivors of the Pakistani floods which devastated the country back in August.
Partnered with the Humanitarian Coalition, heARTS for Pakistan, a silent art auction and fundraiser, successfully engaged the Toronto community and provided an opportunity for the arts community across Canada to collaboratively support international efforts to bring relief to victims of the floods in Pakistan.
The worst humanitarian tragedy of the decade according to the United Nations, the Pakistani floods have affected one-fifth of Pakistan and have left over 20 million people displaced. As governments around the world struggle to assist survivors of the floods, the UN has requested international donors to come together to raise the hundreds of millions of dollars now required in aid. The most vulnerable now face twin perils of hunger and disease as food supplies have been devastated and sources of clean water severely contaminated.
Among others, speakers at the event included Scarborough MP Jim Karygiannis, who has accompanied doctors to Pakistan since the floods and spoke about the heartfelt plea of the Pakistani people. He encouraged people to open their hearts and their wallets and in an impromptu on-stage bidding, collected $780 in donations in under five minutes, for the cause.
The silent art auction sold 70 of the generously donated art pieces, while providing the Toronto community a chance to bid on beautiful art work, serving as lasting reminders of an effort to help flood survivors re-build their lives in Pakistan, well beyond the event.
The night came together with special guest appearances by strong supporters of the arts including Toronto’s Deputy Mayor, Joe Pantalone; MP for Scarborough, Jim Karygiannis; Mrs Pakistan World, Tahmena Bokhari; Miss India Canada, Anchal Sharma, singer from popular pop/rock band JoSH, Q, along with community dignitaries, business leaders, and of course Canadian artists.
"A crisis can build a community and show us at our best. This is definitely the case for heARTS for Pakistan, who brought together volunteers, artists, sponsors and supporters to raise critically-needed funds for Humanitarian Coalition members' Pakistan flood-relief efforts" said Humanitarian Coalition spokesperson, Denise Koulis. "The money raised by heARTS for Pakistan will save lives and help rebuild communities."
About H4PK: Building on the success of heARTS for Haiti in Vancouver, heARTS for Pakistan was a silent art auction and fundraiser held on Monday, October 18 at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, to raise money and awareness for the victims of the floods in Pakistan back in August. 100% of the proceeds went to support the Humanitarian Coalition’s flood relief efforts in Pakistan. For more information, please visit: www.hearts4pakistan.com
About Humanitarian Coalition: Four of Canada's leading aid organizations have founded the Humanitarian Coalition: CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec and Save the Children Canada. The members of the Humanitarian Coalition work together to increase the impact of Canadian humanitarian responses and reduce administrative costs. For more information, please visit: www.thehumanitariancoalition.
-30-
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Multi Faith Candlelight Vigil for the Pakistan Floods Victims
Tahmena Bokhari attended a very important event at the Markham Civic Centre this evening. Multifaith prayers were held by Social Services Network with community partners to honour the victims of the Pakistan floods. Bokhari stated, "It was truly an historic event to have leaders of diverse faiths present and to have such diverse community members all stand together in support of Pakistanis half way around the globe. I hope this event triggers more of its kind so that we can learn from each others' respective faiths and join hands in solidarity for all humanitarian efforts. Events such as this also serve as a platform through which Canadians are speaking to the world by role modeling our values of humanitarianism, compassion, sharing, community spirit, multi-faith, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural spirit, and all in hopes for a better world. I am inspired by all of tonight's speakers and guests."
Mrs Pakistan Tahmena Bokhari Speaks at Youth-led Rally to End Violence Against Women
Tahmena Bokhari, Mrs Pakistan World, made a very special appearance on October 16th 2010 at the Rally to End Violence Against Women in Markham, Region of York, Ontario, Canada. Seneca Professor Bokhari has been a long time advocate for women and as a social worker, she has worked with victims, abusers, families and communities through counselling sessions, workshops and group work on violence related issues. In addition, Bokhari has a long history working locally as she coordinated the first South Asian-focused Take Back the Nigh March in York Region and she also formerly worked with the Town of Markham on the diversity strategy.
The rally was a youth-led initiative wa in response to the Markham Councillor Jim Jones’ plea of guilty to sexual assault charges. Jones is running again for his position and protesters strongly feel that he should step down. The youth of Markham approached Armstrong, the only female candidate for regional council in the upcoming local election, to organize a protest to inform and appeal to the public. Attendees also included Lui Temelkovski, MP (Oak Ridges-Markham), and Stephen Kotyck, Markham Mayoral candidate. Women survivors also spoke at the event on personal stories of abuse by men. It is estimated that 1/3 women will experience one or more forms of (sexual) violence at some point in their lives.
Statistics by the Canadian Women’s Foundation include the following:
- Half of Canadian women (51%) have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16.
- Every minute of every day, a Canadian woman or child is being sexually assaulted.
- One to two women are murdered by a current or former partner each week in Canada.
- Spousal violence makes up the single largest category of convictions involving violent offences in non-specialized adult courts in Canada over the five-year period 1997/98 to 2001/02. Over 90% of offenders were male.
Bokhari stated, "It is important that women take on more positions of leadership, and even in a country like Canada we have a long way to go on this. When we look at male public figures, we hardly ever wonder, ‘Is he a good father? A good husband? What’s he like when he is not in the office?’ But when it comes to women, we often wonder, ‘How will she manage home and work life? What kind of mother and wife is she? What about her morals and values? What is her personality like?’ The expectations we have placed on women regarding their roles in the domestic sphere are just part of the many barriers women face to taking on positions of public leadership. Hence, as we review corporate and public sector hierarchies, we see less and less women near the top.”
Bokhari went on to say, “In addition to this, we must ask ourselves as a society, what is happening in our culture when men in positions of power, authority, public trust and working on tax payer salaries are violating the very values that Canadians are known for around the world. We have town councillors, currently the case in the news about a military man, and we have teachers, police officers and more, all men in positions of trust who have been abusive to women.”
Asked to come back again to address the youth, Bokhari reminded the youth that, "people in public office are there to represent, you, your family and to reflect your interests. You vote for them and your tax dollars pay their salaries. It is critical that you find out where they stand on issues that matter to you. For example, what do they know about violence against women and how do they feel about the concerns of women and youth? Where are they and why are they not here? How do they feel about someone who pleaded guilty of sexual assault to be in office? Did you know that youth are one of the declared communities of focus at the Town of Markham? Did you know that the Mayor has a Youth Committee that he works with? If not, find out how you can become more informed and engaged with municipal affairs. Youth here have access and opportunity through our democratic system which many around the world do not. Do not take this for granted. I commend your efforts today. However, I encourage you to not stop at this grassroots rally, but to take your cause even further."
The youth marched on a corner in front of the Civic Centre, where voting has already begun. This is all in hopes that their efforts will change the outcomes of the election.
To learn more about this initiative and Armstrong’s campaign, you can visit the webpage of Nirmala Armstrong at http://nparmstrong.ca/
To learn more about Tahmena Bokhari’s news and events, you can join her page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TahmenaBokhari
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)