THE HISTORY OF MWC





THE HISTORY OF MALTON WOMEN COUNCIL (MWC)
                                                         
The history of Malton Women Council cannot be told without telling the story of a ‘teacher’ who was doing a ‘little extra’ than just giving her best at her job. Mrs. Aaloka – that’s how the children and the parents who would come to the Dunrankin Drive Public School’s Readiness Centre, would address her. A ‘Readiness Center’ is a drop-in center for the children from 0 – 4yrs of age, who are accompanied by their parents, grandparents or caregivers, and where they do a lot of fun and learning activities and get ready for the school.

A Teacher Who Also Played the Role of ‘Community Builder’

Mrs. Aaloka Mehndiratta strongly believed that ‘to have healthy communities, children must be brought up in the homes that have ‘EQUITY’ – which means that everyone in the home whether they are young or old, man or woman, is treated with unconditional Love and Respect. No wonder that she ran her Readiness Centre with the same belief where everyone who came received immense love, warmth and respect. Her genuine interest in the lives of the parents, grandparents and the caregivers (who accompanied their children) got her involved in the ‘community life’ of Malton. Over a period of time, she started to share a ‘special bond’ with these families.

Most of the parents and grandparents who brought their children and grandchildren to the Readiness Centre were ‘women’ and most of these women were full time mothers. Every day, Mrs. Aaloka would try to nourish and empower these women in many different ways. She would share with them that how as ‘women’ they were the ‘HOME MAKERS’ and the ‘SOCIETY BUILDERS’. She would share with them about the ‘community life of Malton’ and would encourage them to get involved in the various community based projects and events in Malton.

Initial Steps of Community Involvement

One of such projects in which Mrs. Aaloka and some of the women from the Dunrankin Drive Readiness Center Community got involved (during 2008-09) was ‘Understanding the Early Years (UEY) Malton Project’. UEY Malton was a 3year (2007-10) research based project funded by the Human Resource and Social Development Canada and sponsored by Peel District School Board. The aim of this project was to enhance healthier outcomes for the young children (0 – 6yrs) and their families in Malton. The UEY Project provided these women with an opportunity to get involved in the ‘Malton Community’ by participating in various sub – committees of the project like – Parenting, Health and Wellness and Cultural Arts Committee.

The Initial Spark of ‘Empowerment’

In the month of May 2009, when South Asian Heritage Month was being celebrated in the Dunrankin Drive Public School, Mrs. Aaloka would encourage the South Asian women coming to her Center to share their ‘cultural songs and dances’. This really gave them an opportunity to express themselves.

It was in June 2009, when Mrs. Aaloka shared with these women the possibility of sharing their rich culture with others by performing at the ‘Multiculturalism Day Event’. And on June 27th when this group of 12-15 women from the Dunrankin Drive Readiness Centre Community gave its wonderful performance at the Living Arts Centre (Mississauga), a spark of ‘Pride and Achievement’ ignited their lives.

Their pride was further intensified when this group had the opportunity to perform in the Malton Community Festival 2009 which took place on July 4th 2009. And this group of South Asian women was now known as ‘Malton Giddha Group’.'Giddha' is a folk dance of the Punjab Regions of India and Pakistan. It's a dance performed by a group of women who come together and share their feelings, their emotions and their lives through dance and songs (called 'boliyan').Giddha is about womanhood, it’s about sharing and most important of all, it’s about empowering one another.

Malton Photovoice for Women Project – Creation of a Strong Women’s Group

Mrs. Aaloka’s vision of ‘women empowerment’ took a different shape when she attended one of the UEY Malton’s meeting (during July 2009).In this meeting, the community co-ordinator (for this project) shared with the group present about the Photovoice Project to engage the Malton youth. Photovoice Malton was a grassroots community based initiative whereby the participants were provided cameras and were asked to take pictures of the areas of need and concern in Malton.

In this meeting, the community co-ordinator also shared that there were some 40 disposable cameras sitting idle in her office and that they were available to someone who had an idea to use them effectively for the Malton Community. Mrs. Aaloka who was present at this meeting said, “Give these cameras to the Women in my Centre and I promise you to use them, to empower the women”. Thus, was planted the seed of Photovoice for Women Project.

24 women, which included mothers and grandmothers, from the Dunrankin Drive Readiness Centre Community participated in this 7-week Project that took place during July & August of 2009. The Project provided these women a platform where they could express themselves through their photographs and were able to share their experiences with one another and were coming together as a STRENGTH!

On September 29th 2009, the ‘Photovoice Exhibit’ of the hundreds of pictures taken by these women, was launched at the Malton Community Center. And then the ‘exhibit’ went places and received lots of appreciation and recognition and also the attention from the media. The women participants also got opportunities to share their experiences with many students and community groups.
It was really an enriching experience for these women – they were proud of themselves!

And then there was no looking back......One woman’s ‘passion and commitment had started to empower more and more women in Malton!

Formation of the Malton Women Council (MWC)
Mrs. Aaloka gave a new direction to this women’s group, when in the 2009-10 session of her Readiness Centre, she decided to have weekly ‘Lunch and Learn’ session for the women who came to her Center. This session aimed at providing ‘meaningful employment’ to the women, in a way that their talents and skills were best realized. For this, Mrs. Aaloka gave up her lunch time and also she allowed the women to use the Readiness Centre space for these meetings.

During one of such ‘Lunch and Learn’ meetings, Mrs. Aaloka introduced the women’s group to another passionate and dynamic woman, Mrs. Ranjana Mitra, the Executive Director of Community Environment Alliance. After having a couple of meetings with these women and after understanding their needs, Mrs. Ranjana advised them to have a ‘defined structure’- A Women’s Council which would be a medium to get their voices heard and which would aim to empower the Malton Women.

Thus, Malton Women Council (MWC) was formally formed on October 23rd 2009. The Council started with some 26 members and today it has a strength of more than 115 members and it’s growing stronger day by day.
 
In a span of almost 3 years, MWC members have been actively involved in many community based projects in Malton and have contributed to the betterment of the community. MWC has empowered many women in many different ways and has been able to create ‘women leaders’ who are committed to the ‘making of a better Malton Community’, by bringing meaningful changes in their lives and the lives of others.


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