Originally from Palestine, Nafeesa lived in Kuwait where she worked in Human Resources for an International Bank. She and her husband moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1995 and to Calgary in 2020. They now have 4 adult sons. Nafeesa holds multiple diplomas, from Human Resources to Medical Administration, among others.
Nafeesa learned about CIWA through an online search as she wished to volunteer and connect with other Calgarians. She has volunteered at CIWA in multiple capacities including supporting the Volunteer Program, providing administrative support to different programs, making phone calls to clients, providing interpretation support to clients, and providing classroom supports to both Everyday English for Seniors and Mindfulness Support for Immigrant Seniors projects.
“It is a pleasure to be a part of CIWA’s family.”
Nafeesa glows when she talks about her love of volunteering for CIWA. She thrives on volunteering and being able to provide help and support to clients. She is passionate about CIWA’s focus to help immigrant women. It gives her joy to see immigrants thrive as they learn new things and incorporate that learning into their lives. Volunteering with seniors is inspirational, especially since it clearly demonstrates that it is ‘never too late to learn’.
Volunteering has helped Nafeesa overcome loneliness as she has found meaningful ways to connect people while giving back. She enjoys the level of appreciation shown by clients and staff. It surprises her that, even when she helps in small ways, they offer gratitude as if she has done big things. She said that she is learning far more than she is giving through volunteerism.
CIWA staff recognize and celebrate Nafeesah’s unique qualities which are the combination of integrity in building trust with clients and other team members, flexibility in coping with dynamic situations and solving problems, empathy to understand clients’ needs, and a caring heart to help others. She does all her volunteerism with a high level of professionalism her work exemplifies CIWA’s values of integrity. She is reliable and always timely in following through on tasks. She is also an excellent team player. She cooperates well with other volunteers and has never hesitated to give a hand when the group needed extra help from her. Her professionalism ensure clients have an exceptional learning experience contributed significantly to the positive outcome programs and the high-quality reputation of CIWA.
Nafeesa’s hobbies include cooking, swimming, and travelling.
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