Meet Neha. She is the Program Coordinator for the Youth Mentorship Program at CIWA.

Neha joined CIWA in 2020 as she was drawn to CIWA’s ideology and philosophy of work, including the agency’s holistic approach to newcomer services. As a newcomer woman herself, Neha is grateful for the services she received through CIWA and views our programs as providing a foundation on which she could build her skills. Neha has now been working with CIWA for over 10 months.

Neha enjoys being Program Coordinator for the Youth Mentorship Program, especially because she is able to inspire young people – particularly girls – to take responsibility for their own growth and empowerment.

“I am thankful to CIWA for providing me with an opportunity to now give back the help I was able to receive and be involved as a change maker. I get to be an instrumental force in building their (immigrant girls) capacity and resiliency such that they become pillars for the sustainable development of tomorrow’s society.”

Neha believes that one of the most important barriers immigrant women are still facing is the inability to prioritize themselves enough. For immigrant women, often their family or other things take priority thus preventing them from taking the first step towards their own personal or professional development. Neha believes that CIWA’s programs do an amazing job at empowering the women to think of themselves as an independent entity.

“The resilience of immigrant women has always attracted me to work with them. They are not only striving to make a mark for themselves, but they are also keen on getting the best for their whole family.”

Neha immigrated to Canada to improve the quality of life for her daughter and enhance her daughter’s future. She speaks Hindi, Gujrati, Bengali and Marathi. Outside of work, she enjoys listening to Bollywood music, watching movies, and spending time with her family.

To learn more about the services we provide to support immigrant youth to get involved in the community and reach their full potential, click here.