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Dr. Fariba Bashiri, President of IWOO
The Iranian Women’s Organization of Ontario (IWOO), a registered, not-for-profit and charitable organization, was established in Toronto, Canada in 1989. IWOO was initially created by Homa Sarlati and a few Iranian Canadian women as an association of volunteer women dedicated to improving the lives of Iranian women and families.
In 2009, IWOO adopted a new vision and elected a Board of Directors, committed to a strategic direction that would be current, transparent and reflective of the needs of the Iranian-Canadian community.
Today, IWOO has become an organization that serves all Ontarians, especially the immigrant women and families, who could benefit from its services. IWOO is committed to assisting women, families, and members of the broader immigrant communities in Ontario, to overcome barriers and contribute productively to all aspects of life in Canada.
IWOO intends to help the immigrant community members, alongside Iranian-Canadians, to successfully integrate into Canadian society by achieving economic, social, and political equality while maintaining their heritage and cultural values.
Our mission at the Iranian Women’s Organization of Ontario (IWOO) is to provide support to women and their families. Also, to improve the social, economic, mental health, wellness, and educational opportunities for women and their families while empowering their journey in life. As well as to promote solidarity and collaboration among women.
President
Mental Health & Wellness Committee Director
Board Member
Public Relationship Committee Director
Board Member
Secretory
Volunteer Committee Director
Board Member
Event Committee Director
Board Member
Art & Culture Committee Director
Board Member
Entrepreneurship Committee Director
Board member, Treasurer and Grant & Finance Committee Director
Alternative Board Member
Office
Manager
Seniors Program Manager
Program Manager
Program Assistant
Bookkeeper
Website Administrator
The following organizations have guided IWOO with diligence and partnered with us by providing expertise, staff, space and material resources
Persian Inter-Agency Networking – PIN
CILAC Pro Bono
Family Service Toronto
Iranian Canadian Social Service Providers Network
Learning Disabilities Association of Toronto District- LDATD
Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies at the University of Toronto
Madison Community Services
JVS
Parkway Forest Community Centre
SAFSS – Settlement Assistance and Family Support Services
Skills for Change
TNO- The Neighbourhood Organization
Northstar success team
Toronto North Local Immigration Partnership
Iranian Association at the University of Toronto – UTIRUN
Iranian Students Association at York University – ISAYU
Unison Health & Community Services
Vaughan Community Health Centre
info@iwontario.com | +1 (416) 496-9566
Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
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Dr. Fariba Bashiri joined the Iranian Women’s Organization of Ontario as a member of the Board of Directors in 2016. She taking on the role of Director of Mental Health Committees as of 2017 and as the president from 2020.
She has held various roles, including a Medical Doctor, university instructor, researcher, as well as social and human rights activist in Iran.
Fariba graduated from Tabriz Medical School and worked as a physician for more than 20 years in Iran. She has dedicated her career to empowering women and girls to overcome barriers and to reach their health and full potential.
Fariba came to Canada as a skilled worker immigrant in August 2011 and joined IWOO as a member and workshop facilitator in 2014.
She also graduated from studies in Public Health, Homeopathy, Medical laboratory science and Weight Management from England and Canada.
Fariba currently practices as a practical courses teacher at Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM), public health provider and Alternative Practitioner her private clinic in Toronto.
With her supervision, the IWOO’s Mental Health Committee was able to be selected among the top 10 committees in Ontario in 2020 and the top three committees of the Toronto Municipality in 2023, and she received the Queen Elizabeth Medal as a community champion.
She raised 3 very success children and has 4 grandchildren.
Guita Movallali, PhD in Psychology and BSc & MSc in Audiology, brings over two decades of diverse experience to her role. A retired Associate Professor at USWR University, she has made significant contributions to academia and nonprofit organizations. Her expertise spans research, education, and leadership, with a focus on supporting the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.
As CEO and Founder of the Faranak Clinic for Deaf children and Program & Development Manager at VOICE for deaf kids, Guita has championed family support initiatives. She has organized national and international conferences, conducted social media marketing for nonprofits, and initiated Parent-Child programs. Guita’s commitment to positive change is evident in her pivotal role in fostering the Parent-Child Mother Goose program in Canada. With a passion for community empowerment, Guita continues to drive impactful initiatives.
Behnaz is a registered social worker who has more than 10 years of experience working in client-centered positions and passion for social work. Behnaz has worked extensively with individuals of culturally diverse backgrounds who have experienced homelessness, domestic violence, separation issues, mental health issues, addiction, unemployment, disabilities and immigration issues.
Behnaz is passionate to work with the principles of anti-oppression and equity in responding to the service needs of individuals and work toward removing systemic barriers and creating opportunities for positive change. Behnaz also has passion for community development and she has been involved with communities by conducting workshops.
Saharnaz has Bachelor of Art and two Master’s Degree in Psychology and research of Art from Iran. She has also studied “Addiction Recovery Support “in Canada. She was a consultant of Psychology in a Psychiatry clinic in Iran and has experience of providing help and relief for addiction, mental disorders and child care here in Canada. She is currently work as a direct support worker full time job at Community Living Toronto with mental health and disabilities residents. Also doing counselling under supervision of Ms.Akerman at Karma cares community in Toronto. Saharnaz joined IWOO as a volunteer in 2017 and has been a member of mental health committee from 2020. She has dedicated herself for educating and helping women and girls to their maximum capacity enabling them overcome barriers. Saharnaz would like to support Farsi speaking women and girls in Iranian- Canadian community.
Dr. Noushin Khasteganan is a Certified Canadian Addiction Counsellor and graduated from McMaster University. She has a Medical Doctorate earned in Iran in 1996. With her extensive background as an experienced Medical Doctor in the mental health care field, she brings a wealth of knowledge to her practice and employs a variety of therapeutic models to support the community.
This is Denise Yousefi. I started my journey since 2000 as I became a central banker in Iran. I smoothly passed on to different roles and ended up in Treasury department as Chief Treasury Correspondent. I have a Master in MBA from University of Tehran and a graduate diploma in Finance from McGill university. I have been working with RBC for more than 5 years and currently I am a Financial Advisor in Bathurst and Rutherford branch. I have dedicated my life to help people and specially to my own kind for Women who try so hard to become successful and flourish in their life. I am happy to Help the Women Community in Canada.
Leyly has a bachelor in French language and language & civilization diploma Aix -en provence faculty, Event management diploma from CDI college ,Peer leadership certificate from Family service Toronto,Early development (Mother craft college),Child care assistant from TDSB.
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Yasmin Fouladvand holds a Master of Finance degree from the Schulich School of Business. Through her experience in the banking sector, Yasmin stands out for her expertise in financial analysis and investment strategy development. Her unwavering passion lies in fostering fairness and promoting community growth by overcoming challenges and making a positive impact. Yasmin is passionately focused on meeting the specific needs of women and fostering opportunities for gender equity and meaningful progress.
Amin Azad is pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto at the intersection of engineering and entrepreneurship, with the goal of identifying educational tools to promote opportunity identification for venture creation. Amin has previously been a business mentor and educator in this space and has put together various courses and workshops with the purpose of helping entrepreneurial teams identify a need in the market and build a business around it.
Presently, he manages a consultancy service and is committed to supporting IWOO by leveraging his expertise in organizing workshops and encouraging community engagement within the entrepreneurship domain.
Amir works at a Toronto-based Private Investment Office to manage assets on behalf of Canadian family offices. Previously Amir worked at a Financial Communication firm, supporting NASDAQ, NYSE, TSX and other Stock Exchanges. Amir has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Concordia University of Edmonton, and a Master of International Business from Queen’s University with a focus on Investments. Amir‘s professional background includes Venture Capital, Private Equity, Investments, and sustainable finance. Amir is the Director of Funding & Grants Committee at IWOO, and he overlooks the grants and fundraising efforts. Amir also has a Golden Retriever named Simba in which he enjoys hiking with.
Hengameh Saberi teaches at Osgoode Hall Law School. Outside academia, she has served on various nonprofit board of directors, worked as a consultant with a number of human rights institutions and brings to IWOO multi-jurisdictional experiences of organizational design and planning.