Established in 1982 as a self-help group for South Asian women survivors of domestic abuse, South Asian Women’s Centre (SAWC) was incorporated in 1985 as South Asian women’s Group of Toronto. The name was changed to South Asian women’s Centre (SAWC) In 1993. Run entirely by volunteers in space donated by Working Women Community Centre till 1984, the organization was able to hire a part-time co-coordinator and procure office space in 1984 with development funds received from Metro. Over the last decade the organization has grown because of an increased demand for services, an increased number and diversity of clients and sound organizational stability through more stable funding..
Over the last few years SAWC has tried to create an integrated approach to settlement, our experience in this area has made it clear that we need to work with women and girls of all ages. That support for newcomer women must also translate into support for their families.
Our Objectives
- Nurturing the economic independence and self-esteem of women.
- Breaking the isolation and alienation of women by providing social/support activities.
- Promoting access to full participation in society by addressing barriers to women’s equality such as underemployment, unemployment, violence prevention, language and training opportunities, poverty, access to housing, transportation, child care and other issues faced by women.
- Empowering women and the larger community through information dissemination and educational activities.
Our Values
The Centre is committed to providing services from an anti-discriminatory, anti-oppressive framework. We represent a diversity of South Asian cultures and believe in responding suitably to the unique needs of our clients and members. We work towards the empowerment of women and the overall development of the community.
The Centre takes a holistic approach to the services we provide. SAWC works to enable and empower women. We work to build skills amongst women to enable them to participate more fully in Canadian society.
Our Programs
- Settlement services for newcomers offered in 17 south Asian languages
- Life Skills Support Group for New Comer Women and families in languages identified
- Women Wellness Group Workshops for older women in languages identified
- Senior Women’s group
- Legal Education Workshops
- Computer Training
- Job Search Workshops
- Food Sharing
- Youth group
- Homework Club for Children and Youth
- Volunteering.
- Employment Counseling
SAWC has demonstrated that young South Asian women can take on a leadership role effectively and Mithula Sachi the Chair of the board is no exception. Here is a glimpse into her profile.
Mithula Sachi is a highly experienced Project Manager and business consultant, with more than 10 years experience within diverse and fast paced environments. She is currently working as an I.T Project Manager at Holt Renfrew Ltd., where she has been responsible for working with project teams of over 400 people to implement various initiatives pertaining to retail including two major store openings in Vancouver (2007) and Calgary (2009). Previously Miss Sachi was a Senior Project Manager and Team Lead at Connections Canada Inc. and Ipsos-ASI Ltd.
In her various roles, she has demonstrated a thorough understanding of business related processes and technologies improving the quality of corporate decision-making, analyses of business functions for optimum business design and workflow. Her successes are largely due to her consistent record of forging strong business relationships with clients. She is recognized by clients and colleagues as a consummate professional with a high degree of personal integrity; known for a contagious passion for excellence, and a talent for resourceful business solutions.
Mithula completed her undergraduate studies in at York University in Toronto where she graduated with a Specialized Honours degree in Psychology. She is also affiliated with several professional organizations like Project Management Institute (PMI) and Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP).
In addition to her professional experience, Miss Sachi has over 14 years of volunteer experience in an array of Volunteer Services like Workplace Campaign Chair and volunteer for United Way (2001 – 2007), Child Life and Therapeutic Recreation Volunteer at Bloorview Kids Rehab (1998 – 2000). In her various roles she has demonstrated extensive experience in coordinating, negotiating and motivating sponsors to support fund-raising campaigns.
Most recently, Miss Sachi serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the South Asian Women’s Center since September 2009 and has been a Director since 2008.
For Miss Sachi, volunteering has been undoubtedly one of the most rewarding and inspiring experiences of her life. Throughout the years, she has dedicated herself to help promote the spirit of volunteerism in an effort to give back to the communities in which we live and work.
