Important information from the Australian National Imams Council concerning funeral and burial arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
March Recipes of Life Update
The tutors discussed with the participants how to answer guests confidently if they ask about the dishes. They recommended the participants to do a search on the internet to find a brief description about every dish.
Maryam made Kabab Hindi dish and she did well.
An important message from MWASA
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Fact Sheet
Everywhere we look, we are being overwhelmed with news and commentary about Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The thing is, not everything you read on the internet is true!
Here is a Fact Sheet from the Australian Government Department of Health, a trustworthy authority.
Check their website for more resources and to stay up to date with accurate information.
CHSP Canvas Painting
Sister Nazneen from Chai & Canvas was invited to conduct a canvas painting session with our CHSP seniors on 27 February 2020.
Using an 8 fold rosette that is used in the Islamic world, Sister Nazneen taught the seniors using the dot/pointalism technique to complete a painting on a canvas. It was indeed a therapeutic experience for the seniors where they can express their creativity in a relaxed and fun environment. The calming nature of dot painting makes them feel at ease and help to improve their hand-eye coordination. The result was amazingly beautiful! The seniors created beautiful designs on black canvases using different sized dots.
Feedback from Participants
They have heard about the Australian Aboriginal dot painting and were eager to learn more about it. By adding a touch of Islamic element in this activity, Sister Nazneen was able to attract their interest in Art – especially the men. The seniors were pleased and proud of their artwork and look forward to more of such sessions in the future.
February Recipes of Life Update
The tutors and the participants discussed the main dishes which will be prepared at a future Shared Lunch.
The group wrote all the ingredients, with their quantities, for the main dishes (Falafel (below), Kabab hindi, Kanafeh).
Furthermore, it was discussed how much time each dish will take so the time can be managed on the day.
Maryam very kindly offered to demonstrate making Kebab Hindi at the next class.
Heam made Kanafeh (below) and she did very well.
Harmony Day Event for MWASA Members under 25 years
Harmony Day Event for All MWASA Members
First SETS* Social Saturday
Yasmin and Manal from ActNow Theatre conducted a consultation on dealing with Islamophobia in Australia, which will be at the base of the theatrical acts to be performed at various schools around South Australia.
The games included in the session made it more interesting and helped new girls to feel part of the group.
The session included questions like “what is good about being a Muslim in
Australia?”, “what is hard about being a Muslim in Australia?”, “what do you want people to know about Muslims?” and “what do you want people to know about you?”.
Some things the girls found hard about being a Muslim in Australia was finding halal food, having to explain yourself and your religious cultural rituals and practices, dealing with racism, and getting used to the culture and language differences in Australia.
“I am nice/kind person”, “I wear my scarf by my own will” and “I speak English very well and I like to socialise” were some things the girls wanted to let other people know about them.
Yasmin and Manal also offered the girls to be part of theatre acts with the ActNow Theatre.
*SETS: Settlement Engagement and Transition Support – Client Services
CHSP Admin Day Morning Tea
CHSP Admin Day 2020 was conducted on 13 February 2020 at MWASA.
The program started with an activity writing a ‘Thank you letter to Sister June’ on a heart shape paper.
Following the activity, Sister Urika recapped an overview of the MWASA CHSP with an emphasis on the Client Contribution Policy.
Activities and learning journeys undertaken in 2019 were revisited and positive feedback was received on each of them.
The session ended with a sharing of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) health alert and the seniors were reminded to take precautionary measures and maintain good personal hygiene.
Office Closed Mon 9th March
CHSP Mini Golf
Muslims Meals Project @ Old Bazaar Market
The Muslim Women’s Association of SA (MWASA) supported Multicultural Aged Care (MAC) in the launch of the Muslim (Seniors) Meals Project last week at the Old Bazaar Market, Hollywood Plaza.
MWASA – along with other community service providers such as Uniting Communities, ARAS (Aged Rights Advocacy Service) and Catalyst Foundation – had a stall at the expo to share information with the public on our respective services and activities.
About 20 of our CHSP seniors participated in the event. After the launch, they visited the information booth and then were treated to lunch. The seniors thoroughly enjoyed the day as they were able to eat lunch and socialize with their peers in a relaxed and comfortable ambience.
Farewell, June!
Many of you will know June’s lovely face, she’s been the CHSP (Community Home Support Program) Coordinator at MWASA for the last 3 and a half years. The time has come for June to move on to a new adventure and so the occasion was marked in the best way we know how: with some yummy food at a Farewell Lunch.
June has enjoyed working on the CHSP and being able to help diverse people from different cultures, and has enjoyed all the learning journeys and getting to know Adelaide through the destinations that the CHSP has visited.
June’s favourite events have been the Eid gatherings! They are an opportunity to get to know many members. She has also enjoyed the annual staff lunches and getting to know other team members on a personal level.
June has enjoyed her time at MWASA and values what she has learned about culture and Australian ways of working.
June hopes that MWASA will continue to prosper and help more Muslim women and be inclusive.
Vice Chairperson Dora Abbas thanked June for her good work and expressed appreciation for June’s initiatives.
Dora reiterated that we will still see June helping in the local Muslim community, we are all still contributing to the same South Australian Muslim and broader communities.
… farewell, June!
SETS Is A Picnic For The Girls
A picnic was organised for the SETS youths to have some fun during the school holidays, giving them the opportunity to participate in different activities and meet new girls from other backgrounds.
The day involved various dynamic outdoor games and activities which fostered friendship, collaboration, teamwork and developed leadership skills. Fourteen youths attended.
A discussion was had about programs throughout the new year. The girls were happy with the idea of ‘Social Saturdays’ where they get to meet more often and plan activities, and learn in the process.
In future the one thing we encourage participants to do is to be one time so that the program is not delayed.
Feedback from the participants:
“We wanted to have some fun and not be stuck at home”
“Coming here gave us break from house chores”
“We liked the races, games and enjoyed shared food”
“It was fun to socialise and meet new people”
