Tzavta #44
Tzavta x Cumming School of Medicine x Refugee Health YYC
Park by Sidewalk Citizen is deeply honoured to host human rights activist and recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Nadia Murad for a Tzavta Salon dinner on July 20th.
Following dinner, Ms. Murad will join Calgary journalist Christina Frangou for a conversation.
This special event is a collaboration with the University of Calgary’s O’Brien Institute for Public Health, the Cumming School of Medicine and the Vice President of Research.
We are grateful for this opportunity to have an intimate gathering with Ms. Murad and to raise funds for Refugee Health YYC, an internationally recognized research, education and innovation platform at the University of Calgary that is co-directed by Drs. Annalee Coakley and Gabriel Fabreau.
In conjunction with the salon, Parker PR will host an exclusive in-person and open online auction in support of Refugee Health YYC. Details will be posted shortly.
All funds raised will go to Refugee Health YYC’s programs, and support students and refugees who wish to attend the North American Refugee Health Conference, which will be held in Calgary July 21-23.
ABOUT NADIA MURAD
Nadia Murad is a leading advocate for survivors of genocide and sexual violence. Her New York Times bestselling memoir The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State is a harrowing account of the genocide against the Yazidi ethno-religious minority in Iraq and Nadia’s imprisonment by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).
Ms. Murad’s peaceful life was brutally disrupted in 2014 when ISIS attacked her homeland in Sinjar with the goal of ethnically cleansing all Yazidis from Iraq. Like many minority groups, the Yazidis have carried the weight of historical persecution. Women, in particular, have suffered greatly as victims of sexual violence. After escaping captivity, Ms. Murad began speaking out on behalf of her community and survivors of sexual violence worldwide.
Much of her advocacy work is focused on meeting with global leaders to raise awareness of the genocide against the Yazidi people and the systemic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Ms. Murad is the President and Chairwoman of Nadia’s Initiative, which actively works to persuade governments and international organizations to support the sustainable re- development of the Yazidi homeland, as well as survivors of sexual violence globally.
In 2016, Ms. Murad became the first UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking. That year, she was also awarded the Council of Europe Václav Havel Award for Human Rights and Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. In 2018, she won the Nobel Peace Prize with Dr. Denis Mukwege. Together, they founded the Global Survivors Fund. Ms. Murad was also appointed as a UN Sustainable Development Goals Advocate.
In her capacity as a member of France’s Gender Advisory Council, Ms. Murad advocated for G7 member states to adopt legislation that protects and promotes women’s rights. She worked with the German Mission to the United Nations to pass UN Security Council Resolution 2467, which expands the UN’s commitments to end sexual violence in conflict. She was a driving force behind the drafting and passing of UN Security Council Resolution 2379, which established the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL.
ABOUT CHRISTINA FRANGOU
Christina Frangou is an independent journalist who has been recognized with some of Canada’s most prestigious awards for print journalism, including a National Newspaper Award and four National Magazine Awards. She is the 2022 recipient of the Landsberg Award, given by the
Canadian Women’s Foundation and the Canadian Journalism Foundation for her efforts to shed light on gender injustice. Her work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, The Guardian and Chatelaine, and she is a contributing editor at Maclean’s.
In 2018, she wrote a feature story for The Globe and Mail about two brave Yazidi sisters in Calgary who were desperate to be reunited with their youngest sibling. The story helped lead to the reunification of this family and raised awareness of continued injustices shown to the Yazidi community worldwide.
ABOUT REFUGEE HEALTHY YYC
Calgary is a major refugee resettlement hub and refugee health leader, having welcomed 23,395 refugees since 2015—more than
all of British Columbia. Calgary is second only to Toronto for total refugees welcomed and resettles more refugees per capita than any Canadian metropolitan centre. While this hospitality is an achievement, barriers and coordination gaps between healthcare and settlement services limit effective healthcare delivery to newly arrived refugees.
Refugee Health YYC (RHYYC) is a research, education, and innovation platform at the University of Calgary that is co-directed by Drs. Annalee Coakley and Gabriel Fabreau.
It aims to improve health and healthcare for recently arrived refugees, refugee claimants and other newcomers and their families as they transition to safe and healthy new lives in Canada. As one of the largest refugee health research programs in North America, its research supports local and national efforts to improve Canada’s healthcare response and preparation for large refugee resettlement programs, such as the 2015-2017 Syrian Refugee Resettlement Initiative, the 2017-2019 Survivor of Daesh Yazidi refugee program and the current Afghan and Ukrainian refugee resettlement programs. Its affiliated clinic is one of the leading specialized refugee health clinics in Canada, having cared for thousands of refugees as they resettle in Canada, including more than 240 Yazidi refugees.
This fundraiser will support the following RHYYC’s programs:
/ 01 Community Scholars program that recruits, trains, employs and integrates community leaders from various ethnocultural communities to conduct innovative health research in partnership with refugee communities;
/ 02 Refugee Patient Advisory Committees that provide space for patient advisors to share their perspectives about issues that impact their health and wellbeing and to co-direct and prioritize RHYYC’s research;
/ 03 Refugee Student Scholarships provides undergraduate, graduate and medical students with specialized refugee health research and clinical training, mentorship, analytic skills, and practical work experience.
THE NORTH AMERICAN REFUGEE HEALTH CONFERENCE
Ms. Murad will be in Calgary to deliver the keynote address to the North American Refugee Health Conference. This conference will bring together healthcare providers, researchers, policymakers and refugee leaders from around the world to learn from one another and develop new models to improve healthcare and wellbeing for the 108M forcibly displaced around the world.
The conference will take place on July 21-23 at the Telus Convention Centre. For more information about: Conference registration and Speakers and Agenda.
PARK BY SIDEWALK CITIZEN
Designed and built locally from environmentally friendly materials, Park by Sidewalk Citizen is an internationally and nationally recognized restaurant in Calgary. This downtown space was designed as a year-round space that communicates with the surrounding nature and provides a cozy hub for people and plants, and gathering place for cultural events. It is a homage to the quiet spaces we go to experience nature within a city and to the park’s century-old “Garden Rooms” used for courting in Victorian times. Filled with natural light, open to the summer breeze and warmed by fireplaces in winter, its solarium is a one-of-a-kind indoor/outdoor structure. The menu is inspired by the bustling food markets of the Mediterranean and made with local ingredients, supporting local growers. Park by Sidewalk Citizen is owned by Michal Lavi.
About Tzvata Dinner Salon
Started in 2016, Tzavta dinner salon at Park by Sidewalk Citizen aims to provide an intimate space to nurture conversation and the flow of ideas. Sitting together for a meal, inspired by our main speakers, the salon provides a meeting place for thinkers, writers, artists, musicians, scientists and adventurers.
