Zarghoona Wakil, Senior Manager of Specialized and Innovative Programs at MOSAIC, has received the 2020 Service Recognition Staff Award from the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA).
The annual AMSSA Diversity Awards, which were presented at the AMSSA Annual General Meeting held virtually Oct. 2, recognize member organizations, staff, and volunteers for their contributions to diversity and inclusion in BC. The Service Recognition Staff Award is presented to a candidate who has demonstrated leadership, collaboration, and innovative program delivery in the settlement sector, among other criteria.
“Receiving this award is incredibly rewarding, and I feel blessed and delighted. That said, I do not consider it as a one-person achievement, but rather one that comes from teamwork. I am so proud of our team,” said Zarghoona.
As an internationally trained doctor and a graduate of Maters of Public Health program at SFU, who came to Canada as a refugee, Zarghoona focuses on health and health promotion, victim support and violence prevention, and specialized programming for seniors, gender based and youth programs in her work at MOSAIC.
She is a tireless advocate for equitable access to healthcare for newcomers, focusing on collaboration and partnerships with key stakeholders at the health authority, provincial, and federal level to achieve change. Her leadership roles include co-chair of the Community Alliance of Racialized Ethnocultural Services (CARES) for Equitable Health, and representing MOSAIC on the steering committee of the BC Health Coalition.
“We know that Canadian society is becoming increasingly diverse, and that elevates the need for reforms in the healthcare system to make healthcare equitable for all…At MOSAIC, we have created new partnerships with healthcare providers and work collaboratively with them to better integrate our services to provide holistic care and make health services equitable.”
As the leader of the Specialized and Innovative Programs cluster at MOSAIC, Zarghoona oversees a number of projects. Some highlights include the new COVID-19 Health Navigator Initiative, which involved a collaboration with the Burnaby Division of Family Practice, and the Multicultural Youth & Safe Relationships Project, which involves partnerships with Kwantlen University, Options Community Services, and Western University.
“Congratulations to Zarghoona and the MOSAIC team for this well-deserved recognition of their work in the sector and their tireless advocacy focusing on improving the health outcomes and overall well-being of newcomers as they build their lives in Canada,” said Olga Stachova, CEO of MOSAIC.
