Calgary agency helps immigrant women entrepreneurs – Calgary | Globalnews.ca

Hundreds of Calgary women are coming together this weekend to celebrate some pretty impressive achievements.

They’re out to give enterprising immigrants the tools they need to succeed in their new city.

The Immigrant Education Society (TIES) is holding an event on Saturday, June 24 to showcase the accomplishments of immigrant women entrepreneurs.

One of those women is Fathima Mohamed Rizah, who started her mobile vehicle detailing service after completing a training program at TIES.

“The service saves people’s time in this fast, busy world,” Mohamed Rizah said.

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Becoming an entrepreneur didn’t seem possible when she arrived in Calgary as an immigrant from Sri Lanka.

“As a new immigrant, there are so many barriers,” Mohamed Rizah said.

Overcoming those barriers became possible when Mohamed Rizah attended a 10-week training program at TIES.

“The training  is very important because, for newcomer immigrant women, the business procedures of setting up in their home country are different from in Canada, so they need to learn about the procedures,” TIES CEO Sally Zhao said.

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The TIES event in downtown Calgary on Saturday will provide immigrant women with information on developing their own businesses. Anyone wishing to attend can contact TIES.

“The message is very encouraging for other new immigrants to set up their own business,” Zhao said. “They just need that little bit of extra help at the beginning and they will become great contributing Canadian citizens.”

Mohamed Rizah says she’s grateful for the training she received, encouraging other immigrant women to follow their dreams.

“In Calgary there are so many helping hands,” Mohamed Rizah said. “As a woman, I think we can do many things —  we can build teams and make a better world.”

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