Quick Escape 
“What has made me proud is… when I see myself, and I see the other women together with me, I see success. I see the strength. I see power. So that’s what keeps me going all the time.” – Caroline Okumu, member of the Ushindi Collective
At YWCA Hamilton, we celebrate the power of women working towards a more equitable future every single day. On International Women’s Day we recognize how far we’ve come and how much we’ve accomplished together, because our work cannot be done alone. Today, we celebrate the community power and collective resilience of the Ushindi Collective.
At this year’s 2025 Women of Distinction Awards, the inspiring Ushindi Collective was recognized with the 2025 Honourary Women of Distinction Award. This is the first time the award has been given to a collective, rather than an individual – an honour that recognizes the power of community in defining the future.
The group is made up of eight newcomers to Canada who met and lived in YWCA Hamilton’s Transitional Living Program (TLP), as well as the creative team who helped the group create and showcase an original play, Ushindi: When We Are Welcome in the summer of 2024. Ushindi is a Swahili word for “victory.”
The idea of finding community in new places is central to the Collective and the narrative of the play. The women wanted to share their experiences of navigating an unfamiliar country without their families and traditional support systems. Back home, they often relied on their elders, especially the “aunties,” to guide them through the challenges of life. In Canada, they had to rebuild their community without these familiar figures. Thankfully, the women found “aunties” in their new lives – through fellow newcomers, service providersor new friends. Programs, like YWCA Hamilton’s TLP, were important places for community- and relationship-building for the women. Trusting these new sources of support took courage and strength. When asked about her arrival in Canada, Caroline Okumu said, “Since I had to come, and I landed to Canada, I have hope… I knew that there, in front of me, things are going to be better.”
The Ushindi Collective reminds us all that resilience and joy are not experienced alone. While each newcomer’s journey has been unique, their stories are deeply interconnected. Even in the most difficult of circumstances, cast members overcome obstacles together and supported each other as they worked toward their goals – from starting school, to finding housing and employment.
The group came together through songs, dances and stories over dinner at TLP. Their joy and determination to define their futures in a new country moved Paula Grove, a YWCA staff member, to suggest that these stories and songs could be made into a play and shared with the broader community. The creative team helped the women shape the story through numerous brainstorming sessions and rehearsals. The women worked on the production while they also settled in Hamilton – navigating housing and job searches, school assignments and other responsibilities. They performed the play in July 2024 at The Westdale Theatre during Hamilton Fringe Festival and won “Best in Venue.” They credit the community they built together and the supports they accessed in Hamilton with their successes.
The women of the Ushindi Collective have faced many difficulties. They left their homes and families behind, fleeing from persecution or violence, and arrived in an unfamiliar country alone. Their stories are an important reminder to all of us that community and relationships are powerful forces of strength and joy, especially during times of transition and struggle: “Be of help when you can… be an “auntie”,” said Miriam Karuga.
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Ushindi Cast:
Miriam Karuga
Faith Kimari
Monica Karogo
Everlyne Kiprono
Margaret Muchina
Mary Nderitu
Caroline Okumu
Moud Runoziveyi
Creative Team:
Paula Grove
Catherine Graham
Ron Weihs
Melanie Skene