CDS BalimayaRahma Mosque
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Who we are

A community organization built on welcome and dialogue

CDS Balimaya is a charitable organization founded in 2012, based on rue Fullum in Montreal. What we do is not left to our own judgement: our work follows from six charitable objects. This page sets them out one by one.

A meeting around a round table in the centre's hall.

Our story

A few reference points

  • 2012Since
  • 7Opening days
  • 4Languages we welcome in
  • 6Charitable objects

Our six objects

What we are required to do

Beside each one, what it looks like in practice at 5690 rue Fullum.

  1. 01

    Welcome

    Help with the paperwork of arriving: forms, official letters, finding housing, enrolling children in school. In the language you choose.

    Promote the social integration of newcomers in the province of Quebec and their families by providing reception services.

  2. 02

    Teach

    Literacy classes on Saturday mornings, for a nominal contribution, open to every age and to men and women alike. Information sessions for parents.

    Promote education among newcomers in the province of Quebec and their families by providing the support and/or training necessary for their active participation in Quebec society.

  3. 03

    Celebrate

    Meals, gatherings and festivals that bring Montreal's communities to one table, whether they arrived a month ago or thirty years ago.

    Promote cultural diversity and inclusion in Quebec society by organizing events that celebrate multiculturalism.

  4. 04

    Support

    Direct material help for families in hardship, and the Solidarity Fund, which takes over when a hardship is more than one household can absorb alone.

    Alleviate poverty among newcomers in the province of Quebec and their families who are experiencing difficulties by providing the material support necessary to meet their needs.

  5. 05

    Look after

    Listening, family and marital mediation, and guidance on nutrition, physical activity and communication at home and at work.

    Promote a healthy lifestyle among newcomers in the province of Quebec and their families through listening, support, and awareness regarding nutrition, physical activities, and healthy communication within family and professional settings.

  6. 06

    Gather

    A place to meet and pray, open to members of the Muslim faith, on the same footing as the five objects above.
    Prayer times and prayer space

    Promote religion by establishing and maintaining a place of meeting and gathering for members of the Muslim faith.

What guides us

Three principles, applied every day

  • Dialogue

    We hold dialogue to be the key to every success, individual and collective. It is our method before it is our message.

  • Solidarity

    Practical support for families in hardship, through the Solidarity Fund and through direct material help.

  • Openness

    The centre is open to everyone, regardless of origin, age or gender. We welcome people in French, English, Arabic and Bambara.

President's message

Dialogue, the key to all individual and collective success

With a commitment to promoting cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, which continue to hold an important place on the international agendas of nations, CDS Balimaya was established on the South Shore of Montreal, Quebec. It seeks to contribute to building the future by relying on powerful principles such as respect for others, democratic debate, solidarity, and dialogue.

Guided by strong ethical values and ambitions for all, CDS Balimaya addresses all citizens of this beautiful province, firmly believing that fruitful and peaceful intercultural relations allow us not only to receive from one another, but also to better understand the issues and challenges facing our increasingly globalized societies.

In this spirit, CDS Balimaya has taken on the noble mission of promoting the integration of newcomers through information, education, the creation of bonds of fraternity and civic solidarity, the strengthening of cultural diversity, and moral and material support.

Firmly committed to intercultural dialogue, CDS Balimaya is open to all daughters and sons of the continent who are driven by a spirit of unity and collective development while respecting differences.

In the face of the various challenges of our time, CDS Balimaya positions itself as a community organization firmly committed to the socioeconomic development of the African community in Quebec through sociocultural and recreational activities, civic engagement, intercultural dialogue, and project development in the cultural, educational, economic, political, and diplomatic fields. Its vision is to build strong foundations that promote peaceful coexistence, harmony, and collaborative action.

At CDS Balimaya, we hold human beings and dialogue in the highest regard, recognizing dialogue as the key to all individual and collective success.

We must therefore embrace otherness through a sincere and pragmatic approach. In this way, we will be able to rise to the various challenges with excellence, embody cultural renewal, and play a major role in the present and the future.

Adam Diakité — President

A Montreal street in summer: coloured brick façades, carved wooden cornices, outside staircases and bicycles.

Balimaya

Bambara — the tie of kinship

“Balimaya” is a Bambara word. It means kinship — what binds a family together, and by extension a community. That is what we have been building here in Rosemont.

A charity registered with the Canada Revenue Agency.