VOLUME 64 - Jul 2011
Women’s Rights in Afghanistan
* Thank you to Translators Without WHAT’S NEW: Borders for qualifying CW4WAfghan as an * Project Director Lauryn Oates and INGO able to have materials translated at no cost. TWB volunteers from around the world are Executive Director, Janice Eisenhauer travelled now working on translations for our new French to Afghanistan for three weeks in January 2011 website and for a new online resource soon to be visiting the CW4WAfghan funded schools and launched in Dari, Pashto and English. literacy classes as well as working closely with the CW4WAfghan Kabul Office staff (see page 12) * The CW4WAfghan Fund Development Committee members have worked hard * Nine of the CW4WAfghan Board of over the past months to develop specific Directors and Executive met together in responsibilities and timelines to research a Calgary in April for a 2 1/2 day board retreat. number of potential funding sources. Members The meeting included finalizing the update of are applying for grants from local and our Strategic Plan, led by Madeliene Tarasick, international sources to assist with sustaining President and Marg Stewart, Treasurer. our projects and matching individual donor dollars. * Afghan MP, Fawzia Koofi toured Canada in June to release her new book Letters to my * Planning for the upcoming Daughters (Douglas & McIntyre). Members annual Symposium and AGM for attended a number of events hosted by 2011 Champions: Education for CW4WAfghan and affiliated members (see page 8) Afghan Women and Girls, is well underway for Oakville, Ontario, * Funding has been committed by CIDA from September 29th to October for our new two-year teacher-training project 1st (see page 10, 13 & 14) called FANOOS / Safe Light. This project will REGISTER NOW. be managed by our Kabul Office staff and our Tickets are going fast! partner organization, the Afghan Women’s Resource Centre. VICTORIA Breaking Bread
Breaking Bread co-hosted by St. Aidan’s United Come and enjoy a potluck Fundraiser dinner Church and Victoria Chapter - A very successful At St. Aidan’s Church evening including raising $3,500 for education projects in Afghanistan! Bring a potluck dish and a donation to support
Education for Afghan Women and Girls
WHEN:
Wednesday, April 6 at 6:00 pm
WHERE:
St. Aidan's United Church 3703 St. Aidan's Street
(Richmond & Cedar Hill X Road)
Guest Speaker: LAURYN OATES recently returned from Afghanistan Manager of the Excel-erate Teacher Training Program and Projects Director for Canadian Women For Women in Afghanistan
For more information call - 250-727-9891 or 250-477-8515 (tax receipts will be issued for donations of $30 or more)
Co - hosted by St. Aidan’s United Church and CW4WAfghan Victoria
CONGRATULATIONS on another very successful Breaking Bread Dinner fund-raising event in ** SASKATOON **
THANK YOU: SIAST Hotel and Restaurant Administration Year 2 students and all the supporters of the new chapter in Saskatchewan!
2 Breaking Bread at SIAST - SASKATCHEWAN
On Wednesday, March 16, 2011, the newly formed Saskatchewan chapter of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan) played host to 100 guests for an evening of wonderful Afghan food, a silent auction, and a presentation by CW4WAfghan founding member and Executive Director, Janice Eisenhauer. The event was held in the Kelsey Dining Room at SIAST in Saskatoon, SK. The evening started off with cocktails while guests mingled and checked out the various silent auction items, purchased CW4WAfghan memberships, and shopped for various Afghan items and books. The ambiance and atmosphere of the room was fabulous – enhanced by details such as cloth tablecloths and napkins, candles, lovely place settings, tulips, Afghan background music, and stunning photos of Afghanistan displayed on the large screen. The visual highlight of the room was undoubtedly the beautiful ice sculpture with special lighting. The SIAST Hotel and Restaurant Administration Year 2 students did a fabulous job decorating the room, and more importantly, preparing and serving the food. Under the expert guidance of their instructors, they prepared a delicious four course Afghan meal and they served it in a professional and elegant manner. Guests were treated to an amazing meal at a price that was equally amazing. Ticket prices were only $50 and of that amount, $30 was a donation to CW4WAfghan. After a fabulous dinner, guests had the pleasure of hearing Janice Eisenhauer speak about CW4WAfghan. Janice spoke about the important education projects in Afghanistan and showed photos of her very recent trip to Kabul and Bamiyan City in Afghanistan. Many of the guests at the dinner had attended previous Breaking Bread dinners at SIAST and other guests were attending for the first time. All were appreciative of the opportunity to meet Janice and to hear her speak about CW4WAfghan’s history, mandate and projects in Afghanistan. Grace Carney and Laurel Marsh have hosted four previous Breaking Bread dinners at SIAST with the support of the Food Services Department at Kelsey. This year, Grace and Laurel joined forces with Rita Priestley and Sharon Odegard, the president and vice- president of the new Saskatchewan CW4WAfghan chapter, respectively, in order to plan a larger Breaking Bread dinner. It was a very successful evening by all accounts and to top off the evening, an anonymous (and very generous!) member of CW4WAfghan in Saskatchewan donated funds to match the fund-raising efforts that evening. Organizers are thrilled to report that a total of more than $10,000 was raised for CW4WAfghan education projects. Organizers are very appreciative of the support from the SIAST community and would like to extend L-R: Sharon Odegard, Rita Priestley, Janice Eisenhauer, Laurel Marsh, Grace Carney a huge thank you to everyone who attended the event.
3 Kabul Radio Broadcast Organized by CW4WAfghan Kabul Office for Global Week of Action for Education Celebration of Global Week of Action for Education May 2-8, 2011 Kabul. Every year, the Global Campaign for Education organizes Government of Afghanistan to draw the attention of a Global Action Week to draw attention to the millions the Afghan Government, the international community of children, youth and adults who cannot realize their and civil society to take firm action for equal and basic human right to access a quality education. quality education for Afghan children, youth and adults. The 2011 Global Action Week focussed on raising “To improve the standard of education available to awareness of the Afghan children, we must begin plight of millions of to openly discuss the significant girls and women from challenges we’re facing, from teacher underdeveloped and education to the security of schools developing countries who to the absence of basic learning do not have access to materials like science labs and books,” quality education. says Abdul Sattar Bahaduri, one of Canadian Women for CW4WAfghan’s Master Trainers, “and Women in Afghanistan from there, start talking about solutions (CW4WAfghan) works we can undertake.” actively in the education This roundtable not only sector to strengthen outlined the serious challenges and advance education, facing the education sector but especially for women and also suggested recommendations girls, in partnership with for the enhancement of quality Afghans. education, to improve the equal access of girls and CW4WAfghan Kabul organized a roundtable boys to quality education and shared many lessons discussion with the participation of its Master Teacher learned. This programme was broadcast on Tuesday, Trainers and one of the Education Directors from the May 3, 2011 through Radio Amuzgar.
The annual KINGSTON GALA, on May 5, 2011, featured Lauryn Oates, CW4WAfghan Projects Director, as the guest speaker as well as remarks from Janice Eisenhauer, CW4WAfghan Exectutive Director. The evening included lovely food and refreshments as well as a beautifully displayed silent auction with unique donated items including home made food, artwork, jewelry, hand-crafted bird houses, and even a Don Cherry jacket, shirt and tie! The event yielded net proceeds of $16,000. To top things off, a very generous anonymous donor from Saskatoon matched over $9,000 of the funds raised by the Kingston community, to bring the net gala proceeds up to $25,000. This brings the total proceeds since the inception of the Kingston chapter in 2003 to some $130,000!
Congratulations to all in Kingston for another very successful event!
4 PEOPLE ASK US…
Tell us more about the teachers who are taking the training with your programme...
Name: Sabrina Age: 20
I am on Day 17 of my training, in the third week. I teach math at the girls’ high school here. I learned a lot in this training, like trigonometry. I didn’t know how to solve these math problems before and now I can teach these concepts to my students. I had taken a 13-day training from the Ministry of Education on methodology after I had been teaching for one year. We were not given any training material. I did not even have the curriculum. I had a copy of the math textbook so I used that to teach. We were supposed to prepare our own lesson plans. So I had not taken any subject training before. I completed grade 12 and then I started teaching. I teach 7th grade. Before I was trained, I used to ask the other teachers how to teach, how to prepare a lesson plan, but now I can do these things myself. Because I am from this village, I knew there was a shortage of teachers, so I wanted to share what I had learned and studied with others from my village. Though I am from this place, now I live in Kabul with my parents and I commute here every day, it takes me three hours to get here. I take a taxi van, which is sponsored by a local businessman who is wanting to support education in this area, so he pays for our transportation costs so teachers from the city will come to this district. I always want to teach here, and maybe some day I will live here also. But for now my family members can’t find work around here, so we have to live in Kabul.
“A building is not a school. A building is a school when it has a good teacher, a good curriculum, and lots of activity. Then it’s a school.” Yasin Farid, National Director, PARSA
PARSA is a US registered 501-(c)3 non-governmental organization founded in 1996. PARSA staff have partnered with CW4WAfghan for over a decade. PARSA’s mandate is to work directly with the disadvantaged people of Afghanistan. Yasin teaches at Kabul University and helps school teachers who have been traumatized by decades of war to learn new coping skills for the classroom. Visit www.afghanistan-parsa.org
5 Breaking Bread Potluck Dinner In Celebration of International Women’s Day by : Wendy Addo, Rosie Addo, Wyatt Hanson, Mr. G. Hughes
On Thursday March 3rd, Students 4 Change(S4C) at George McDougall High School (GMHS) held its 8th annual Breaking Bread Potluck Dinner to raise awareness and money for Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. This year as part of the CW4WAfghan event and to celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day (IWD), Mr. Hughes’ Social Studies class participated by creating posters to honour some of the world’s champions of women’s rights and these posters were displayed at the Breaking Bread Event. A graduating student who has been very involved in S4C in her high school career, Wendy Addo, delivered the IWD speech which was very powerful and witty as it touched on gender issues that affect even the free and emancipated women of our world. The potluck dinner was another good, awareness raising event, complete with a fifty-fifty draw, a silent auction, henna, and a feast, all of which was facilitated by Students 4 Change. Students 4 Change will strive to continue to excel in making the annual event successful. Carolyn Reicher (Co-founder of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan) spoke about how the fund-raising efforts are paying off in Afghanistan. She stated that, whether the money is going to educate or to feed the people, it is being well spent. Janice Eisenhauer, Co-founder and Executive Director, had just returned from Afghanistan and she was able to share first-hand knowledge of the progress being made with regard to a multitude of women’s issues. We believe it is important for GMHS students to be informed when it comes to their global community and this event has been structured to allow people to become knowledgeable and understand where their donations are going to be used. This event has also helped our school build camaraderie and to feel connected to the larger community. We are very proud to say that we were a part of this event and we know it would not have been possible without the dedication of our Social Department Head and Co-founder Mr. Hughes and all of the other Students 4 Change members. Students 4 Change(S4C) hosting their 8th Annual Breaking Bread Dinner at George McDougall High School in Airdrie, Alberta
6 SPRING TIME BREAKING BREAD in Calgary...
For the eighth year in a row, Irene MacDonald and her Committee held their annual Breaking Bread dinner and hosted a sold-out event for approximately 230 people at the Triwood Community Centre in northwest Calgary. At last count, the event raised $30,555 in donations, silent auction items, and sales from the Marketplace. Remarkably, and in keeping with previous years, all donated money from those attending the dinner is able to go to Afghan programs because of the generous sponsorships of Newalta Corporation and Elan Construction. This year's keynote speaker was Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan's very own Janice Eisenhauer. What a special treat this was, especially since Janice was quite recently in Afghanistan and was able to give an excellent and very current overview of specific CW4WAfghan initiatives and activities. Making skilful use of her slides from the trip and speaking eloquently about all the places she visited, Janice was able to give her appreciative audience a good sense of what the charity is doing in Afghanistan. Everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner provided by Ethnicity Catering of Calgary, a non-profit social enterprise of the Center for Newcomers. This group provides Canadian employment experience and training to immigrant women in transition. What a perfect fit this was for the Breaking Bread experience. Organizers were able to sell about 30 CW4WAfghan memberships at the event as well. Several attendees wondered, as they purchased their memberships, if this would guarantee a seat at next year's event. Surely that is the best sign one could receive that the night was a resounding success. Sharon, Committee Member, Calgary, AB
7 Introducing MP. Fawzia Koofi by Babur Mawladin
Welcoming Speech delivered before Fawzia Koofi's keynote address and book launch in Toronto, June 1, 2011 at Taj Banquet Hall, Toronto, On
It is a great honor for me to welcome Fawzia Koofi, one of our brave, outspoken women’s rights activists and a member of Parliament for Afghanistan, on behalf of the Canada Afghanistan Solidarity Committee (CASC), Canadians in Support of Afghan Women (CSAW), and the Afghan General Consulate, and our organizing committee. We hear a lot about the challenges Afghans face in their struggle for democracy in our media, but we don’t always hear the full story. We have seen how Afghan women were and still are suffering from terrorism, violence, injustice and inequality in their lives. But Afghan women are not mere victims; they are also courageous survivors. Today we are privileged to have Fawzia Koofi among us, a woman who fought hard for our people’s fundamental human rights, a woman that along with other women in the parliament and outside it, challenged the nonsensical interpretation of Islam and cultural boundaries. She broke boundaries and crossed the social stigma in a male-dominated society in which the general belief was men rule, women follow. In 2005 after being elected as Second Deputy speaker, Fawzia Koofi changed the history of this society in which men ran the show. In parliamentary Fawzia Koofi is a member of parliament in sessions, she sits as Speaker of Wolesi Jerga to Afghanistan’s northern Badakhshan province. Prior lead 249 men and women MPs. This happened for to this she worked with UNICEF and various NGOs the first time in Afghan history that a woman led a as a women’s and children’s advocate. In 2009 she parliamentary session. was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World It was no easy task for Fawzia and other Afghan Economic Forum. She will run as a presidential MPs, who dedicated their lives and are currently candidate in 2014. Fawzia wrote the book with Nadene working hard for the Afghan women in order for them Ghouri, an award-winning BBC journalist and former to win their fundamental rights. Al Jazeera reporter specializing in the Middle East. Afghanistan is a conservative society. The cultural Fawzia Koofi came to Canada on book tour May 30- and tribal structure, the level of literacy and education June 6th,2011. She spoke in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary as well as understanding of religion and traditions are and Vancouver. diverse, and that makes is difficult, sometimes even impossible, to make a difference. LETTERS TO MY DAUGHTERS A Memoir But we all know the road to democracy and Publication date: May 21, 2011 freedom is not laid with roses. It is very tough. It Hardcover · $29.95 CDN needs time and dedication. It demands sacrifices and iSbN: 978-1-55365-876-4 commitment. Douglas & McIntrye We have a long way to go, but this is the only option we have. To build a democratic and prosperous country we all need to work hard, hand in hand, day and night. We have made significant steps on the road towards democracy. Yet, we do encounter problems which call on our wisdom in order to find the proper solutions. We are aware that the cure for the evils of the poor penetration of democracy is more democracy. So, let’s get together in this difficult endeavor. And remember: We are not alone in this struggle. 8 I so enjoyed reading “Letters to My Daughters” and following this personal and remarkable life story--a life Fawzia admits is filled with risks and many challenges. With much hope and inspiration she continues to strive to fulfill her dream of having a strong role in guiding her country towards a brighter future. Fawzia Koofi represents a new Afghanistan where women have a voice in the political sphere. This brighter future rests in the love Afghans have for their country, and for their families. We wish her much success in the years to come!
CPL Janice Eisenhauer, Calgary
From Calgary members, our thanks again to Douglas & McIntyre and Calgary Public Library for partnering on this important opportunity to share Fawzia’s story with Canadians. CPL Andrew Potter CPL
9 What an amazing and courageous person! I really appreciated her courage in standing for public office. It was refreshing to see the openness with which she demonstrated that she has interests of all Afghan people at heart, and women’s rights in particular. I think that this came through very clearly during her presentation in Calgary. Also, her announcement to stand as a presidential candidate in 2014 is indeed very courageous. People like Fawzia Koofi
CPL are working towards a noble and equitable Calgary Public Library, Pages Books and CW4WAfghan vision of Afghanistan’s future. members hosting MP. Fawzia Koofi on June 3, 2011. Naushad Dada, Calgary
CHAMPIONS: Education for Afghan Women and Girls
This Fall, CW4WAfghan members and supporters will gather together in Oakville, ON for our annual symposium. Join us for a special Tribute Dinner on Friday, Sept 30th honouring the work of author and award-winning journalist, Sally Armstrong, with special guests including Dr. Sima Samar, Chair of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. On Saturday, Oct 1, 2011, join CW4WAfghan members in a symposium for panel discussions, dialogue and special presentations with our additional special guests Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, Director of the Afghan Institute of Learning, Dr. Sandra Cook, Co- Chair of the Louis and Nancy Hatch Dupree Foundation for the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University (ACKU), and Mur warid Ziayee, CW4WAfghan Country Director.
TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE: Visit our website www.CW4WAfghan.ca EVENTS
CW4WAfghan Welcomes SPONSORS for this Symposium. Please email [email protected] or call 1 403 244-5625 if you can help! 10 Thank you. Thanks to the Zonta Club of Nanaimo for their “Super Yard Sale.” The following is an excerpt from the Nanaimo Nexus Zonta Club Newsletter:
Applause Applause to all of you members who so successfully held the Yard Sale to raise funds for teachers’ salaries and school supplies for kids in Afghanistan; with your efforts you forwarded $2000 to CW4WA...Pat yourselves on the back for your dedication to the goals of the club and its caring reputation. (www.zonta.org)
[Afghan Food & 1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper; salt Cookery, Helen 16 oz strained yogurt (use plain balkan-style Saberi] yogurt with no gelatin, strain in cheese cloth for about an hour to drain off the bitter BURANI Eggplant liquids) with Yogurt 2 cloves crushed garlic; 2 tsp dried mint
Buran is the name given to a vast range of Peel the eggplant and slice into rounds about dishes extending from Spain to the Balkans 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Heat plenty of oil in frying pan as well as the Islamic heartland extending (eggplants soak up a lot of oil) and fry as many from Morocco to India. Its history is long and slices as possible in one layer. Repeat until well complicated and the legend behind the dish browned on both sides, adding more oil if needed. has many versions. According to Charles Drain on absorbent towels. (*Note, for a healthier Perry in his article in The Oxford Companion to dish, you can brush the eggplant slices with oil and Food, Buran was the nickname of the princess broil both sides.) who married the caliph of Baghdad in the Gently fry the onions in a little oil until reddish-brown. ninth century and burani has evolved from Slice the tomatoes. Arrange the eggplant, tomatoes, sliced the special dish served at her lavish wedding pepper and onions in layers in a pan, sprinkling each layer celebration. with a little salt and red pepper. Add 2-3 tablespoons of In Afghanistan this dish is known as burani water, cover the pan with a lid and simmer over low heat for and represents a wide range of vegetable about 30 mins. dishes served with a yogurt-based sauce. Meanwhile combine the strained yogurt, garlic, a little salt and mint (bit of lemon juice is nice 2-3 large eggplants; vegetable oil for too). Put half the yogurt in a warm serving dish. frying Carefully remove the eggplant from the pan with 1 medium onion, finely chopped a spatula, arrange on top of yoghurt. Dot the rest 1-2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced of the yogurt on top. Dust with more mint. Serve 1 green pepper, finally sliced in rings (opt) immediately with naan or Afghan bread. Serves 4.
11 From Kabul....
Tools for Project Management: A Workshop for Good Planning by NGOs
As part of our capacity-building support to our project partners in Afghanistan, CW4WAfghan’s Afghanistan Country Office hosted its second partners workshop, this time focused on Project Management Tools. The workshop, which took place on January 27th, 2011, was well-attended. The workshop covered key project management tools that nurture better project planning and accountability for funds spent, such as preparing a performance measurement framework, results table, and work plan. Throughout the day, partners participated in creating the tools for a hypothetical project in interactive exercises, and were provided with a variety of templates to use in their project planning. Our Country Director Murwarid Ziayee also took some time to review reporting requirements and project guidelines with partners. Evaluation forms returned at the end of the workshop provided overwhelmingly positive feedback for the session. The previous workshop had focused on good governance for NGOs and board development. Based on requests for future workshops, the next workshop will be on Proposal Writing. Other topics of interest include management strategies and human resources.
From workshop participants:
First of all , Let me congratulate you on an excellent workshop. It was extremely well organized and, going by the discussions in the workgroups and plenary sessions, participants were very engaged and came away inspired.
Thank you for providing the workshop and I really gained much regarding project management tools. I hope you continue giving such opportunity for your partners to learn more and more. Thanks for sharing the handout and best regards
12 Oakville Banquet & Conference Centre (Bronte & QEW, Oakville)
Sept. 30, 2011
6:30 pm Doors Open Afghan Marketplace Cash Bar Entertainment 7:30 pm Dinner
Tickets Adults $65 Students $50
Support Education for Afghan Children
For Tickets Contact Lorraine 905 827-8079 [email protected] 13 Champions: Education for Afghan Women & Girls Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan Canadians in Support of Afghan Women
OAKVILLE, ON O c t O b e r 1, 2011
Saturday, Oct 1, 2011 Holiday Inn, 2525 Wyecroft Road, Oakville, Ontario 8:30 am Registration, Program 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Join our special guests and CW4WAfghan members from across Canada in a series of presentations, panel discussions and workshops on topics focussing on the theme for this year’s annual conference: Champions: Education for Afghan women and girls.
Our volunteer network is proud to provide this opportunity to Canadians to learn from the many “Champions” actively involved in Afghanistan. Our special guests will offer insights on what the future holds for advancing education for Afghan women and girls and how Canadians can help. Special guests and panelists include:
Sally Armstrong, author, human rights activist, documentary filmmaker Dr. Sandra Cook, Louis Hatch Dupree Foundation/Able Box Libraries Clint Curle, Senior Researcher, Canadian Museum for Human Rights Lauryn Oates, CW4WAfghan Projects Director Dr. Sima Samar, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission Prof Sakena Yacoobi, Afghan Institute of Learning Murwarid Ziayee, CW4WAfghan Country Director
To Register: http://oakville-symposium-public.eventbrite.com/ Ticket price $50 including lunch and refreshments ($25 non-lunch and/or student rate; seating is limited).
For further information, please call 1 905 847-2101 or email [email protected]
P.O. Box 86016 Marda Loop, Calgary, AB T2T 6B7 1515 Rebecca St., Suite 227, Oakville, ON L6L 5G8 Tel: 1 403 244-5625 Tel: 1 905 825-3622 Email: [email protected] [email protected] Website: www.CW4WAfghan.ca www.canadianssupportafghanwomen.ca 14 Board of Directors/Officers: Ryan Aldred Deborah Alexander, Secretary National: Irene MacDonald [email protected] Linda Middaugh [email protected] Jamie Podmorow [email protected] Roya Rahmani [email protected] Janis Rapchuk, Vice-President Carrie Rowlandson CW4WAfghan Network: Marg Stewart, Treasurer [email protected] Madeliene Tarasick, President [email protected] [email protected] Executive: Grande [email protected] Penny Christensen, Financial Officer [email protected] (C4WA) Janice Eisenhauer, Executive Director [email protected] Lauryn Oates, Project Director [email protected] (CSAW) [email protected] (LW4LW) Kabul Office Staff: [email protected] Murwarid Ziayee, Country Director [email protected] Iqlima Razawi, Program Assistant [email protected] Ahmad Walid Sahid, Driver [email protected] Abdul Fattah, Driver (Trainers) [email protected] Nasreen Tokhi, Teacher Trainer Abdul Sattar Bahaduri, Teacher Trainer Maliha Hussaini, Teacher Trainer Shazia Naibkhail, Teacher Trainer
Contact Us: Please contact a chapter in your area to learn about local activities and how you can volunteer towards our goal of advancing education in Afghanistan.
C a n a d i a n W o m e n f o r W o m e n i n A f g h a n i s ta n National Office: PO Box 86016 Marda Loop Calgary, AB T2T 6B7 Tel: 1 403 244-5625 www.CW4WAfghan.ca