Naomi Hill and her classmates want to help Afghan women escape abusive situations and build lives of their own.
“In many situations women escape and run away to safe houses where they can find temporary refuge from their families. However, because they have no resources to get educated and have never worked or been allowed to learn a trade, they cannot support themselves on their own and unfortunately have to return to their abusive families,” Hill said.
Hill and her Oak Bay High peers Sam Gray and Nadine Robinson put on a talent show May 2 to raise money and awareness for the non-profit organization Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. Oak Bay to Afghanistan raised $1,500 toward a full library kit of 500 books and shelving for an Afghan girls’ high school. Following the event, the funds were matched by an anonymous donor.
Kay Dila, member of the Victoria Chapter of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, said the organization is glad to see the students at Oak Bay High invested in their educational projects.
“The May event at Oak Bay High was one of many across Canada where we, who have and enjoy so much, are able to contribute and support peace-making work: learning to read,” she said. “The crowd was generous.” One of the bookcases will be delivered to northern Afghanistan where students will be able to access what Dila calls “windows to the world” as they learn to read.
Each donated library kit includes books purchased from local publishers and available in both official Afghan languages, Dari and Pashto. The kits stimulate the local economy and women readership in rural communities. In the future, CW4WAfghan hopes to expand the range of books online to include more early reader options and texts in the approximate 40 other Afghan languages.
“We are engaged in teacher training projects in Kabul, the capital city. We maintain an office there and provide books and teaching materials that are then available to those teaching and learning throughout the country,” Dila said.
Afghan girls, boys and women gather in homes and other suitable sites where a teacher shares skills and creates opportunities to learn. Dila explained that some provinces are entirely dependent on resources provided by CW4WAfghan.
Donations can be made at cw4wafghan.ca.