English 10/ EF7 "Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan"

Little Women For Little Women in Afghanistan

           

Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan was founded by Alaina Podmorow in the fall of 2006 after she attended a speech by Sally Armstrong, journalist and human rights activist, and author of Veiled Threat and Bitter Roots, Tender Shoots.  Alaina was deeply moved by Armstrong’s stories of the hardships of girls in Afghanistan and their struggle to exercise their right for education. She was inspired by Sally’s words, “The worst thing you can do is nothing.”

Alaina started a team of girls from her school called Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan in the spring of 2007.  Eighteen girls from Davidson Road Elementary School in Lake Country joined the team which has focused their incredible energy and spearheaded many events and projects to support Afghan girls and women.

To date, Little Women has raised over $375,000.  100% of all donated funds are sent to Afghanistan through the mother organization, Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan to pay the salaries of Afghan teachers, train teachers, support education initiatives, libraries and community projects.  The “Littles” participate annually in the International Women’s Day celebrations across the country and march proudly for children’s rights on Children’s Rights Day June 1st.

Through raising funds and awareness, Little Women for Little Women support education projects in Afghanistan, so that girls and women in Afghanistan will have their human rights restored, live freely and in peace.  The projects are created and managed by Afghan women or communities.

Adapted from http://www.littlewomenforlittlewomen.com/

In Alaina’s words:

I founded Little Women when I was nine years old when I learned about the terrible human rights violations that happen to little girls in Afghanistan. It was so upsetting that girls could not attend school or get educated or receive the basic rights of equality and education. Little Women have been working hard to make change for girls in Afghanistan. I believe education=peace and only through education can peace be achieved.

Little women have many projects to support our education projects on the ground in Afghanistan. Through fundraising and raising awareness, we have recently trained 1200 teachers, we have paid teachers’ salaries, funded libraries, bought books, supported an orphanage, helped build a school and listened to what the Afghan girls and Women want and need. Just as important, we are spreading awareness about the need for others to take action. There are thousands of girls going to school because of the projects running on the ground and there are 1000's who we speak to here in Canada the US and the world who get enlightened and then take action.

Adapted from http://www.dosomething.org/project/little-women-little-women-afghanistan