Quite possibly the coolest 10 year old girl in the land, Alaina Podmorow, was moved to action after her mother Jamie (coolest mom in the land?) took her to hear a speech by Canadian journalist and human rights activist Sally Armstrong.
”I heard about bombings in Afghanistan. I was unaware. That night, I got educated about it,” said Alaina.
In her speech, Armstrong explained that while many Afghan girls have gone back to school since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the fear of local warlords and militia groups continues to keep girls out of classrooms.
I would assume that like most young girls in a country like Canada, Alaina was shocked and horrified to hear of the fates of girls her age in a war torn county where women have few, if any, rights. In fact, things for the newly “liberated” women of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan are just as bad now as they were under the Taliban. According to Malalai Joya, called “the bravest woman in Afghanistan”:
It is shocking news, a catastrophic situation for women in our country. I moved back to Afghanistan to be a social activist on women’s issues. Many women have been kidnapped, many are raped, according to official statements, there have been 250 cases of rape in the west of Afghanistan in the first six months of 2007. Every 28 minutes, an Afghani woman dies from childbirth. The conditions are worse than ever for women.
Despite the billions of dollars that Afghanistan receives in aid, only 2 percent [of the people] have access to electricity. Today in Afghanistan, 60 percent are staying jobless.
Regardless of what you think of the mission, you have to admit, things aren’t improving for women. And this young lady learned about it. She learned that despite billions of dollars in aid, girls in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan can’t always go to school, because there was no money to pay teacher’s salaries (female teachers for female students). During the speech, Armstrong spoke of the amazing Women for Women, known for their work with female survivors of war – the victims of atrocities we don’t dare to imagine.
”I decided that I would start my group called Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan,” she said.
The group, which now has 18 members, decided to raise money for teachers’ salaries after learning that many Afghan families believe their daughters must be taught by female teachers, but that there was not enough money to pay for them.
Experts believe the promise of a guaranteed paycheque will help attract educated Afghan women to teach in schools.
$750 pays a teacher for a year
I can’t help but think what a great investment that would be for a civilization that wanted to, yanno, win the ideological battle of our lifetime, worse than the Nazis or the Fascists or the Commies. Spend a miniscule fraction of your ‘rebuilding’ budget on hiring, oh, 1,000 female teachers to educate girls. Who grow to be women. Who realize their rights and their power, and their demands for their human rights be upheld and democratize their country. But no. Bake sale by bake sale, 10 year old girls are paying the salaries for teachers in the I.R.of A. Despite the blustering of politicians and war profiteers, little girls are having to do the job that government won’t – seeing that the seeds of democracy are sown in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan through aid and education for women.
Through various events, including potluck dinners and an auction, the group raised enough money to pay the salaries of five female schoolteachers for one year — $750 per teacher.
“I thought it’s not fair for the guys to go to school and the girls not to,” said group member Amber Coles.
How can you help? I mean really help? Give to Women for Women. They have a bazaar – do some holiday shopping there. Give to RAWA. At the very least, go to their website and learn what is really happening in the I.R. of A. They have a full page of ways you can help them – they need things like digital cameras to document what is happening there and funding for schools and hospitals. You could sponsor a child in a RAWA orphanage. If you’re a knitter with extra time on your hands, you can give of your hands and heart and make blankets and garments to be sent to the people of the I.R. of A. ( Check out these beautiful pics of a probably rare moment of joy for these kids!)
You could start your own Little Women for Little Women chapter if you’re a kid and put all us grown-ups to shame, including the governments of some of the most powerful countries in the world:
Alaina said she’s had e-mails from across the country and that chapters of her group could be started in other parts of the country. She plans to become the national director of Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan and has already hit the speakers circuit to promote the group.
Right on, little sister. Right on.
Tags: girls, governments, News, world news