Canadians for Women in Afghanistan Annual Gala

Madeliene Tarasick | Apr 14, 2016

Canadians for Women in Afghanistan is pleased to announce its 13th Annual Fundraising Gala to support education in Afghanistan. This year’s event will be held on Friday, April 29, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Vimy Officers’ Mess at Canada Forces Base Kingston. This elegant setting will provide the backdrop for a sit-down dinner, an Afghan marketplace with books and products for sale, silent and live auctions, live music provided by The Kitchen Gypsies, and an outstanding guest speaker, Raheel Raza, an internationally acclaimed activist, author, and film-maker, well known for her book, Their Jihad – Not My Jihad and her documentary film work, The Honor Diaries (on Netflix). Tickets are $100 each (includes a $45 income tax receipt) and can be purchased from Madeliene Tarasick at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 613 375-8290, or the Limestone District School Board, 220 Portsmouth Avenue, during business hours.

The Kingston and Area chapter of CW4WAfghan has raised over $200,000 to date with thanks to the generosity of the community, contributing to the $7.5 million raised nationally since 1996.

In Afghanistan, CW4WAfghan programs flourish, in spite of the challenges that continue to plague the country. In the early years of the organization, the focus was on educating girls, often in clandestine hidden backrooms of private homes; 50,000 girls were educated. Today, the two main program areas include Literacy and Public Education. In the former, literacy classes are open to adult women who are illiterate, with 600 enrolled per year on average; in addition, libraries are provided to communities, along with librarianship training. There are an average of 11,000 library users per year. In the latter area, two schools (approximately 250 students in each) are fully funded – all salaries, building rental, school resources, and hot lunches. The House of Flowers orphanage, with an average of 30 children each year, is also funded. A major thrust is in the area of teacher training, at a rate of 1,000 teachers per year since 2008 (to continue until 2018). Participating schools also receive libraries ($1,500 each) and science kits ($1,000) to complement the training. A recent exciting new development was the launch of the online teachers’ resource library, with over 2,000 items in Dari, Pashto and English. This resource is being accessed by 650 registered users from 30 out of 34 provinces.

The Kingston Chapter, founded in 2003, continues to believe that public education is the most powerful means for any country to become a prosperous, civil society. As Malala Yousafzai says, “With guns you can kill terrorists, with education you can kill terrorism”. Please join us for a very enjoyable evening, and make a difference for Afghan girls, women and families at the same time.