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Picture after picture of faceless,
burqa-clad Afghan women continue to beat at the conscious mind of the
Western world. Non-descript figures, depressing in their anonymity,
persistently remind us of the plight of millions of women and girls
half a world away. Indeed, for many outside observers, this shrouded
image has come to represent the very essence of the oppression and
degradation inflicted by Talib forces on the Afghan people during the
last five years.
It's easy to shake one's
head in dismay and frustration over the forced isolation this has
meant for all of Afghanistan's adult female population. But,
moving beyond the burqa (the head-to-toe covering) to the multitude
of deeper, more pressing issues that plague Afghanistan is a
challenge - one that the women of Afghanistan are urging us to take
up.
When asked about their predicament,
Afghan women will often respond in a way that is surprising to many
Western women. They repeatedly downplay the constraints inherent in
the burqa, insisting that while it may be inconvenient and
uncomfortable, it's often the least of their worries. The real
issues revolve around their inability to work outside the home, gain
access to health care, and educate themselves and their daughters.
What difference would it make to walk
about with your face exposed if you are not allowed a dignified means
to feed and educate your family? What would it matter to wear Western
clothing when your country is devastated by poverty, drought,
landmines and the aftermath of war? If, as a mother, I was asked what
would scare me more - the inability to dress and move about as I
wish, versus the complete ban on educating my children, instead,
keeping them home with virtually no source of stimulation - the
decision would be swift and definite. My first concern would be the
development and education of my children.
Many Afghan women agree, and are
bravely risking their lives to run small, clandestine schools for
girls. Between the devastating headlines shouting of human rights
abuses, are the increasing stories of courage, whispering their
defiance of the Taliban's edicts against female education. In
Kabul's Shashdarak neighborhood, the Naswan School opened its
doors to girls in grades one to six. The materials for teachers are
almost non-existent, but the hope they bring to their students is
not. The Afghan Institute of Learning, supported by the Global Fund
for Women also runs secret home schools throughout Afghanistan.
Through CARE's Community Organized Primary Education (COPE)
Project, which creates and supports informal village schools, Noria
Sadia provides basic education to more than 30 girls in her own home.
To date, COPE has established more than 250 such schools with more
than 19,000 children attending.
Increasingly, international agencies
are acting on what development organizations have known for years.
The education of women and girls has a profound impact on the well
being of the family and society as a whole. In 1999, the Swedish
Committee for Afghanistan supported the education of 30,000 girls.
School twinning programs have become a way to provide both an
education for Afghan children, and an understanding of human rights
issues for children in other countries. Through programs sponsored by
the Feminist Majority, more than 200 school groups across the United
States and Canada are raising awareness and funds on behalf of their
student counterparts in Afghanistan.
In March 2000, the United Nations
estimated that 10,000 girls attended home school in Kabul alone. Like
a seed sprouting into new life, the numbers, and the power within,
continue to grow. Fatima, a woman in Kabul, risks the wrath of the
Taliban by operating a school for girls. Despite the decrepit
facility, lack of equipment, and constant Talib spies, she and her
co-workers continue to teach science, math, geography and religion to
more than 250 children. And new students keep coming, all with an
insatiable hunger for learning. For Fatima, their eagerness, and her
unshakable belief in the importance of education, mean that no risk
is too high. Getting an education no longer stands for the simple
acquisition of academic information. It has become “a sacred
task to supply an education to these young girls”. It is her
jihad. She thinks not of the constraints of a burqa, rather of how
critically important it is to open young minds to truth and
knowledge, and young hearts to hope and healing.
Montreal Chapter of Women for Women in Afghanistan Opening
Lauryn Oates, Montreal Chapter of Women for Women in Afghanistan (W4WA)
Women
for Women in Afghanistan is a Canadian solidarity network, working to
restore the rights of Afghan women under the Taliban. Since
1996,women under this regime have lost all human rights and have been
termed sub-human. W4WA has its head office in Calgary, Alberta with
chapters in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia and Waterloo,
Ontario. As the founder of the Vancouver chapter, I was devastated to
be leaving, with so much work to be done for our sisters in
Afghanistan. Montreal, my new destination, being one of the most
multicultural cities in the world and home to a vibrant civil
society, seemed an inevitable location for a new chapter.
This fall, the new Montreal chapter will focus on raising awareness
of the plight of Afghan women, while building a membership in the
province of Quebec. This will be done through education in schools
and and sponsoring displays and booths at public events. In
addition, we will sponsor fundraising projects to support empowerment
projects in Afghanistan and in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan.
The most common question W4WA members are asked, is "What can I
do?" We have aimed to create an opportunity where this question
can be fulfilled. We provide letter-writing resources for appeals to
governments and UN bodies, informative and accurate information
coming out of Afghanistan, educational
tools,
projects in need of donations and many volunteer opportunities. W4WA
members meet monthly to create action plans, discuss the situation
and share information and ideas. Others keep in touch over our e-mail
listserves, participate in special events and fundraising projects,
or chose to send donations.
We are excited to extend the invitation to Montrealers to take action
for the women of Afghanistan. The current contact information is
loates@po-box.mcgill.ca.
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