Canadian International Learning Foundation to be Featured Charity at Ottawa Fashion Week

OTTAWA - The Canadian International Learning Foundation (CanILF) has been chosen as the featured charity for Ottawa Fashion Week, to be held March 24th to 27th at the Ottawa Arts Court.

 “This is a tremendous opportunity for the Foundation,” said Ryan Aldred, President of CanILF, “Ottawa Fashion Week is a great chance for us to help Canadians connect with brave, talented students around the world who are overcoming major challenges to create better lives for themselves, their families, and their communities.”

The Canadian International Learning Foundation is a unique Canadian charity which trains and employs volunteers to manage professional education programs and provide administrative expertise via the Internet to partner schools in areas affected by war, illness and poverty. In this way, CanILF empowers ordinary Canadians to make a real and lasting difference in the world from the safety and convenience of their own homes.

Guests can visit the CanILF display to speak with volunteers, send messages of support to students, and shop from a range of products - from gourmet coffee to pashminas - to support the Foundation’s programs in Afghanistan, Uganda, and around the world. Ottawa Fashion Week has generously donated the display space, which is valued at more than $1,500.

Ottawa Fashion Week seeks to create a stronger forum for designers and artists to showcase their brilliant work and quench the thirst of arts lovers in Ottawa. Designers from across the country and around the world will showcase their collections. The nation’s capital will witness cutting edge fashion and style, and will have the opportunity to purchase unique pieces, straight off the runway. Doors will open at 5 pm, and runway shows will be held daily at 6 pm, to be followed by a nightly after party.

The Foundation plans to use this opportunity to raise the $2,000 required to provide Internet access at the Kabira Adult Attention and School of Orphans (KAASO), CanILF’s partner school in Uganda. The Internet will help the teachers and students of KAASO gain access to educational resources, online mentoring and seminars, and the CanILF Pen Pal program.

"During my time at KAASO, adults and parents in the community discussed how they would like to use the Internet to learn more about HIV/AIDs prevention, nutrition and hygiene, and entrepreneurship opportunities,” said Mallory Mroz, Program Manager of CanILF’s Uganda Literacy and Education Program (www.ULEP.org), "At present, it's very difficult for the students and teachers of KAASO to access the Internet. They must take a 45 minute motorcycle 'taxi' ride into a town called Kyotera. The taxi costs about $1 each way, which is more than the average person in the Rakai District can afford."

The Foundation also plays a vital role in international development and peace building in Afghanistan through their support to the Afghan-Canadian Community Center, a leading professional education institution in Kandahar City with more than 1,000 male and female students. CanILF’s joint capacity building project with the Government of Canada (www.theafghanschool.org) has enabled more than 3,000 Kandahar residents to obtain long-term economic support.

Further information regarding the Canadian International Learning Foundation is available at www.canilf.org. Further details regarding the Afghan-Canadian Community Center (ACCC) and the Kabira Adult Attention and School of Orphans (KAASO) are available online at www.theafghanschool.org and www.ulep.org respectively.  Photos of the ACCC, KAASO and their students are available at www.canilf.org/gallery/. Video footage from the ACCC and KAASO is available upon request.
For more information, please contact Ryan Aldred, President of the Canadian International Learning Foundation at 613-614-5349 or e-mail staff@canilf.org.