A "Happening"in Support of Afghan Women and Children

The news seems so full of the world's pain and suffering?  It is easy to feel overwhelmed and useless, especially when you are a small church or parish with limited resources.  We can't solve all the world's problems, but we can continue to pray and be ready when an opportunity arises which will benefit even a few.

   The Anglican Parish of Marysburgh, which serves the south eastern part of Prince Edward County, is comprised of St. John's, Waupoos and St. Philip's, Milford - two small rural churches of around 30 families each. The parish launched "The Year of Afghanistan" when the son of a couple from St. Philip's returned to Afghanistan for his second tour of duty with the Canadian military.  We wanted to support him and his unit, but how?  We ended up sending each soldier a gift certificate for Tim Horton's in Kandahar.  Our hope was that when the guys enjoyed a coffee and donut on us they would remember that we are thinking of them and praying for their personal safety and the success of their mission.  Since then we have sent messages tucked into cards with "County" scenes.  These small gestures don't begin to offset the tragedy of yet another ramp ceremony, but we hope that this group of Canadian soldiers know how much we appreciate what they are trying to accomplish - bringing peace and security to Afghanistan so reconstruction will be possible for the Afghan people.
    Our support of our soldiers made us want to learn more about why they are in Afghanistan in the first place and what life is like now for the average Afghan citizen.  The more we researched, the more we felt compelled to do something to help.  Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world.  Life has improved somewhat since the fall of the Taliban, but it is still very grim for most people, particularly women and girls.  In many areas Afghan religious and cultural values have been completely twisted for political reasons, creating terrible hardship.  Women are often the target, sometimes being denied even the most basic human rights such as health care.  Educational opportunities are scarce or non-existent for many women and girls who are often treated like chattels. Suicide by self immolation is not uncommon as a means of escape from the desperation of unrelenting abuse and oppression.  At great personal risk, many brave Afghan men and women are struggling to change this inequity.  We wanted to support them.We held a couple of events at St. Philip's to raise awareness and some money, but we wanted to spread the word farther so we began planing a public fund raiser.
    On October 15 the parish hosted an evening at St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church in Picton to raise awareness about the plight of the Afghan people and to raise funds on behalf of "Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan".  This organization was founded in the late '90's in response to articles written by Canadian, Sally Armstrong, who was one of the first journalists to report, first hand, on the hideous reality for Afghan women under Taliban rule.  Horrified and incensed a small group of Calgary women banded together determined to reach out to those women. The CW4WA web site describes their activities as follows: "Funds received from Canadian donors are directed to programs in Afghanistan aimed at providing higher quality education, particularly for Afghan women and girls.  Our projects in Afghanistan are managed mainly by Afghan women’s grassroots organizations and monitored and evaluated by our Kabul office and board of directors. The projects share the goals of assisting Afghan women in their struggles to end their oppression, to improve conditions of human rights, and to contribute as active members in Afghan society."
   As October 15 drew nearer, we had the usual jitters about whether anyone would turn up.  Ticket sales seemed slow in spite of the wide spread publicity we organized through local churches, posters, newspapers, radio and TV.  Our guest speaker, Linda Middaugh, was coming from "Canadians in Support of Afghan Women" (CSAW), an Oakville affiliate of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan.  Ann Galioto, also of the Oakville group, was bringing books and Afghan made crafts for sale, and a display of books on Afghanistan was being made available courtesy of Books & Company in Picton. Then there were all those fabulous desserts planned by members of St. John's and St. Philip's.
    People began to file into the hall close to 6:30 and they just kept coming.  We had to set up extra chairs to accommodate them.  The Rev. Lynn Donovan of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church opened the evening with prayer.  This was followed by the hauntingly compelling music of Jeanette Arsenault and her daughter, Katie Shannon.  They set the mood with two wonderful songs one of which told of the 60 million girls in our world who cannot go to school.
    Committed and passionate about her cause, guest speaker, Linda Middaugh, gave a PowerPoint presentation documenting the great need in Afghanistan, but also focusing on the progress being made through organizations like CW4WA  Since it's  beginning this organization has raised over $2 million for it's Afghan partners.  In addition to training Afghan teachers, paying their salaries, and providing educational resources, CW4WA has funded an orphanage, and is trying to rebuild Afghan libraries destroyed in the violence of recent history.  In the Oakville area alone, CSAW raised over $100,000 to build a 12 room school in a remote village outside of Jalalabad.  The school opened in January of 2009, and CSAW is now in the process of raising more funds to furnish it and provide books.  Underlining the importance of the work being done, Linda quoted Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General, United Nations "There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women."
    Many people came together to make this event happen.  Some, who were not able to be there in person, sent monetary gifts and two inspiring donations were made at the event itself. High School student, Katie Shannon, had been saving her money since childhood, waiting for the right cause.  When she heard about this event and the work of CW4WA not only did she agree to share her musical gifts with us, she also knew she had found the cause which she wanted to support. Katie presented Linda Middaugh with a cheque for $400.  McKenzie Ellis completed the County Marathon at the beginning of October. Family and friends had sponsored her for a total of $310. McKenzie donated her sponsorship money to Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, and her generosity inspired a lady in the audience to give a further donation in her name.  More donations have come in since. 
    By the time The Rev. Richard Pitcher closed the evening in prayer, the event had raised $5,000 for education in Afghanistan.  We couldn't believe it.  The most outstanding thing of all, however, was how our community came together and gave from the heart.  A unique spirit pervaded the room that evening, touching all those present. You could feel it!  People mentioned it although it was difficult to describe or put a name to.  It touched the hearts of all those present, creating an enthusiasm and unity which was quite extraordinary.
    We are called by our saviour Jesus Christ to love one another. As we treat each other so we treat him. (Matthew 25:40)  The people of Afghanistan are God's children, and they are suffering. Surely we, who have so much, are called to share with those who have too little. We are just a small parish with no particular wealth or connections.  It took a lot of community involvement, both within and outside of our parish, to make this event succeed.  It happened with love, with enthusiasm, and with joy. And what of that incredibly powerful feeling we all experienced that evening?  Truly the Holy Spirit, the best connection of all, was there, and with that kind of help everything is possible.
    Thanks be to God!
Paula and Fran- St. Philip's, Milford