"Table Talk" - Stories from Hosts and Guests in Canada

Thank you to all the hosts and guests for their excellent fundraising support. Please see DINNERS HELD for a summary of Pot-Luck Dinners and the total funds generated to date. Also check out the LATEST NEWSLETTERS and PROJECTS for more details on 'where the money goes'. CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!

The following “Table Talk” brings you a few samples of stories from hosts and/or participants at the dinners. These dinners commenced in the summer of 2002 and are ongoing and proudly demonstrate a long-term commitment from Canadians to advancing education for Afghan women and girls:

2010:

Feb:
A young Victoria boy wanted his birthday money to go to a boy in Afghanistan. We gave his $100 to a village boy named Ezzatullah. This young man was identified as needing help as, tragically, his father has died and his mother earns income only from selling cow’s milk. They are very poor. Ezzatullah was really happy for this gift, and he and his mother extend their thanks to “the Canadian boy”.

Editor's Note: We told you about Anne Cameron in an article in our July/Aug 2008 Newsletter, "My ABC Afghanistan Fundraiser via Bellydance in Canada - A Teacher's Saga". Anne continues her fundraising in support of CW4WAfghan and the teachers in Afghanistan. Check this out:

http://most.therecord.com/index.aspx?issue=issue02&page=37

Jan

On Jan 23rd, nine couples shared a wonderful evening in support of Women for Women. Our evening began with an informative presentation by Susan Hartley (CW4WAfghan Atlantic Chapter) followed by our potluck and a lovely evening of friendship and conversation. Enclosed please find our donations towards your efforts.
Suzanne, New Glasgow, NS

I'm so proud to say I'm a supporter of CW4WA. I am keenly interested in your programmes and follow on the internet. Keep up the good work. I wish I could give more [monthly donor].
Eleanor, Norland, ON

We did enjoy the chapter rmeeting last week. Having travelled in Afghanistan years ago, we wish to help the girls and women there. So please accept our donation for this purpose. And we look forward we hope to attending your next meeting.
Marian, Calgary, AB

I enclose the cheques and money order for the total $930 contributed at the recent Breaking Bread pot luck dinner organized by my book club in Halifax.
Peggy, Bedford, NS

2009:

Nov
 
Wow!! The Cake Auction held last month was a HUGE success. Students, staff and raised funds in 4th period classes to come up with a bid to try and score the biggest and best of the cakes brought in on Monday, November 2nd. The cakes, made by the staff, were delectable, delicious and visually stunning. Our school's efforts raised $2,500 dollars. Students suporting students and teachers and support staff supporting teachers--half way around the world--AMAZING! We thank you for the opportunity to participate in supporting this most worthy initiative.
Kathryn, Co-President Social Justice Club, Notre Dame Catholic High School, ON

Email sent by host to the guests at a recent Calgary Breaking Bread:  Thanks again for joining us at the Breaking Bread dinner to support Afghan women and girls.  We all gained a better understanding of the the situation in Afghanistan and had an opportunity to do something about it.  You'll be pleased to learn that your contribution, together with contributions from three other women who were unable to join us that evening, resulted in a total contribution of $3000.  This is enough to fund four teachers in Afghanistan for a full year.  The funds have been forwarded to CW4WA and you should be receiving a tax receipt by the end of the year. An amazing result from an amazing group of women.  Thank you for your support!
Susan, Calgary

Oct

October 17, 2009 the Edmonton Chapter hosted its first Taste of Afghanistan dinner at Glenora Community Hall.  The Glenora Community League kindly donated use of the hall. All the food was prepared by local Afghan women who volunteered many hours to prepare a wonderful dinner of traditional dishes.  These included:  
•    Dogh: a yogurt drink
•    Quabuli Palow:  a rice dish with carrots, raisins and pistachios.
•    Beef Kabobs: hand formed ground beef kabobs flavoured with ginger, cinnamon and cilantro and cooked on the barbecue.
•    Salad
•    Sabzi: spinach with onions, garlic and red beans.
•    Bolani Kachaloo: fried flatbred filled with potatoe and green onion.  
•    Firnee: a white custard dessert

Each table was served with a platter of fresh vegetables and a pot of Afghan tea.  A display of ingredients for each dish was set out and recipes were available for everyone to take home. Laurie Hawn, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre happened to be in the neighborhood that day and stopped in to the kitchen for a surprise visit.  After dinner, Brian Fjeldheim spoke and shared slides about his recent experiences working in Afghanistan with the Electoral Complaints Commission. Jewelry was the hottest selling item at the craft table. A woman who had visited Afghanistan in the 1970’s was excited to find a Lapis necklace. Lapis is the blue gemstone mined in Afghanistan for over 6,000 years.  The evening concluded with a performance by dancers in colorful hand stitched traditional Afghan dresses.

A "Happening"in Support of Afghan Women and Children
by Paula Walker and Fran Larkin of St. Philip's, Milford

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

July/Aug

Unsure about how to mark my 60th birthday in June inspiration struck as I read the chapter about the CW4WAfghan projects in Sally Armstrong’s book Bitter Roots, Tender Shoots. Yes, I decided, this is the best way to celebrate my “decade shift”. Having started my career as a Home Economics teacher I’ve always had a passion for cooking and entertaining and the phrase  “breaking bread for women” had instantly resonated with me when I read about it in a newspaper article. Years before I had made a huge banner for my classroom with the motto “Knead Love Into the Bread You Bake”. I thought back to a few years ago when, inspired by the article on Breaking Bread for Women, three of us hosted an “Afghan Inspired Feast” for women on our school staff for International Women’s Day. In our invitations we had offered 3 RSVP options:

1. I will be there!
2. Sorry cannot make it
3. I cannot make it but I want to donate.

To our surprise this invitation migrated to other schools and cheques kept arriving. All told 24 women came for dinner and over 40 donated! People still talk about the feast and this fundraising project.
 
I decided this birthday would be a great opportunity for me to gift my friends with another Afghan Inspired Feast and enable them to donate in lieu of birthday gifts. Party planning began in earnest. A graphic designer friend created beautiful invitations. My sister Kat offered to host the party at her funky lofty place in Vancouver’s Chinatown. A professional DJ friend agreed to provide the music. Another friend, Carol, agreed to be the treasurer and accept donations, freeing me up to serve food and mingle. Kat’s place was at one time, we think, a Chinatown Tea House and its storefront window called out for a display.
 
I decided that kites would be appropriate since kites are such a symbol of creativity and joy and are part of Afghan culture. Images of women reaching for the sky and the old quote ‘Women Hold up Half the Sky’ came to me as I searched out kites in Chinatown shops. I was pleased to find simple tissue paper kites in red and white. My talented friend Ulla agreed to paint them to suit the theme. Looking over the CW4WAfghan materials she was struck by the visual impact of the shawls the women and girls often wear loosely wrapped around their heads and shoulders and from there she created one image of a girl with a book to symbolize education and the second image of a woman with the equality symbol.
 
Thanks to the generosity of my friends and family I was able to celebrate my next decade in the way that makes me happiest -- with tasty food, good music and a wonderful ambiance coupled with generous donations.
 
It was a deeply satisfying celebration to launch me into my next decade of local and global involvement for a more socially just world.

Jun

Last Tues evening, 41 women from the Dartmouth-Halifax area of NS gathered for a BreakingBread event. What a marvelous time we had; the meal was fabulous, the company even more so! When a few friends and I began planning this event, we realized that many people in our area had never heard of CW4WAfghan. We then decided to host the event, not only to raise money for and awareness of educational projects in Afghanistan, but also to raise the profile of your organization. I invited 7 women to each invite 5 more to join us for the evening, and to draw their invitees from the broader community than from our mutual friends. The result was a splendid mix of amazing women from such diverse groups. Our hope is that they are now inspired to host similar events, drawing form their circule of friends. The meal was provided by the 8 of us who planned the evening. Each person attending was asked to donate at least $20--many gave more. As I mentioned, 41 attended and 3 more who were unable to come, sent along donations to add to the rest Following dinner and dessert, we heard from an Afghan woman who has lived in Halifax since 1998, following an escape with her three children through the mountains to Pakistan. She is a former ESL student of one of our planners...Her story was both heart-breaking and heart-warming. She actually thanked us for giving her the opporutnity to help her "sisters who remain in Afghanistan" by telling her story. Enclosed are several personal cheques, and a money order for the cash donated, all totalling $1280 which we received that evening. We are excited to know it will be used in such worthwile and vital ways. If the level of inspirtaqtion and goodwill we felt that evening is any indicaqtion, I am sure you will soon be receiving addtional funding from women in Nova Scotia!
Frances, Dartmouth

[Editor's note: The following email was sent to guests after a recent Calgary Breaking Bread] Thank you so much for coming last night and for your contributions to help educate Afghanistan women and children. For those of you who could not make it but still contributed, thank you very much for making an effort and helping with the cause! I am thrilled to say that we exceeded our goal and will be providing more than 1 year's salary support for 2 teachers!!!! We will be contributing a total of$1875.00 to CW4WAfghan...It was wonderful spending time with such a vibrant, intelligent, caring group of women and a true pleasure having you in my home. Thank you all for coming and please let me know if you would be interested in Jocelyn and I hosting another event next year.
Anita, Calgary

May

1st message via FACEBOOK: Emma sent a message to the members of Mother/Daughter/Friends Fundraiser for Afghan Women.  Over the past two weeks the headlines from Afghanistan have grown increasingly more disturbing. From the passing of sharia laws which force women to have sex, to the murder of female leaders, to the stoning of protesters in the street-- there is a real push against women's rights happening right now. There is a strong irony to this as we have just lost another one of our brave young women soldiers as she was there to support a government that is tolerating these rights abuses. I believe that it is important to reach out to the brave souls who stand and protest the laws that enslave them. All in the face of having stones thrown at them and being called whores.

I am going to be hosting a fundraiser for the organization Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. www.w4wafghan.ca  The group advocates for women's rights in Afghanistan and focuses it efforts on increasing the number of female educators in Afghanistan.  We can help educate women and girls who would otherwise have little to no access to education.

As the headlines grow more and more grim for Afghan women I feel that it is important for us not only to take a stand in supporting the women who bravely protest in the streets of Kabul but also to make sure that our daughters are made aware of the plight of girls who live under such regimes. Let's help these mothers and daughters in Afghanistan by raising both awareness in future generations but also by providing some funding for education.

The plan is to have a very simple function where mothers and daughters gather to raise money by selling services they can offer. For example, our daughters can set up a nail painting bar, (not something that would be allowed to happen in Afghanistan), a hairdressing station, they can sell baked goods or pieces of art, older girls can offer babysitting services. The goal is for the girls to raise the money and feel empowered and connected. I am hoping to host this event June 2 at my place (unless someone with a much larger house wants to co-host -just let me know). I am asking that you talk to your daughters about the fact that women in Afghanistan are denied some of their basic human rights (no education, married to old men who are your father's friends, no access to decent health care, burkas, inability to leave the house without a man's permission, assignations of female leaders and general intimidation) and ask them if they would like to join us on June 2 from 5 to 8pm to raise money for girls half-way around the world.

If you don't have a daughter but would love to join us in supporting the cause please do come! If your daughters or you have any other suggestions as to ways to raise money please feel free to contact me! More details of the event shall follow!  Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Emma, Calgary

2nd message via FACEBOOK: Emma sent a message to the members of Mother/Daughter/Friends Fundraiser for Afghan Women.

Thank you so much to all of you who were able to make it last night. I was such a gorgeous evening and the kids were really on fire! The manicures and Pedicures were fantastic, the hair dressing station was steady all night. Snow cones, popcorn, wilding children and lots of great friends together in support of an incredibly important cause. Elaine: thank you for whipping up an entrepreneurial frenzy, Rhonda: thank you for all your help and photos, Kirsten: thanks for helping me in every way possible and for your amazing banner, Sonya: was the popcorn queen, the list goes on....
Human Rights violations are rampant in this world, especially against women and girls. I am so grateful that you were able to make it to show your support and help our girls understand how blessed we are and what duty come with such a blessing. ..Much love and devotion,
Emma, Calgary

April

Breaking Bread, Calgary, 30 April 2009:  It will come as a surprise to no one that the guest speaker on Thursday night, the 30th of April, was absolutely compelling and engrossing. And everyone would agree that it takes some doing to quiet a roomful of 225 people who have just had drinks and tapas, but when human rights activist, film maker and author, Sally Armstrong, started to speak you could have heard a pin drop.  She has a wonderful ability to speak as if she were in an intimate conversation with you across a glass of wine, and throughout the course of her speech about the plight of the women and girls of Afghanistan, it was quite possible to laugh and cry, and impossible not to feel inspired.
     Sally Armstrong is the author of two best-selling books focused on Afghan women: Veiled Threat: The Hidden Power of the Women of Afghanistan (2002) and most recently, Bitter Roots, Tender Shoots: The Uncertain Fate of Afghanistan’s Women. Pages on Kensington, a locally-owned Calgary bookstore, sold 60 copies of the latter, and Ms. Armstrong was happy to sign copies while people enjoyed yummy cupcakes and coffee.
     For the second year in a row, Irene MacDonald and her committee held their annual Breaking Bread event at the Triwood Community Centre in northwest Calgary and raised $25,000 in donations with $2,663 in Afghan product sales.   Remarkably, every penny donated by attendees will go to Afghanistan, thanks to the donations of our corporate sponsors, Safeway and Newalta Corporation, and the wonderful generosity of individuals and businesses who donated their time, talents and monetary contributions.
     Among special guests attending this evening were Ash Khan and his wife, Derry.  Mr Khan, a retired engineer from Calgary, is recently back from Afghanistan after building a 12-classroom school for up to 1,000 children in the Jalalabad area. Also attending were Ana Browne and Kate Dumaine, elementary students from Dr. E.W. Coffin School, who presented CW4WAfghan's executive director, Janice Eisenhauer with $740.00 from the third and fourth grade split classes.
     The Breaking Bread event sold out in less than 48 hours this year, which is certainly a huge endorsement that there is continuing awareness and sensitivity to the ongoing issues of the female population of Afghanistan.
Sharon Boyle, Calgary

Sharon Boyle,
Irene MacDonald
and Pam Rannelli

The statement above is displayed on the opening page of my professional portfolio as a teacher.  Based on my belief statement I pursue opportunities to support education as the best strategy for change, in particular for those who are disenfranchised and who are children. 
It was a student from Afghanistan, who I taught more than ten years ago who introduced me to that country’s crisis and in particular, her lack of opportunities for education.  I cannot have my eyes opened and then force them shut.  I vowed to help her with her goals here in Canada in addition to helping with the global issue of what was going on in Afghanistan.  I attended my first W4W meeting in about 1999 or 2000-(there were five of us in Janice’s living room-how grass-roots is that?)  I was so impressed with the founders and their commitment to begin tough work on behalf of girls and women in Afghanistan that I knew I had to connect my former student with their work.  W4W gave her great opportunities, she has given back, and she maintains her membership and volunteer work. 
I am so fortunate to continue my support of this great organization’s initiatives and my friendship with my ex-student.
My ex-student is now an extremely well-educated young woman (YAHOO!) primarily due to her own amazing personal characteristics, and additionally because of the opportunities provided by this country, our educational system, and organizations like W4W. She is an example of why we, in our privileged status as teachers in Canada, need to hear our students’ stories, and respond to the best of our ability to the moral and ethical call for education for all.
I am proud to have gathered teachers in my home to raise money for heroic teachers in another country who are so less fortunate and where education is truly the only hope.  We held a Breaking Bread event and raised over 800$ for teachers in Afghanistan.
Thank you W4W and my ex-student, Khatera for providing me and my colleagues the opportunity to inform ourselves, to gather, and to have a specific goal/action in our moral responsibility to contribute to other places, other teachers, and other students.
Liz, Calgary

March

An informal group of Ottawa women once again held a party to raise funds for the education of women and girls in Afghanistan. I hold the party at my house, but I could not do it without the help of my 'party team' and the wonderful generosity of so many Ottawa women. We are proud to enclose cheques for CW4WA in the total amount of $4,705 [!!!] Our cheques are to support the Excel-erate program for training teachers. This year, we understand that CIDA will match our funds with $3 for every dollar that we raise. We hope that this money will help provide more teacher learning and imporve the education available to all children, but especially girls...Our party was loud, crowded and chaotic, but we all had fun. It was an opportunity to catch-up with old friends and to make some new ones. Some women could not come to the party, due to other commitments or travel, but sent their cheques anyway. A number of women recruited their friends to come to the party and donate. I am proud of all the women who participated in this project and I know they will take satisfaction in knowing that 100% of their donation will help women and girls in Afghanistan.
Nancy, Ottawa

Enclosed please find the donations given at my Breaking Bread potluck dinner last month. Thirty-seven women gathered together in my son and daughter-in-law's home to share a potluck dinner, enjoy the singing of two young women who volunteered to sing for their supper" and join in a sing-along around the piano. I did provide about ten minutes of welcomes, thanks, and information about the program and had a friend read a passage from BITTER ROOTS, TENDER SHOOTS. It was the passage about watching the kids come to school on opening day in 2002 after five years of Taliban rule. That seemed to add to the wonderful energy level palpable in the room! We invited an Afghan women and her 10-year-old daughter to attend and when she was saying good-bye she hugged me and said, "I love you for doing this and I am so happy for my daughter to see me so happy." She has been in Canada for 7 years. For me this was the hit of the evening! My husband, son and the husband of a friend served drinks, looked after putting the food out and doing the dishes, leaving me and the guests lots of time to socialize. All in all we raised $2885 and it was a wonderful experience--a little idea that grew and I thank you for your support in encouraging me!
Bonny, London

Click here to view TABLE TALK 2002 - 2008

For further information, please call 403 244-5625 or email BreakingBread@CW4WAfghan.ca