What You Can Do
Please contact a chapter in your area to learn about local activities and how you can volunteer to contribute to our goals of advancing education in Afghanistan. Our education efforts are essential to safeguard human rights for Afghan women and to address the horrific poverty and legacy of oppression in their country. See further links throughout this web site for more information on how you can help support Afghan women.
Learn about your rights; speak out to secure and protect human rights for Afghan women; raise funds, join in solidarity with social justice groups, write letters. Many people ask "but what can I do to help"? This is a difficult question to answer. We struggle to provide concrete answers, but the reality is that there are no simple solutions to this complex issue. The conflict, poverty, and human rights issues for women in Afghanistan have to be dealt with through multiple approaches and include creative, committed efforts from many different people both within Afghanistan, and from the international community. What we DO know is that our individual actions do matter. TAKE ACTION!
Obviously, and most urgently, Afghanistan must have peace and the rebuilding of civil society, which involves the efforts of all Afghan people—including women, and the international community. Issues relating to the extreme poverty and massive resettlement of the largest refugee population in the world in Afghanistan must be addressed.
As Canadians, the very first step is to learn about and respect our own rights. Become fully aware of your rights and acknowledge that protection of human rights is everyone’s responsibility. The very basic rights previously denied Afghan women--access to healthcare, education, freedom of association and security, etc.--are guaranteed to ALL people through the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The next step is political and social advocacy work, which is essential for safeguarding human rights for everyone, including Afghan women. Advocacy can have many outlets:
• Learn about the issues and strive to address the very complex elements of the issues and various perspectives, as well as the options for solutions. Inform yourself and draw our own conclusions from a variety of sources: through human rights and women’s groups, local library resources, internet web pages and discussion groups, community groups, international conferences, and so on.
Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan produces regular educational information, hosts local activities, maintains an active website, distributes regular newsletters --all towards the goal of helping Canadians learn more about human rights issues in Afghanistan and to move forward in their advocacy efforts.
• Raise awareness in your community, in your country. Speak out for the need to secure and protect women’s rights in Afghanistan and help others learn to respect these rights. Join in solidarity with others to work towards social justice for Afghan women and their families: join local and national groups, begin a group, support larger international non government organizations like Amnesty, CARE, Doctors Without Borders, or the Red Cross; join an email list service or discussion group, etc. Read about what other Canadians are doing to support Afghan people. For example, our colleagues and friends at the Canadian Afghanistan Solidarity Committee request you sign the Pledge in Solidarity with Afghanistan and make a public pledge to support international and Canadian intervention in Afghanistan with the aim of ending the violence of all illegal armed groups, alleviating poverty, and supporting Afghans’ struggles for peace, justice, and stability. See full details at: http://afghanistan-canada-solidarity.org
• Fundraise by supporting or giving presentations to schools and community groups, host dinners, organize bake sales or poster/banner making gatherings. Use your creative skills to think of other fund raising ideas. Support projects that focus on skills training, income generating, education, health, and other issues important in raising the dignity and quality
of life for Afghan women.
• Write letters or compile petitions to voice your concerns to local and national governments and UN representatives.
The following outlines one of many possible suggestions for petitions and letter writing campaigns. Apparently handwritten letters reaching government officials receive the most attention. However, all forms of communication are effective and worthwhile. The main message is: Canada must play a leading role to promote respect for women’s rights in
Afghanistan. Please write to our Prime Minister, (at House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6); the Minister of Foreign Affairs (at Lester B. Pearson Building, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G2); and the Minister for International Cooperation (CIDA at 200 Promenade du Portage, Hull, Quebec K1A 0G4) to express your support for Canadian dollars to be earmarked specifically for programmes providing health and education for Afghan women and girls.
The future of women and girls in Afghanistan will depend on the protection of their human rights, through broad-based security and continued long-term financial support. Women must be free to participate fully in the political process, reconstruction and peace building in Afghanistan. As a Canadian, I urge you to continue to work towards ensuring the security and human rights of Afghan women and girls.
Your Support Does Make A Difference!
