Manitoba

Email: Manitoba@CW4WAfghan.ca

CW4WA Manitoba Chapter:

Who We Are

·      We are a growing group of women from all walks of life in Winnipeg and the

surrounding area We share a common passion to help improve the conditions for women and children in Afghanistan

·      We strongly condemn the ongoing human rights injustices faced by the Afghan people

·      We are taking a stand by mobilizing our community to fund projects that allow

Afghan women to live with dignity, certainty and purpose

·      We believe that by supporting humanitarian and education solutions for women and children, we are empowering not only our sisters, mothers and daughters, but also the future of Afghanistan and the global community

·      Our chapter currently has 11 members. Within this assembly, we have a core group that regularly meets to organize events and further the mission of CW4WAfghan. We meet in Winnipeg and our volunteers are available to speak at your fundraising dinners, public community events, at schools or universities. Please contact us at Manitoba@cw4wafghan.ca for further details.

·      Our chapter has two dedicated and passionate founders that also serve as our Co-Chairs, Mariam Omar, an Afghan-Canadian, and Lois Edwards. Lois worked in Kabul for two years in the late 70’s helping to establish a business program in a girls’ high school, and is also our Treasurer.

·      We value the gifts that each member brings to the group, whether it is enthusiasm for our cause, experience with fundraising, or the ability to network. We also value the friendships that are formed from working together in solidarity and we often host our meetings at a member’s home. Would you like to join us? We’d love to have you! Write us at Manitoba@cw4wafghan.ca.

Who We Support

·      The Manitoba Chapter was formed in 2005, and since then we have been proud to partner with and support the Omid-e-Mirmun orphanage in Kabul. Omid means “hope” in the Dari language. This orphanage is a safe and nurturing home for 25 girls aged 3 to 14 who face extreme vulnerability to poverty and injustice.  The staff at the orphanage includes a manager, supervisor and a teacher, as well as cooking, cleaning, gardening and security employees.

·      As Lauryn Oates, CW4WAfghan’s Project Director, explained in a Calgary Herald editorial, “today, the girls of the Omid-e-Mirmun Orphanage are enrolled in school. Many had to work long and hard to make up for missed years of schooling under the Taliban.  They are excelling. One girl, aged 15, earned the highest marks this semester in her class. She taught herself English and sends me home with passionate letters to read on the long plane ride back to Canada, describing her dreams for the future. Parentless and poor, the world is nevertheless still wide open in her mind and her goals are so ambitious. The future is very different for this young woman than it was a decade ago.  And that future desperately needs to be protected.”

What We Do

·      Our chapter has a tradition of organizing successful grassroots events within the Manitoba community. These include:

·      Afghan Film Festival

·      Afghan Dinner and Fashion Show

·      Girls Weekend Away

·      Breaking Bread