Upcoming Events:
Rotary World Help – We loaded the container going to Belize
Thank you to all who came to help.
President Susan locked it up.
Inlet Regatta Dragon boat race - opening ceremony at 7:45 am is and races begin at 8:15. This event also features live music, a DJ, food trucks, vendors and a beer garden – Bar is open from 11:00 to 4:00 and they are looking for volunteers to sling beer.
Strawberry Sales, starting May 1st with Abbotsford Rotary Club - available for pick up Jun.15th.
Rotary May Day Parade, Poco Centennial Club –May 13, runs from 11 am to 1pm
Sign up for Rotary Shred a Thon, June 1st - Sign up sheet will be coming soon
Rotary Peace Fellowships are open until May. 15th to the Rotary Foundation. Rotary Peace Fellows use their training to amplify their work at the local, regional, or global level. Together, we can advance peace throughout the world by encouraging our local peacebuilders to learn about Rotary and apply for this unique fellowship.
Guest Speaker: Dr. Lauryn Oates, Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan
The “Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan” is an organization focused on ending Gender Apartheid, standing for the right to learn for everyone. Afghanistan is the only remaining country in the world to officially ban women from education, from grade seven onwards and being banned from many forms of employment. Being barred from education, and employment, and being denied the opportunity to earn an income has plunged many female-headed households into stark poverty. The World Food Program reports that two-thirds of Afghans don’t know where their next meal will come from. Gender apartheid policies are directly contributing to this worsening humanitarian disaster. “Excluding half the population from accessing higher education is a grave abuse of human rights and will also debilitate Afghanistan’s economic future by cutting off the supply of educated professionals the country needs not just to develop and advance, but just to function. This, and other discriminatory policies, are taking the country backwards and causing irreparable harm” said Lauryn Oates, executive director of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan). It is estimated that 90 per cent of young women respondents reported bad or very bad mental health, and that suicide and suicidal ideation are very common. The economic costs brought on by the practice of Gender Apartheid, women not being educated and not being able to enter the workforce, is estimated of a cost to Afghanistan of 5 to 6 billion dollars.
Technology For Education Program
This organization provides powerful opportunities to realize the human right to education. Everyone has a right to learn, and their innovative technological tools in the Technology for Education Program not only give Afghans greater access to knowledge and information but also helps both students and teachers develop 21st century skills.
Special programs include Learning Baskets so families would also have access to high quality, local language learning material. The baskets contain materials for all members of the family to nurture learning at home, including storybooks, literacy activities, recipes, and more. These baskets are Learning Baskets plus essential food staples that help vulnerable families facing precarious economic conditions gain food security. The food items are related to the learning materials—such as recipes that use the food items in the basket—so that the items in the basket complement each other.
As Afghanistan faces a worsening economic crisis, the Learning Plus Baskets are an increasingly essential lifeline for families. Further, as schools remain closed for girls past primary age, the materials for home learning allow the continuation of learning during the human rights crisis facing millions of girls and young women across the country.
Welcome to our Knowledge Tree
Darakht-e Danesh, meaning “knowledge tree” in Dari, is our collection of virtual education tools that provide access to education for thousands of Afghans in Afghanistan and in the region.
For more information, please go to : Canadian Women for Women In Afghanistan https://cw4wafghan.ca/
They are BACK - the Belize Travellers came back safe and sound. We can't wait to hear their stories.
More photos in Belize 2024 album