Ice Cream Social at Whole Foods

Thanks to everyone who came to Whole Foods on Wednesday to support Beyond the 11th.

From beginning to end - it was a wonderful evening. From the the ice cream - to the music (thanks to Plugged In) to all the people who stopped by to chat. A special thanks to Whole Foods. I've always been a fan of the store but now even more so.

Not only did we raise money for Beyond the 11th, I think we were able to enlist a few more cyclists for Beyond the Bike...

U.S. Commitment To Afghan Women

VOA, 6 July 2009- “Women in Afghanistan are critical to progress and stability in their war-torn country.” So said U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s issues Melanne Verveer [meh-LAHN ver-VEER]. “We know,” said Ms. Verveer, “that no country can prosper if half its people are left behind.” And as President Barack Obama said in his Cairo speech, “we recognize that our daughters can contribute as much to society as our sons.”

The truth is, said Ambassador Verveer, “that countries that repress women also tend to be backward economically, and are more likely to be failed states.” That’s why United States is intensifying its efforts to help Afghan women participate more fully in society. One example of this is a new twenty-seven million dollar U.S. funded program of small, flexible, rapid response grants targeted to empower Afghan women-led non-governmental organizations at the local level. Programs range from economic development, literacy training, skills training, and healthcare.

Political participation is critical to empowering Afghan women. Currently, Afghanistan is in the midst of an election campaign for both president and provincial councils. There are two women running for president and more than one-hundred running for council seats. The U.S. has called for a campaign that is credible, inclusive, and secure, where men and women candidates can participate with no restrictions on their freedom of movement and be assured of protection.

An ongoing concern for Afghan women is security. Violence against women and girls, said Ambassador Verveer, is endemic and much remains to be done, including access to institutions of justice, civic education, and prosecution of crimes. More girls are in school, but the Taliban have eroded some of the progress. Last year alone, they burned or shut down more than seven-hundred schools, and thousands of girls are now without access to formal education.

As Ambassador Verveer made clear, “Progress in Afghanistan must be measured not just in military terms, but also in terms of social, political, and economic participation of women in rebuilding Afghanistan and in the safeguarding of their human rights.”



Jasteena Dhillon,
jasteenadhillon@yahoo.com + 1 757 215 8231 / skype - jasteenadhillon /
info@zolazen.com /+1 416 8281486 / www.zolazen.org

Register for Beyond the Bike

Oops. I forgot to put a link to register for Beyond the Bike

To register, please go to: http://www.firstgiving.com/beyondthe11th

Beyond the Bike - Fundraiser

Please join us as we raise both money and awareness for widows in Afghanistan.

Beyond the Bike
Date: Saturday, September 12th
Time: 9:00 am
Distance: 100K (62 miles)
Start & Finish: 38 Ellicott Street Needham, MA
Fundraising commitment: $500 minimum ($1000 recommended)
Questions: Call (781) 465-6464 or email info@beyondthe11th.org

Beyond the Bike is specifically raising money for construction of the Dragon Valley Women's Community Center in Bamyan, Afghanistan.

This center will include:
* laundry facilities
* shower room with a latrine
* tea room/lounge
* classroom
* community garden
* job training

Any one of the above resources would better the lives of women, but combined, the center will truly be life changing for the women who become a part of the community.

More Information on the Dragon Valley Community Center:
Few places in the world are less hospitable to women than Dragon Valley. With a climate dominated by a frigid winter, and no central heat, plumbing or electricity in homes, women rarely if ever manage a reprieve from grueling household chores and childrearing. Work for income is rarely an option. A life expectancy of 46 is far too easy to imagine for women in this village cradled by the northern mountains of Afghanistan.

For a growing number of area women, however, the nonprofit Arzu, which means “hope” in Dari, has delivered opportunity by revitalizing the ancient art of rug weaving. Many women had the skills but no looms or quality wool. Arzu delivered both, cultivated a market for the beautiful rugs in the United States and beyond, and in addition to a generous wage that could be earned from home, provided desperately needed health care and education opportunities for rug weavers and their families. Now, Arzu will increase work opportunities and address quality of life issues for local women through construction of the Dragon Valley Community Center.

Beginning in November, rug weavers, many of them widows, will have access to a warm, safe facility where they can take classes, do laundry, bathe, use a flush toilet, collaborate with other weavers in a bright, spacious loom room or just sit for a moment in a chair and sip a hot cup of tea. For the women of Dragon Valley, these are unimaginable luxuries. The Community Center will give women who are among the poorest in the world a sense of value and will provide the chance to improve their weaving skills or train for additional life-changing job opportunities.

Video on Afghan Widows

Please take a moment to view this heartwrenching video about the lives of widows in Afghanistan. I think it sums up why we at Beyond the 11th continue to work so hard for these women.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/04/15/world/1194839517084/a-mans-world.html?emc=eta1

Temple Emanuel

Last night, I had the opportunity to speak to the sisterhood at Temple Emanuel in Andover, MA. What a fabulous evening! The turnout was phenomenal - about 150 women. Many in the group had seen the documentary, Beyond Belief which made for a great Q & A.

No matter how many times I tell my story and explain why Beyond the 11th is so important I still tend to get emotional. The group of women made it a really safe environment though which enabled me to share a lot.

I can't say enough great things about the incredible women I met last night. I hope that the many offers to help truly work out to be long lasting relationships...

I've heard from Sahera!

Beth has retunred home from Afghanistan safely and brought with her a DVD of her meeting with Sahera. During their hour long conversation, Beth was able to get a pretty good update on how Sahera has been over the past 3 years. Bascially, it seems like all is good. Her children are all in school. Her eldest son is thinking about going to college. It was unclear to me if it was a money issue or a distance issue that has kept him from attending but I will investigate that further.

Sahera is no longer a part of the poultry rearing program. She actually sold her chickens after some of them had gotten sick. With the money from the chickens, she started a small tailoring business. It seems as if she has been pretty successful.

I also learned that Sahera's mother-in-law passed away a couple of years ago. For those of you who saw Beyond Belief, she was the woman who had lost 6 sons to war and illness. Since her mother-in-law died, Sahera no longer wears a burqa! I believe Sahera felt pressure from her to wear it.

During Beth's visit, she showed Sahera the video that I had made and Sahera spoke directly to me at one point. It was truly amazing to have an opportunity to see Sahera again - even if it wasn't real time.

The next time Sahera and I communicate, it might just be via phone. I've been told that she has a cell phone - yeah!!!