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OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, May 6, 2009 · 14 Helping Little Women in Afghanistan By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF What's keeping you from having your dream kitchen? Consider these time, mess & cost saving options... a. Renew your cabinets with our unique "Tune-up". Our exclusive process restores and repairs the original finish on wood cabinets to 90-95%. Tuning Up your cabinets and updating the counter top and handles is the easiest and most cost effective way to get a fresh new look for your kitchen. Time: 1-2 days Mess: almost none Cost: a fraction of replacement. You don't have to be very old to make a real difference in the world. The children of Fern Hill School learned this amazing truth during a Friday presentation by Alaina Podmorow, 12, a young woman whose organization `Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan' has raised more than $100,000 to better the lives of Afghan women. While 12 may seem too young to change the world, the Lake Country, B.C. native actually began her quest to help the women of Afghanistan at the age of nine after being inspired by a speech given by author/journalist Sally Armstrong. "In 2006 I found out that the privileges in our world are things other women don't get," said Podmorow. "It's so upsetting to me that these girls are not treated like me." Women's rights disappeared from Afghanistan when the Taliban took the country over in 1996, forbidding women to go to school or to leave their home unless accompanied by a man. The regime was overthrown during the 2001 U.S./NATO invasion, but is mounting a strong insurgency against the new Afghan government and the international (including Canadian) soldiers supporting it. While this conflict may b. Reface your existing cabinets and save 40-60%. If your cabinet boxes are in good shape, why pay to replace them? 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"Everyone was getting along and working together and then the bullies came out to play," said Podmorow. "I think the Taliban are the bullies and it's our job to stand up to them and say no." To further this defiance and give the women of Afghanistan a future, Podmorow got a small group of young women together and formed Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan. Recognizing that education for women is power, the group's first act was to hold a silent auction with all proceeds going towards raising the $750 needed to pay four Afghan teacher's salaries for one year. The group succeeded. "After we did that, we felt so good, we felt like we had made a difference," said Podmorow. More was to come. A bottle drive netted $5,000 while a gala event raised $25,000, all of which was directed to Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, who in turn sent the funds to women's health and education projects in Afghanistan. In the end, the Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan's fundraising campaigns would bring in more than $100,000, a total that was matched by the government to form a $200,000 contribution. "That's enough to pay the salaries of 260 teachers in Afghanistan for one year," said Podmorow. All of this effort did not go unnoticed. On March 6, 2008 Podmorow was summoned to Parliament Hill in Ottawa where Prime Minister Stephen Harper personally thanked her as well as a member of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. While overjoyed at the progress she has made, Podmorow said she is frustrated at times when she hears about Canadian soldiers. She is also frustrated by the security situation, which is so bad she can't visit the country. Although Podmorow dearly wants to visit Afghanistan, she knows such a visit would not only put her life be in danger, but any schools she visited would likely become targets for violence. In the end, Podmorow noted, it comes down to two choices. "We can do nothing and she can live her life like this," said Podmorow, a slideshow behind her flashing to a burka-clad woman begging in the streets of an Afghan city. "Or we can do something and she will get educated." The slide changes to a scene of several smiling Afghan girls, grasping their books within a school. The presentation provoked tremendous applause from the Fern Hill students, who Podmorow left with the words from Sally Armstrong's speech, which had so resonated with her. "The worst thing you can do is nothing." Podmorow's presentation was part of the weeklong Young Round Square of the Americas (YRSA) 5th Annual Conference hosted by Appleby College and Fern Hill.