July 2010
4 posts
“(4) To support investments in people, particularly women and children,...”
– The Kerry-Lugar Bill, the cornerstone of US-AID in Pakistan, which aims to take a non-military approach towards countering terrorism, one of these approaches being the promotion of women’s education.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=200156
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\... →
1 tag
Who’s responsible for educating girls of...
By Zehra Qadir
Last week, I escaped from the hectic city life to Nathiagali, situated in Abbottabad district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Some Pakistani families have been frequenting the Galiyat for five decades and own properties and lodges there. These summer residents have formed the Nathiagali Residents Committee (NRC) to solve a host of problems faced by the community. During my stay, I went with...
June 2010
4 posts
“Change on a global scale will be achieved by reciprocity from girls to girls,...”
– Ann Pollina, President of NCGS
Circle of Women to Attend NCGS Conference
From June 16-18, Circle of Women has been invited to attend the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools’ (NCGS) Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA. The NCGS is a Boston-based network of over 150 girls’ schools across the country. It advocates for girls’ education and leadership through both domestic and global collaboration. During this year’s conference, themed...
May 2010
7 posts
“This is the truth that I repeat every day. By empowering women, we can achieve...”
– UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Palestinian Girls Nab Science Prize in Silicon Valley, UN News Centre
Cocktail Party in NY Raises $1,765 for Potable...
Rob Biederman, Rob Katz, and Matt Sternberg hosted the 2nd Annual Circle of Women Spring Cocktail Party in New York on Saturday, May 15, 2010. The event was another success; over 60 supporters and corporate matches raised $1,765 to build a water tank and support construction at our girls’ school in Keiri Reki, Pakistan. Thank you to our generous hosts and supporters for coming together to...
Thank You to All who Supported our Mother's Day...
With your help, we raised over $1,500 toward Project Keiri Reki. Thank you for making Circle of Women a part of your Mother’s Day tradition this year.
For a sense of how your contribution can help mothers and girls around the world, check out Nicholas Kristof’s thoughts on Mother’s Day here.
Princeton University 5K Run Raises $1,000
Circle of Women’s Princeton University chapter held a 5K race this afternoon. The event was an incredible success, raising $1,000 toward the construction of a security wall for our girls’ school in Wonkhai, Afghanistan. Thank you to the many supporters and volunteers who contributed to this great effort!
“If we want to promote peace and prosperity, we must begin with women. We have...”
– Sally Field and Alyse Nelson, Women make progress but still have long way to go to reach equality, CNN.com
Afghan Filmmaker Atiq Rahimi Visits Harvard
Renowned filmmaker, novelist, and Afghan expatriate Atiq Rahimi spoke at the Humanities Center at Harvard on Thursday, April 29 about the artistic fruits of his 1984 flight from Afghanistan to France. Knowing no French, Rahimi originally used film as a mode of expression. Now, over 20 documentaries (as well as some acclaimed Persian and French novels) later, Rahimi is creative adviser to...
April 2010
2 posts
“I’ve been a labourer all my life, so it is a joy to have educated...”
– Mohammad Kabir, kiln worker, Lahore, Pakistan
Check out the article: UNICEF initiative to provide non-formal education to impoverished children in Pakistan
March 2010
6 posts
Circle of Women to Attend Kairos Summit for Top...
Last spring, the Kairos Society named Circle of Women the winner of its Social Entrepreneurship Award from among its selection of the top 100 student-run companies. Kairos is an international, student-run not-for-profit organization aimed at forging connections among leaders at the undergraduate level to facilitate innovation and entrepreneurial advancement. Circle of Women received the award at...
NPR Morning Edition: Afghan Women Wary of...
“Investing in the potential of the world’s women and girls is one of the surest...”
– Hillary Rodham Clinton, International Women’s Day ‘10
NYT: Letting Women Reach Women in Afghan War
An article in the New York Times by Elisabeth Bumiller announced a new US military strategy that deploys “female engagement teams” into Afghanistan. These “teams” work to connect with Afghan women and to use them as a resource for understanding what needs to be done on the ground in their communities. Read the article here.
Circumference: Spence School
Our Spence High School circumference chapter in NYC hosted a successful bake sale last week. Thank you to all who participated!
February 2010
7 posts
Project Wonkhai Fundraising Event in Buffalo
This coming Friday, February 26, the Western New York Girls’ Schools Coalition will be hosting a fundraising fashion show and auction for Project Wonkhai at the Nardin Academy (135 Cleveland Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222). The event will begin at 8 PM in Nardin Hall. Tickets, which are priced at $15 for general admission and $30 for VIP, may be purchased at the door or reserved by sending a...
“[It is] inspiring to hear about this vital work to expand women’s...”
– President Drew Faust of Harvard University, after meeting with representatives from Circle of Women about the organization and Project Wonkhai.
CoW Book of the Month: Stones into Schools
Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson picks up about two-thirds of the way through Three Cups of Tea, at the moment in 1999 when a team of Kirghiz horsemen from the furthest reaches of Afghanistan ride into Pakistan to find Mortenson and request his promise to build a school for their families in Bozai Gumbad in the Pamir Mountains. Delayed by the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and the difficulties...
Afghanistan: A Photo Essay
“A girl looks out from her doorway at an Afghan National Army soldier searching an area used recently as a firing position by Taliban militants, during a joint U.S.-Afghan patrol in the Pech Valley, Kunar province, northeastern Afghanistan, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)”
December 2009
7 posts
The Westchester NY Multigenerational Circle
The Westchester NY Multigenerational Circle had an exciting December month! On Dec. 10 we hosted a “Dough Raiser” at the White Plains’ Pizzeria Uno’s. Over 70 people came out to support Circle of Women. They enjoyed dinner with friends and purchased awareness bracelets, bookmarks and t-shirts. In addition, the Bet Amateurs, a teen theater group at Bet Am Shalom Synagogue, in White Plains NY, voted...
The Afghan Women’s Writing Project provides a voice to women writing from Afghanistan, some of whom risk their lives to write their stories on the blog. One woman, Roya, writes of her experiences when she was in school. She writes, “We didn’t even have a classroom. We studied under the hot sun or the spring rain. In my class, everyone brought small mats or pieces of logs to sit on,...
High school girls are making a difference
Circle of Women’s high school chapter in Buffalo, the Western New York Girls Schools Coalition: The Afghanistan Project, held an event on November 18th where they helped local sixth, seventh and eighth graders make friendship bracelets, cards and an Afghan flag to send to the girls at our school in Wardak, Afghanistan. Lauren Hoffman, co-president of the Coalition, expressed her commitment...
Circumference: Spence High School
The SCHOOL COLORS awareness and fundraising campaign was launched in September, 2009 as a creative way to get students to celebrate their school pride, while spreading the Circle of Women message. After founding the NYC Circle of Women Chapter, Alli Ruben implemented SCHOOL COLORS as her first project at her school in New York City. Students, teachers, and administrators support the CoW mission by...
November 2009
10 posts
Afghan schools seek survival amid attacks
A CNN report entitled “Afghan schools seek survival amid attacks,” discusses the recent rise in violence toward schools in Afghanistan. The article suggests that “building support for education at the local level can reduce the risks of attacks.” Most of the attacks demonstrate gender-based violence, as only 20% of Afghanistan’s schools are for girls, but 40% of the...
"Broaching Birth Control With Afghan Mullahs"
This week, The New York Times featured an article by Sabrina Tavernise, titled “Broaching Birth Control With Afghan Mullahs.” The article discusses the way Afghan religious leaders are aiding the foreign nonprofit group, Marie Stopes International, in its effort to teach women about birth control. Mary Stopes International, like Circle of Women, focuses on the power of educating women to...
“Now we’ve put down our weapons and started...
A NY Times article entitled “Afghan Enclave Seen as Model for Development,” discussed a small Afghan community that took development efforts into their own hands, through government grants. The success from this method has demonstrated that “small projects often work best, that the consent and participation of local people are essential and that even baby steps take...
Seattle Coalition Launch Event
Our Seattle chapter, founded by Priyanka Jain, hosted an exciting awareness and fundraising event, featuring keynote speaker Georgette Mosbacher and a speech by Priyanka’s brother, Ankur Jain. Over 100 guests attended the event, which took place at the Westin Hotel in Bellevue, WA on November 1st. Donations are still coming in. Thanks to all who attended! Watch videos of the event:...
Listen to yesterday’s NPR broadcast...
More Schools, Not Troops
Nicholas Kristof’s recent NY Times OP-ED article calls for “More schools, Not Troops” in Afghanistan. Kristof asserts “that education can help foster a virtuous cycle that promotes stability and moderation. So instead of sending 40,000 troops more to Afghanistan, how about opening 40,000 schools?” Similarly, Circle of Women seeks to “foster a virtuous...
October 2009
16 posts
Studies in Courage
Anna Barron Billingsley’s article in The University of Mary Washington Magazine entitled “Studies in Courage: With UMW Degrees, Afghan Women Aspire to Effect Change in their Native Land” showcases the work of an organization: The Initiative to Educate Afghan Women. With a mission similar to Circle’s — to develop a positive future for countries by educating women...
Photo Essay on Afghanistan
Click here to view photographs from Afghanistan, October 2009.
The "Bravest Woman in Afghanistan"
Malalai Joya, considered to be the “bravest woman in Afghanistan” will speak at the Harvard Kennedy School Carr Center for Human Rights on October 30th, 2:30-3:30. She is “a former member of the Afghan parliament who has repeatedly stood up to the warlords, for women’s rights and democracy. A former teacher who set up secret schools for girls, an orphanage and free clinic...