The second sex
Friday, 7 March 2008 | 23:13
Photo: littlewomenforlittlewomen.com
“I am Alaina and I started Little Women 4 Little Women in Afghanistan because I felt bad that little girls weren’t going to school in Afghanistan. We raise money so that teacher’s salaries can get paid and little girls can go to school. I want little girls to get educated because I believe: Education equals Peace.”
Inspired by a speech given by a journalist, nine year-old Alaina created the first chapter of her non-profit organisation Little Women 4 Little Women in Afghanistan in January, 2007. After hearing that many Afghan families believe their daughters should be educated exclusively by female teachers, but that there were not enough teachers and no money with which to pay new ones, the group defined their main goal as raising funds to pay teachers’ salaries. In the past year, the group has raised enough money to pay for five new female Afghan schoolteachers – providing education for Afghan girls, jobs for Afghan women… and inspiration and hope for all the rest of us.
“I couldn’t believe there were little girls in Afghanistan that didn’t get treated like me and my friends. I could picture in my head a place where there were kids like me but instead of happiness it was pain… I want to make a difference. I want to do something- even if it’s small, at least I made a difference. I am going to raise $750.00 to pay for 1 year of a teacher’s work to educate girls like me. I am calling myself “little women for little women”. I am going to make a bridge of peace.”
Visit the organisation’s website here.
Happy International Women’s Day.
