Victoria residents will soon gather to walk in solidarity with Afghan women and girls.
The annual Red Pashmina Walk will be hosted by the Victoria chapter of Right to Learn Afghanistan on Sunday, Sept. 7. This will be the sixth Victoria edition of the event, which has a history dating back to 2011 when it began in Peterborough, Ont.
The walk is a demonstration of solidarity with Afghan women and girls, who "live under a system of gender apartheid in which their fundamental rights and freedoms have been extinguished," explains Right to Learn Afghanistan, which has supported human rights and education for Afghan girls and women, since the organization was established in 1998.
Since then, Right to Learn Afghanistan has trained over 10,000 teachers and established over 300 libraries and labs, while also creating and managing an online educational library. For them, the Red Pashmina Walk is a symbol of solidarity as participants don red pashmina scarves and walk through their cities to raise funds and awareness for Afghan women and girls.
"Education is not a privilege; it is a fundamental right, and Afghan women and girls are being systemically denied their right to learn," says Lauryn Oats, executive director of Right to Learn Afghanistan. "When women and girls are educated, the benefits ripple outward to transform families, strengthen communities, and shape a brighter future for all."
Donations for Right to Learn Afghanistan will be collected during the walk to help reconnect these women with their right to learn by funding scholarships, laptops and internet packages, free online courses, library access and an online high school for Afghan girls where graduates receive an internationally recognized high school diploma.
Participation is free and open to everyone. In Victoria, the walk is set to begin and end at Irvin Park at 250 Menzies St. in James Bay. Dr. Lauryn Oates will speak to the crowd at 11 a.m. before the walk begins on Sept. 7.
