The Canadian International Learning Foundation has been chosen as the featured charity at Ottawa Fashion Week, to be held March 24th to 27th at the Ottawa Arts Court. Visit our display to speak with our volunteers, send messages of support to our students, and shop from a range of products – from gourmet coffee to pashminas – to support our programs in Afghanistan, Uganda, and around the world.

Ottawa Fashion Week seeks to create a stronger forum for designers and artists to showcase their brilliant work and quench the thirst of arts lovers in Ottawa. Designers from across the country and around the world will showcase their collections. The nation’s capital will witness cutting edge fashion and style, and will have the opportunity to purchase unique pieces, straight off the runway. Doors will open at 5 pm, and runway shows will be held daily at 6 pm, to be followed by a nightly after party.

To learn more, please visit Ottawa Fashion Week at www.ottawafashionweek.ca. Tickets are available for pre-purchase at Ottawa Fashion Week Live. You can also follow Ottawa Fashion Week updates on twitter at @OFW_LIVE.

For further information, please contact us by e-mail at staff@canilf.org.

CanILF NR-0901 November 2, 2009 OTTAWA - Despite recent insecurity, more than two hundred students at the Afghan-Canadian Community Center (ACCC) in Kandahar, Afghanistan graduated on November 2, 2009 from a professional education program funded largely by the Canadian International Development Agency.

“Through the education and support provided by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, the Government of Canada and the Canadian people, the Center has given us hope for a better future,” said Class Valedictorian Bibi Zhilla, “Now it is our responsibility to share this precious gift with others in  need.”

The ACCC provides professional education to approximately 1,000 students in Kandahar, more than half of them women. A group of 30 students have had the opportunity to study Business Management with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) via the Internet.

ACCC Director Ehsanullah Ehsan travelled to Calgary to receive an honourary degree from SAIT in June 2009. ACCC students had planned to accompany Ehsan during the trip, but were unable to do so for security reasons. This group of students received graduation certificates from SAIT during this ceremony.

The ACCC was founded by Ehsan in early 2007 with the support of the Afghan School Project, which sponsors student scholarships and provides the Center with educational equipment, such as computers and textbooks.

The Project is managed by the Canadian International Learning Foundation (CanILF), a registered Canadian charity. The Foundation also provides Canadians with the opportunity to communicate with students in Kandahar via www.theafghanschool.org and an online Pen Pal program.

“We are incredibly proud of what our students have achieved under such difficult circumstances,” said Ryan Aldred, President of CanILF, “With the assistance of the Government of Canada, we have helped the people of Kandahar to create a vibrant and thriving school which has made a lasting difference in the lives of thousands of people.”

Several hundred students and graduates of the Afghan-Canadian Community Center have obtained long-term employment with local businesses and international organizations. On average, each employed student provides economic support to more than seven family members.

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Notes to the editor: Further details regarding the Afghan-Canadian Community Center (ACCC) are available online at www.theafghanschool.org. Photos of the ACCC and its students are available at www.canilf.org/gallery/. A link to video footage from the ACCC is available upon request. Further information regarding the Canadian International Learning Foundation is available at www.canilf.org.

For more information, please contact Ryan Aldred, President of the Canadian International Learning Foundation at 613-614-5349 or e-mail staff@canilf.org.

Calgary artist Amanda M. Weightman is set to unveil her Woman and Water exhibition, which will feature a special series of smaller, more accessible artwork created in support of the Canadian International Learning Foundation’s (CanILF) projects in Afghanistan and Uganda.

The launch of the series will be held at The Marquee Room of the Uptown in Calgary on October 8^th from 7:00 until 9:00 pm. There will be musical performances by The Nix Dixons and Oh Lenore! afterward.

If you enjoy seeing the latest work from a talented artist and would like to make a difference in the life of a student in need, then this is one show you won’t want to miss. With artwork from the CanILF series starting at $20 per piece, Amanda is helping to prove that neither art nor education is beyond reach. To RSVP, please click here.

The Uptown (www.theuptown.com) is located at #200 – 612 8^th Ave SW. The event is open to those 18 and older and there will be a cover charge for entry after 9:00 pm. All sales from the smaller series and a portion of sales from the Woman and Water series will be used to fund student scholarships at CanILF’s partner schools.

About Amanda M. Weightman (www.wist.ca)

Amanda was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta where she continues to live and work. She is a self-taught, professional artist and children’s art instructor. Amanda is represented by Latitude Art Gallery in Calgary (www.latitudeartgallery.com).

About The Canadian International Learning Foundation (www.canilf.org)

The Canadian International Learning Foundation (CanILF) is an Ottawa-based, volunteer-run registered charity which provides and promotes employment-oriented education in areas of the world affected by poverty, war and disease epidemics (at-risk areas). To accomplish this, CanILF provides funding for scholarships and educational equipment, teaches online courses, and offers mentoring to the leaders of educational institutions.

CanILF has helped hundreds of students in Afghanistan achieve long-term employment as a result of the students sponsored at the Afghan-Canadian Community Center (ACCC) via the Afghan School Project (www.theafghanschool.org) . ACCC Director Ehsanullah Ehsan was recently awarded an honorary degree from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in recognition of his accomplishments. A group of students at Ehsan’s school in Kandahar are currently studying with SAIT via their online Business Management Certificate program.

For more information, please contact us by e-mail at staff@canilf.org or by phone at (613) 614-5349.

The Canadian International Learning Foundation is a nominee in divine.ca’s Share the Love program.

Through Share the Love, we will receive a minimum donation of $500, and you can help us earn an even larger donation – a total of $5,000 per category is available! Proceeds will support the Afghan-Canadian Community Center via our Afghan School Project.

Here’s how to help: Go to www.divine.ca/sharethelove (or click the Vote button below) and cast your vote for the Canadian International Learning Foundation in the International category. No registration is required!

The final number of votes cast for us will determine how much of an additional donation divine.ca will award our organization. You can vote once a day for the duration of the voting period which runs from April 6 to May 15, 2009. Also, please consider sharing this article with family and friends who might also be willing to vote for us.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support – it is deeply appreciated by myself, our volunteers and our students!

Best Regards,

Ryan Aldred
President
The Canadian International Learning Foundation

Center offers valuable education, Internet access to the women of Afghanistan

OTTAWA, ON (May 3, 2007) – In conjunction with the Canadian International Learning Foundation (CILF) and and Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan), the Afghan School Project, a joint program between Afghan educators and Canadian volunteers, has opened the doors of the Afghan-Canadian Community Center (ACCC), offering both a vocational school for women and a safe place for women to access the Internet in Kandahar.

Located in residential Kandahar, Afghanistan, the ACCC brings the school to the students and promotes safe, accessible education for women trying to build a better future for themselves and their community. The ACCC is highly efficient, boasting a cost-per-student of less than CAN$20 per month.

The ACCC offers courses for female students, including classes in business management, Information and Computing Technology (ICT), English and health care. Along with a dedicated team of expert instructors, including computer and business professionals and a medical doctor, the students’ education is aided by Internet-enabled computers and the ongoing support of Canadian volunteers.

In early January 2007, the ACCC opened the Women’s Internet Room and became the first facility in Kandahar to offer women access to the Internet at no cost. Internet access provides women with the opportunity to research information, and provides them with the opportunity to use e-mail and instant messaging software as an inexpensive means of communicating with family and friends.

Already, the ACCC’s classes have grown to over one hundred students. This is an impressive achievement, given that the literacy rate for women in Afghanistan is only 14% (according to a UNICEF report from 2006). Although more than 5 million students have returned to school in Afghanistan, 45 to 50% of students still lack access to basic education.

Through the school’s Internet forum, students can also ask questions, access tutorials and browse dozens of job postings for positions related to their training. Students also use the forum to publish essays on development, women’s rights and a variety of other subjects.

In the months to come, many students will have access to the online courses of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), which has generously agreed to provide access to their courses at no cost. SAIT is a Calgary-based vocational school with an internationally-recognized curriculum, including courses in business, computing and health care.

With billions of dollars worth of international aid devoted to the development of Afghanistan, the technological, administrative and linguistic skills provided by the ACCC will be in high demand by development agencies in southern Afghanistan.

In the words of Suhila, one of the ACCC’s students, “The future looks bright, and with solid educational opportunities, the women of Afghanistan will lead the way forward.”

About CILF

The Canadian International Learning Foundation (CILF) is a non-profit, Ottawa-based organization that offers valuable learning opportunities and vocational training for students in need around the world. Our goal is to provide at-risk populations with the skills required to emerge from conflict and poverty by partnering with experienced educators in developing countries to offer low-cost, effective education and employment-oriented training.

About CW4WAfghan

CW4WAfghan is a volunteer not-for-profit organization founded in 1996 with 14 chapters and affiliated groups across Canada. The goals of CW4WAfghan are to raise funds for health and education programs for women and girls in Afghanistan, and to raise awareness in Canada of the need to secure and protect human rights for Afghan women. The Afghan School Project is pleased to partner with CW4WAfghan and their sponsors, Rights & Democracy. Through this partnership, donations of CAN$100 or more are eligible for tax receipts for the Afghan School Project.

About the Afghan School Project

For further information regarding the Afghan School Project and the ACCC, please visit our website at www.theafghanschool.org.