Instead of traveling writing today, I want to spread the word about the Red Pashmina Campaign that was started here in Peterborough, Ontario three years ago, and has been building ever since. Yesterday, for the first time, I attended the annual campaign launch. I came home with an overwhelming respect for the young women who initiated this program, a longing to do something to assist, and a beautiful new red cashmere pashmina.
The Mission Statement, “The Red Pashmina Campaign helps people from all walks of life make a lasting impact on the lives of women,” sums up what they’re all about, but how they go about it is inspiring.
Partnering with Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan the Red Pashmina Campaign has two aims.
First, to raise funds to help support women in Afghanistan. The sales of the Red Pashminas have so far helped to pay for the staffing of a maternity clinic in Afghanistan, and to facilitate education initiatives for women and girls. The goal for 2014 is to educate the educators, who are lacking in training themselves.
The second aim is to uncover and share the stories of women struggling to improve the quality of their lives and others, in both countries, and to recognize and celebrate their trials, triumphs and accomplishments.
Visit the website to learn more and find out where you can get YOUR Red Pashmina! They’d make great gifts for all the women on your list and you’ll be helping other women at the same time.
Mind Traveler 
Judy, I left a supportive comment on your web page but decided to post to Facebook first, and it somehow disappeared from the screen. We need to help these women who are denied their rights only because of their gender as much as we are able, and not necessarily ignore our native people. Do whatever you feel is right. The red pashmina campaign is just one small step but can mean so much for them in the long run. Thanks for caring, Judy.
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Thanks for your support, Helen. These women are actually very active in mentoring and supporting women in their own community as well.
I didn’t know you were on Facebook. I’ll look for you. 🙂
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You look beautiful in your pashmina, Judy. I admire the spirit of these women and their passion to help women in other communities, and you wrote about it so well. It would be nice if that passion was to help women and children in Canada–in First Nation communities, or even in their own communities. Somehow though, helping in other countries seems to be more prevalent, and even sometimes desireable. I feel this way about a lot of groups that have formed to help women and children in Afghanistan, Africa, and other less developed countries than Canada. As the saying goes, “charity begins at home.”
I don’t mean to be on a soapbox, and I say this with the greatest respect for you and your desire to help these groups to help others–and that red pashmina is gorgeous.
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Thanks, Christine. The pashmina is so soft and luxurious that it makes one feel beautiful. 🙂 Your opinion about supporting locally is the very one that I spoke of to my daughter last year when she suggested donating to another third world disaster, so I completely understand what you are saying. At that time the First Nation issues were causing a great deal of heart ache (and still are), and I wished there were some way of helping out. I still do, and will as soon as a way becomes clear. But for now, the governments are making it difficult.
These women who created the Red Pashmina Campaign are women who also are very community minded and support many local agencies. Although this particular campaign focuses mainly on helping women in Afghanistan, the idea as a whole is to improve the lives of women both locally and globally. And getting to know someone personally who has experienced the life of an Afghan woman and who has worked hard to overcome the adversity, and is now trying to help those who are still struggling for identity and respect, seems to make it more personal.
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