The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
The Forum - On Line Opinion's article discussion area



Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Main Articles General

Sign In      Register

The Forum > Article Comments > A beacon of strength > Comments

A beacon of strength : Comments

By Matthias Tomczak, published 4/10/2006

An educated woman will not accept that being kept in the house like a slave is the natural condition of women.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. All
Congratulations Saforaia! And thanks Matthias for telling her story.
Posted by Jennifer, Wednesday, 4 October 2006 9:48:21 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
What about corporate sponsorship as opposed to private sponsorship? Use the idea of trade not aid, since the results of aid is dubious. Look at Africa, they have received billions in aid only for it to be squandered. Corporates can at least support business intiatives in troubled countries.
Posted by Angelo, Wednesday, 4 October 2006 2:00:06 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
The writer should declare from the outset that this is storytelling to plead for money.

There is nothing about the organisations' ideology either. However the insistence that the money and support of males is accepted but males are not welcome as members could be a clue.

Why was this advertising accepted for publication in On Line Opinion?
Posted by Cornflower, Thursday, 5 October 2006 12:09:21 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Great article.
Organisations like RAWA make me proud to be female, perhaps they have a different effect on posters like cornflower. I remember its founder, the outspoken Afghani female lawyer who was assassinated by the Taliban, I remember the woman who smuggled out the film of the woman being shot in her burkha in the old football stadium, the female provincial governor - who despite male disapproval is acknowledged to run the best administered province in the country, and the young female Afghani member of parliament who speaks out against those of her fellow parliamentarians who are corrupt and violent, despite their catcalls and cries that she be taken outside the parliament and raped as punishment for speaking. At 28, she now has round the clock guards to protect her. Perhaps it is hardly surprising that the women of afghanistan find it hard to admit male members to their revolutionary organisation, eh cornflower?
I will go to the site and donate. If we want a stable world we must do what we can to help advance the physical, intellectual and spiritual freedom of half the human race.
Posted by ena, Thursday, 5 October 2006 4:36:07 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
ena
You missed my points about using this column to fundraise and about the need to be very transparent and declare that intent up-front. A question of ethics.

In any event I donate to such bodies as Amnesty International and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and that makes me proud to be a human. They have a proven record too and are subject to independent scrutiny, which is important to me because I want to see value for money for the dollars I entrust them with.

What assurances do you have that the lion's share of your donation achieves the desired result on the ground? Better still, what in specific terms are the desired outcomes for your charity of choice and how will they measured?
Posted by Cornflower, Friday, 6 October 2006 5:19:10 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Um, education for girls, supporting the school mentioned in the article, Cornflower, that's where my money will go. A fairly concrete destination it seems to me.
I approach the world with a great deal more trust than you do, Cornflower. I don't need guarantees or graphs to tell me that my money is going where it should when I donate. I assume that SAWA will do what it says, and I am happy with that. I certainly don't want them to waste precious resources proving to me that my easy to afford donation is going to the school - because it costs to do that kind of analysis. If they are ripping me off, which I doubt, or are even a bit inefficient, which is more likely, so be it. Even if only some of my money gets there, its better than none. I'd rather assume the best and give my money freely, than assume the worst and use that as an excuse to give less.
I don't mind people using OLO to fundraise, as long as they write a good article to go with it. Are you telling me that the politicians who write here don't want to gain votes? Or the churchmen converts? Those are forms of advertising too, you know.
Posted by ena, Friday, 6 October 2006 1:24:17 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
I support what you are sayin Eno. I am a Child Sponsor with World Vision and I get tired of people telling me that heaps of the money goes into administration. My sponsor child is healthy, he goes to school and his parents are appreciative for the World Vision support.

I am fine with OLO posting 'fundraising' articles as I can visit the SAWA site and decide for myself whether or not I want to donate.

Thanks for your article Matthias; I had no idea about the wonderful things these women are doing. It just shows that change can only come from within. While we can financially support Afghanistan Women, it is their determination to achieve an education that makes it happen.
Posted by Hel, Wednesday, 11 October 2006 8:27:02 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. All

About Us :: Search :: Discuss :: Feedback :: Legals :: Privacy