A Look at Afghanistan during International Development Week 2010
As part of the 20th International Development Week (IDW), more than 700 people across Canada attended events hosted by development practitioners from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), who shared their experiences in Afghanistan.
From February 1–12, 2010, a series of public awareness activities took place on different campuses with CIDA employees: Michel Taché, Senior Environment Specialist, Geographic Programs Branch; Rhonda Gossen, Deputy Director, Kandahar Operations, Afghanistan and Pakistan Task Force; and Jean McCardle, Senior Analyst, Afghanistan and Pakistan Task Force. Through the events, participants were able to learn about Canada’s international development work, in addition to hearing stories about some of the challenges and experiences in Afghanistan.
"These presentations offer another look at what happens in Afghanistan," stated a member of the public after the lecture given on February 8 by Michel Taché at Quebec’s Ministère des Relations internationales. According to him, these kinds of activities make a difference. "These discussions make people reflect on international issues and allow us to share our experiences in the field and get closer to the public," he stated upon his return to Quebec, where he also visited a large number of students at Université Laval and the Cégep de Sainte-Foy.
In western Canada on February 1, Rhonda Gossen was at the University of Alberta in Edmonton with Brigadier-General John Vance to introduce the documentary "Good morning Kandahar," which was followed by a discussion attended by more than 100 students on the role of Canada in Afghanistan. "We were asked several questions, stated Ms. Gossen, young people are curious and want to know more about our role in Afghanistan and the situation of women in that country." A session was held the next day at the Queen Elizabeth Secondary School in Edmonton and it was broadcast by videoconference to six other secondary schools in Canada and the United States. Ms. Gossen also visited students at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at Fraser Valley University in Vancouver, British Columbia.
In the eastern part of the country, presentations took place during the week of February 8–12 in five universities: Dalhousie University (Halifax), Nova Scotia Agricultural College (Truro), University of New Brunswick (Fredericton), University of New Brunswick (Saint John), University of Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown), and the NGO CUSO-VSO (Charlottetown). Jean McCardle spoke to 225 people who had the opportunity to learn about CIDA’s role, careers in international development and her personal experience in Kandahar province, where she recently spent more than 16 months. "The level of interest and participation were remarkable!” she said.
The Afghanistan360º exhibit was on display from February 1–12 at the Abbotsford Sports Centre in British Columbia and at Université Laval in Quebec City from February 8–12. The display coincided with various CIDA IDW events.
- For the schedule of the Afghanistan360º exhibit tour, please consult the following Web site:
http://www.afghanistan.gc.ca/canada-afghanistan/multimedia/360.aspx?lang=eng - Information on International Development Week is available here:
http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/acdi-cida/ACDI-CIDA.nsf/eng/FRA-112411371-MH7
