Refugee Women in Development- Sima Wali

Two days ago I was invited to a presentation, which was the third and last in a series named Roshan. A friend of mine had helped to organize this exhibition, where one-time photo cameras were given out in a small town in Badakhshan, Afghanistan to school children. After being taught how to use the cameras they were sent off to take snap shots of their families and friends. These pictures were brought to New Canaan, Connecticut. In return one of the New Canaan High School classes was sending their snap shots to Afghanistan.
The exhibition was fabulous! Not only the pictures themselves, but also the comparison they offered. One side the modern homes in or western society, on the other side the families without any kitchens, or let's say a corner of a room being the kitchen.
Well, as mentioned above the third presentation within this series, was from Sima Wali, the president of the Refugee Women in Development.
Ms. Wali introduced her organizations and the development of their work. She had been in exile for over 20 years in the US, and returned to her homeland country after the fall of the Taliban. One of the points, which were mentioned during her presentation, and which I thought was a fact, that each of us here in the West could help by writing a check to help the program's funds. However, I believe that every woman and every man could go beyond the check writing, by helping in a more practical way, by being aware of the freedom of speech, education and choice of life we have. This way every single of us should be able to realize what it is that people do not have in Afghanistan. What I mean is that it is very simple to forget all the luxuries we enjoy without even thinking that most of them are not necessarily commodities in other people's lives.
I truly believe that every single one of us can change the situation by believing in the programs and putting effort in the hands on help.