The impact of education on women and children in Afghanistan is a subject dear to Bibi Bahrami and continues to affect her life today.
Bahrami, a Muncie resident, began Afghan Women's and Kids' Education & Necessities in 2002. She will be at the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies for discussions.
"She's going to be connecting why education is important for women and girls in Afghanistan, and why it's a way to promote peace," Emily Mastroianni, graduate assistant at the center, said. "She's a very interesting woman to talk to."
AWAKEN is a nonprofit organization devoted to helping rebuild Afghanistan's educational system, supporting vocational opportunities, providing health care services and offering emergency assistance, according to awakeninc.org.
"We formed a network uniting Afghans and many generous and caring Americans who are committed to helping Afghan families become literate, self-sufficient and healthy," Bahrami said.
Bahrami was a girl when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and was forced to flee. In 1986, she came to the United States and became proficient in English, received her GED and continued her education at Ball State, according to the AWAKEN website.
Since coming to the United States, she has gone back to Afghanistan several times.
"We [she and her husband] saw firsthand the daily struggles and the desires of these people to have the education necessary to rise above poverty," Bahrami said on the website. "Yet these occasional visits were not enough, and the problems of the Afghan people were far too great to try to solve by ourselves."
This was the beginning of AWAKEN.
Bahrami is part of the ‘Brownbag Series,' which takes place once a month over lunch at the center.
Mastroianni encourages students to come to this discussion.
"I think we have a lot of misconceptions about what is going on in Afghanistan now and to talk to someone who is from Afghanistan and who is promoting peace there," Mastroianni said, "it would be helpful for people to come and learn about that."
Info Box
Who? Bibi Bahrami, founder of AWAKEN (Afghan Women's and Kids' Education & Necessities)
What? Discussion on women's and children's educational needs in Afghanistan
When? Noon to 1 p.m.
Where? The Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, 310 McKinley Ave., (across the street from the Student Center parking)
For more information, visit awakeninc.org
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