SJIMA’s Afghanistan speaker series continues on Wednesday
Posted August 16, 2022 at 9:13 am by San Juan Update
Contributed photo
The San Juan Islands Art Museum shares news about this week’s guest speaker.
The Life of My Choice: 21 Years in Kabul is the second event in the Ask Us About Afghanistan series at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art. Marnie Gustavson, a tireless activist for women and children in Afghanistan, will be presenting at SJIMA this Wednesday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. The event is free and no reservations are required.
Gustavson has been the Executive Director of PARSA, an NGO based in Kabul, building healthy Afghan communities for 16 years. Founded in 1996, PARSA is a private non-governmental organization working directly with the disadvantaged people of Afghanistan. PARSA supports communities as they make their own development solutions, focusing on promoting social change and a healthy and fair society for all people but especially women and children.
Understanding the importance of community partnership, three groundbreaking programs highlight their mission. With the Ministry of Education, PARSA has helped rebirth the 80-year-old Afghan Scouts program. With the Ministry of Social Affairs, the NGO provides the Healthy Afghan Child Program and is working to initiate change in the Afghan national orphanage system to ensure the most vulnerable children can have care in the post-conflict country. PARSA has also launched a marketing network for women entrepreneurs called Trade Afghan, which provides access to markets for small farmers and producers.
The talks in the Ask Us About Afghanistan series provide opportunities to learn about the culture of Afghanistan, Islam, and advocacy for women and children. They also enhance the experience and understanding of the photography exhibition Looking into Afghanistan by James Longley, on display at SJIMA until Sept. 12.
The Life of My Choice: 21 Years in Kabul is sponsored by RaVae Luckhart and Jack Rice, Rob Ray, and the Town of Friday Harbor. SJIMA is located at 540 Spring Street.
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