Little woman to meet the big man

Girl who founded Little Women 4 Women in Afghanistan to meet with prime minister, speak in Ottawa

An 11-year-old Lake Country girl heads to Ottawa today to hobnob with the prime minister.

Alaina Podmorow will deliver a speech to dignitaries and answer questions at a press conference about the national movement she inspired.

The Grade 5 student at Davidson Road Elementary School is scheduled to meet Stephen Harper and chat with cabinet ministers. She'll tell them about the non-profit group she created to help pay the salaries of Afghan teachers so more girls can go to school there.

"Education is important because if they're educated, peace will follow. They'll know what's happening and they'll know what to do about it," she said Tuesday.

Alaina first heard about the plight of Afghan girls in 2006 when she heard Sally Armstrong, UNICEF's special representative to Afghanistan, describe how badly they were treated under the former Taliban regime. Armstrong said most girls there couldn't go to school and most women didn't work.

Since then, Alaina formed Little Women 4 Women in Afghanistan, a branch of the nonprofit group Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. She has helped raise more than $30,000 to pay Afghan teachers and buy school supplies. More girls are going to school and graduating, but there's still work to do, she said, "I really want to have awareness everywhere," she said. "I want girls to have these rights in Afghanistan."

Kelowna MP Ron Cannan contacted Alaina after she spoke to 400 people at the University of Calgary in January. He helped arrange for her to speak in Ottawa, where she'll take part in International Women's Day celebrations.

Six female parliamentarians from Afghanistan plan to attend, as well as Kosheid Samad, wife of Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada, and Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women.

Alaina will join them for a session of question period, Cannan said. She'll be formally recognized and pose for a picture with Harper.

Despite the bright lights and attention, Alaina remains "unfazed," says her mother, Jamie Podmorow.

Alaina's gift is that she's completely focused on her cause, but can switch it off and become a child again instantly, she said.
"She's not hung up on supposed-tos."

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