Originally from Heart, Afghanistan, Maryam Monsef began to feel at home in Peterborough during her years as a student at PCVS. During that time she “had fallen in love with Peterborough and staying at Trent University meant that she could stay close to home, “A place I never thought would feel like home,” she says. Her transition from PCVS to Trent began in 2003, and during her studies in the Psychology Department at Trent, she engaged in initiatives that would transform her into a leader. Together with fellow Trent student, Jessica Melnik,  she co-founded an important initiative that provides aid to women in Afghanistan: the Red Pashmina Campaign.

During her time at Trent, Ms. Monsef’s leadership skills developed naturally in her duties as co-chair of the Trent Muslim Students’ Association, director of Trent’s Active Minds, campaign chair for the Active Minds refundable levy, organizer with the World University Service of Canada’s (WUSC) Afghanistan Challenge, and board member of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group Peterborough. With a diverse background as a social and political organizer, Ms. Monsef is especially proud of the progress of Active Minds at Trent University. She says that, “the seeds for the Red Pashmina Campaign were planted at a meeting in the Lady Eaton College Pit.”

Invited by the co-chairs of WUSC in 2009, Ms. Monsef became a part of the planning process for a campaign to raise funds for the vocational training of widows in Kabul Afghanistan. Having been herself raised by a widow, Ms. Monsef had a firm belief in “education as the only hope for rebuilding Afghanistan (or any community).” The WUSC experience inspired her to suggest selling pashminas as a fundraiser during the week-long campaign.

Initial sales led to huge demands for the red pashminas, continuing long after the Afghanistan Challenge Project had ended. A year later, Ms. Monsef, with the support of former Trent student Jessica Melnik, re-mounted the concept and named it The Red Pashmina Campaign.

Co-founder Jessica Melnik was approached by Ms. Monsef about the raising of money for women in Afghanistan. According to Ms. Melnik, they were both looking for a way to contribute to the community, while igniting their passions. They launched their first season of the campaign at the Peterborough Santa Clause parade, selling red pashminas to help fund a maternity clinic in Afghanistan. They also began collecting names of Women of Impact – women who others believed were making a positive impact on their communities - nearly 100 women were nominated.

Ms. Melnik’s role with the campaign is constantly evolving. The first few years she acted as creative director and this year has taken on the role of campaign chair, overseeing the daily operations of the initiative. As a freelance photographer in Peterborough, Ms. Melnik photographed the first group of Women of Impact and designed the poster for the spring Red Pashmina Walk. She will also collaborate with Ms. Monsef on a show at Natas Cafe as part of the SPARK Photography festival, featuring portraits of ten Women of Impact shot by local photographers. 

“That first year, we raised funds for a maternity clinic in Kunduz and have been raising funds for Education of women and girls since 2011,” said Ms. Monsef. “We’ve hosted walks (Third Annual Red Pashmina Walk in April,) in partnership with the local chapter of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan.” 

The combined efforts of Ms. Monsef and Ms. Melnik, with the enthusiastic support of a community of women, continues to aid global efforts to improve the lives of Afghan women who have lost their husbands to the war. With a literacy rate of twenty-eight per cent and widows numbering close to 50,000, the Red Pashmina Campaign makes a valuable contribution at a grass-roots level, with a powerful, international impact on women’s lives.