Mr. Speaker, at a time when girls and women in Afghanistan are being denied the basic right to education, Canadians are stepping up to help.
The Ottawa-Kabul Global Education Centre, a Canadian registered not-for-profit founded in 2024, is working to restore educational opportunities for Afghan girls and women forced out of classrooms. Through a fully online academic ecosystem, the organization now supports more than 18,000 students, including over 7,000 former female medical students continuing their studies with volunteer professors from around the world.
With over 900 educators and professionals, many Canadians are helping ensure these young women can continue their education and pursue their careers in fields such as medicine, nursing and public health. This initiative reflects the best of Canadian compassion, leadership and commitment to gender equality.
I would like to recognize the volunteers and leaders behind this important work, many of whom are from Scarborough, and thank them for standing with Afghan girls and women.