Afghan-Canadian group aims to bring international students to Atlantic Canada

A group of Afghan-Canadians in Halifax are fundraising to try to offer a young student from Afghanistan a better quality of education at an Atlantic Canadian university. 

Neptune Azimi, president of the Canadian Afghan Association of Atlantic Canada, estimates there are about 60 families from Afghanistan in the Halifax area. 

"They're really supportive. It's a small community, but a really supportive community," Azimi said.

The association's first project is to send four members on a fact-finding mission to Afghanistan. Azimi and three others will examine the education system in Afghanistan and try to find students who are interested in applying to Atlantic Canada to study. 

'They don't have the opportunity'

"They have lots of very intelligent students, but they don't have the opportunity to get a better education, a higher education," said Mohammad Zamir Karimi, another member of the fact-finding mission.

Karimi lived in Ontario with his family but chose to come to Halifax two years ago for the school system. He decided he liked the city after visiting while on vacation. 

"When I came here, I see it's better. Halifax especially has a good education [system], and I thought this is a beautiful city," he said. 

The association intends to sponsor one or two students by helping them with funding and paperwork. They hope the students will return to Afghanistan to rebuild the troubled country. 

Fundraising dinner 

The group estimates it will cost about $15,000 to send the team to Afghanistan. It's holding a fundraising dinner with traditional Afghan foods at the Dalhousie University Club on July 28, with ticket proceeds going toward the research mission and sponsorship of students. 

Azimi said although there are students of Afghan origin in Halifax, they are generally Canadian citizens, permanent residents or refugees, which is how she and Karimi came to Canada. 

Her research indicated there are no international students from Afghanistan at Dalhousie. Saint Mary's University confirmed it also has no international students from Afghanistan.

"The young generation is what we should aim to redevelop the country," she said. "The older people in our country we can't really change their minds, or how they think, or how they do everything.

"But the younger generation we should focus, and try to give them a better education ... that's our next generation so we can redevelop our country that way."