WACC-SIGNIS Human Rights Award 2010 given to the documentary The Garden at the End of the World

From Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>
Date Tue, 12 Oct 2010 20:52:25 -0700

Film award goes to documentary on Afghanistan


Written by Philip Lee, WACC Deputy Director of Programs
Tuesday, 12 October 2010 08:20

The WACC-SIGNIS Human Rights Award 2010 has

been given to the documentary The Garden at the
End of the World, directed by Australian film-maker Gary Caganoff.

The film explores the legacy of devastation and
trauma in Afghanistan and illustrates the tragic
consequences of war and the widespread hunger,
homelessness and lawlessness that it causes. In
particular, it shows the impact on the lives of
widows and orphans, who now number tens of thousands.

The Garden at the End of the World follows the
work of two remarkable women ? humanitarian
Mahboba Rawi, and internationally recognised
permaculturalist Rosemary Morrow, who offer
alternatives to international ?reconstruction?
efforts that have patently not worked.

The documentary reveals how urban and rural

families and communities have disintegrated after
losing fathers, husbands, and brothers to 30
years of political conflict, poverty and the drug
trade. Rosemary, a Quaker, brings a holistic
perspective to these experiences, emphasising the
links between sustainability and genuine empowerment.


Mahboba Rawi, a refugee from the Soviet
occupation of Afghanistan, lives in Sydney,
Australia. In 2001 she established a
not-for-profit organisation called ?Mahboba?s
Promise?, to assist homeless widows and orphans.
She was awarded the Medal of the Order of
Australia in the 2010 Queen?s Birthday Honours in
recognition of her services to international humanitarian aid in 
Afghanista n.



Through the eyes of these remarkable women
Caganoff elicits stories and images of
Afghanistan rarely seen before. Neither
sentimental nor sensational, the film reaches
into the dark depths and complexities of war torn Afghanistan.


<http://www.thegardenattheendoftheworld.info/>The
Garden at the End of the World