Campus Connection

Her visit is part of a Rotary training institute in La Crosse

A tuxedo rental business owner turned humanitarian will speak at UW-La Crosse about her path to overseeing the construction of a 20-room school in Afghanistan. Fary Moini will speak at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12, in the Skogen Auditorium in Centennial Hall. Her presentation is free and open to the public. Born in Iran, Moini graduated from Tehran University and worked as a nurse and director of nursing in Iran and the United Arab Emirates before she immigrated to the U.S. in 1983, eventually becoming a U.S. citizen. Moini was a tuxedo shop owner when she joined a California Rotary Club to work with charity projects. After 9-11, she witnessed the treatment of women under the Taliban. A Muslim who saw her native Iran taken over by religious fundamentalists, Moini had no tolerance for abusing women under the guise of religion. After visiting Pakistan with the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club and seeing first hand the conditions in a refugee camp for Afghans, Moini decided to help. She eventually made six extended trips to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Using $250,000 raised by fellow Rotarians and from a private foundation, she oversaw construction of a 20-room school complete with a science lab, library and computer labs in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. The school that accommodates 2,000 boys and girls opened in 2003. Moini is in La Crosse to share her story with Rotarians from 28 Rotary districts in the Midwest, Northeastern U.S. and parts of Canada. She will also talk with students and teachers at Lincoln Middle School in La Crosse. If you go— Who:   Fary Moini, tuxedo rental business owner turned humanitarian What: Lecture When: 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12 Where: Skogen Auditorium, UW-L Centennial Hall Admission: Free