For Reine Samson Dawe, promoting education for women and girls in Afghanistan is an important part of her healing process, but also her way of continuing the mission started by Canadian soldiers, including her son Matthew Dawe.

Samson Dawe is this year鈥檚 , an honour conferred by the Royal Canadian Legion each year, to represent all mothers who lost children serving in the military. She will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa during Monday鈥檚 Remembrance Day ceremony on their behalf.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 all be soldiers, but we can all help to carry on what has been started,鈥� she told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning. She volunteers for , a non-profit organization that works to advance access to education for Afghan women and their families.

鈥淲e know very well the education of women is at the basis of improvement in the society. If the mothers are involved and educated, they will pass it on to their children. And it changes the whole aspect of the life in Afghanistan.鈥�

Samson Dawe said continuing the work is not just for those who paid with their lives, but also for those who returned with physical and psychological trauma.

鈥淥ur country paid dearly for that mission, so we can鈥檛 just walk away. And the reason why we should do it more for Afghanistan is because we were involved there directly.鈥�

Her son Matthew, commander of , was the youngest of four boys. He was just 27 years old when he was killed instantly, along with five other Canadian soldiers and an Afghan interpreter, after his armoured vehicle was hit by a 500-pound bomb buried in a road in Afghanistan on July 4, 2007.

His son Lucas, turned two that same day.

鈥淟ucas knows who his dad is. He won鈥檛 remember him physically. But he鈥檚 heard so many stories and seen so many pictures, his dad is not a stranger to him,鈥� said Samson Dawe, whose husband and three surviving sons also served in the military.

鈥淲e talk about him all the time. Matthew is forever present in all the family reunions, whether it鈥檚 Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any chance we have, there鈥檚 always a toast to Matthew.鈥�