Announcement

Women’s Contributions to Afghanistan’s Development Honored

USAID/Afghanistan celebrates International Women's Day 2009.

Kabul, Afghanistan  | Sunday, March 15, 2009

Photo: USAID/PRT Tirin Kot

The Director of Women's Affairs in Uruzgan distributes gifts to 600 women at an event in the provincial capital.

March 8 marked International Women’s Day, a holiday founded in 1911 to promote the economic, political, and social achievements of women.  In Afghanistan, where many women still face poverty and discrimination, it is especially important to celebrate the obstacles they have overcome and to raise awareness about the need for gender equality.

Women now play an increasingly visible role in Afghan society, and USAID works to ensure a better future for Afghanistan’s women, their families, communities, and country. To achieve this, USAID supports legal rights for women, helps them gain access to public services and jobs, builds their capacity, and encourages their inclusion in public life.

To honor the contributions made by Afghan women to the development of their country – and to educate the general public about women’s rights – USAID/Afghanistan, Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and local governments hosted a series of celebrations throughout the country on March 7 and 8.  Thousands of women and men from Kabul to Kandahar came together at the provincial level to discuss women’s rights, education, and the need for gender equality.

Highlights of these events include:

Paktya: Approximately 200 women and 50 men, including Wolosi Jirga member Sharifa Zormati, attended a community celebration hosted by the provincial Director of Women’s Affairs.  Participants discussed the important role of women in society and speakers stressed the need for increased educational opportunities for girls.  During the event, boys’ and girls’ choirs sang in honor of the women guests and students performed skits about women’s rights.

Photo: USAID/PRT Gardez

A girls’ choir in Paktya sings in honor of Women’s Day.

Panjsher: Nearly 125 women gathered in Bazarak to discuss the economic, political, and social challenges – as well as the many achievements – of Panjsher’s women.  Several speakers addressed these issues, including Roahila, a parliamentarian and former judge.  At the end of the event, the Panjsher Director of Women’s Affairs Miriam Panjshiri  recognized Roahila as ‘Panjsher's Woman of the Year’ for her consistent efforts to better the lives of the province's women and girls.

Uruzgan: Celebrations in Uruzgan began with a roundtable discussion entitled “Progress for Women is Progress for All.”  In this conservative province, it was a rare chance for men and women to come together and discuss the need to educate girls and provide employment opportunities for women.  The most important messages of the roundtable were echoed by all speakers: women are equal to men, and progress for women will benefit the entire community.  

Later, Uruzgan Parliamentarian Sonia Barakzai addressed a group of 600 women at Tirin Kot Hospital – the largest gathering of Uruzgan’s women in recent history – and distributed toiletries to the assembled crowd. One attendee said that while it was nice to receive a gift to commemorate the day, the real 'gift' was the gathering itself, where a large group of women could come together in a safe and comfortable environment.