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Afghanistan -- please don't forget
Posted to: <Ned> Front Porch by Jayne Cravens (9), Sun, 02 Sep 2007 05:05:32 PDT
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Tags: afghanistan gender girls women
Comments: 7 by 5 members
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Last week, I returned from Afghanistan after a six-month stint on a UNDP contract supporting an initiative of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. I was a "Communications Advisor", and spent my time helping with various communications activities, such as supporting the ministry's press office with various issues (editing press releases, suggesting stories to pitch to the press, stream-lining media monitoring with RSS), or creating a photo archive of the hundreds and hundreds of photos that had been taking by initiative staff members in the last several years, creating and distributing CDs of the best ones, and creating a Flickr account of these photos, which I think present a very different visual story than what you see on the news.
Per my commitment to human equality, I took every opportunity to publicize women-focused activities and women's involvement in the ministry's activities, and to participate in any workshops or meetings I could on the subject. What women face in Afghanistan is a deeply woven mosaic of prejudice that finds its roots not in Islam but in traditions, male reactions to a changing world, illiteracy, misunderstandings about the Koran, fear, insecurity, and on and on and on. The cost to the counry is staggering -- 50% of the country's talent, experience and energy is largely ignored... or worse. Sadly, these practices are reinforced by international aid workers terrified of addressing the issue and bent on avoiding it, who will quickly say "we can't try to change the culture!" as soon as you bring up an activity that might address the profound challenges women face there. I always wonder: if it were an ethnic group being treated thusly, rather than women, would the same arguments be used, or would Bono be holding a concert?
I worked primarily with Afghans, and was based on the government compound rather than the UN compound. I didn't have as much access and freedom as, say, NGO workers, but I had a lot more than US Embassy staff. I also got to work with Afghan women, including training a female Afghan national to work in the communications office. Working with Afghans was, without a doubt, the best part of the assignment - they are ambitious, they are hard-working, and they are primed to do great things, given the opportunity.
The security situation has definitely gotten worse in Afghanistan in the last two months, but I can't emphasize enough that it's still a country worth supporting. The Afghan people need guidance and they need JOBS. I hope I can continue to support the country no matter where I am in the world.
By Jayne Cravens (9), Mon, 03 Sep 2007 01:38:56 PDT
Tags: afghanistan gender girls women
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By law, women ARE allowed to run their own businesses in Afghanistan, but by tradition, most are NOT. Even in Kabul, many women aren't even allowed to go into a shop without their husband or a "mahram" (male relative).
There was a story on the IPS on Aug. 15 about how five women in Mazar-E-Sharif, in the north, have opened a shop for women, and how many people are furious about it. I hope no one burns it down...
Some shops in Kabul that cater to Westerners allow their female family members to wait on female customers, realizing that many women prefer this.
Internet connectivity is more than decent for international workers, but most Afghans must go to Internet cafes, which are plentiful in Kabul -- not sure about elsewhere. Electricity is a BIG problem, as is literacy.
UNESCO did a story recently about an ICT project north of Kabul for women -- interesting reading:
Increasing information literacy of Afghan women 06-August-2007 "A training programme in Kapisa province, 75 km north of Kabul, provides women and girls with opportunities to gain access to the wider world through ICT."
topBy Jayne Cravens (9), Wed, 17 Oct 2007 04:08:43 PDT
Tags: afghanistan education gender girls women
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"It is better for my children to be alive even if it means they must be illiterate." Education in Afghanistan: A harrowing choice By Barry Bearak in the International Herald Tribune Published: July 9, 2007
(ME: this article does a GREAT job of showing how difficult it is in Afghanistan, in terms of dealing with all of the various sources of hostilities. In most parts of Afghanistan, the Taliban is the least of anyone's problems)
QALAI SAYEDAN, Afghanistan: "With their teacher absent, 10 students were allowed to leave school early. These were the girls the gunmen saw first, 10 easy targets walking hand-in-hand through the blue metal gate and on to the winding dirt road. A 13-year-old named Shukria was shot in the arm and the back and teetered into the soft brown of an adjacent wheat field. Zarmina, her 12-year-old sister, ran to her side, listening to the wounded girl's precious breath and trying to help her stand. But Shukria was too heavy to lift and the two gunmen, sitting astride a single motorbike, suddenly sped closer."
By Jayne Cravens (9), Fri, 19 Oct 2007 05:53:47 PDT
Tags: afghanistan education extremism girls women
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Statement by the Afghan Women’s Network Women’s Political Participation Committee October 07, 2007
Afghan Women are concerned on deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and loss of innocent citizen in suicide bombing.
We women express our deepest sorrow and concern over the continuation of deteriorating security situation and offer our prayer to the soul of the women, children and men martyrs who have lost their life in scared month of Ramadan in face of ignorance and we the women of Afghanistan condemn the terrorists acts which is killing civilians and creating atmosphere of fear in our country.
We Muslim women want peace, peace that Islam prevails. We would like to clarify that no political agenda can justify killing of Muslims anytime, in particular in this holy month.
The holy Quran says killing of one Muslim is equal to killing a society and the holy Quran also states that every little thing that human being is doing will be accounted. This means, there is no in any possible way justification in the name of Islam related to the suicide attacks and killings of Muslims and innocent civilians. Hence these are all political acts that victimizes the people especially women and children of our war-stricken country.
We want all Afghans to work for peace, unity and respect of human values and let this country to build the starches of war together where and Afghan child, women and man live a dignified life as a Muslim.
We urge The Afghan Government that in any kind of peace negotiation with any party of concern should not undermine Afghan Women’s status and Human rights principles inscribed in the Afghan Constitution. And based on the Afghan constitution, principles of Universal Deceleration of Human rights and other conventions that Afghanistan is a member to, no accord in past and future should exempt anyone from human rights crimes.
By Jon Alexander (52), Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:55:44 PST
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By LUTAAYA RONALD (0), Sat, 25 Dec 2010 23:22:36 PST
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RE: REQUEST FOR FUNDS TO COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION OF A VOCATIONAL TRAINING CLASSROOM BLOCK FOR THE VULNERABLE YOUTH IN NAKIWATE VILLAGE, NABAALE SUB COUNTY, MUKONO DISTRICT, UGANDA
We are a Grassroot Organization called TWEKEMBE ASSOCIATION CENTRE FOR RURAL SYSTEMS AND DEVELOPMENT (T.A-CRUSADE - UGANDA ), operating in the Communities, Incorporated under the Laws of The Republic of Uganda as a Not for Profit Company, Limited by Guarantee, working amongst the Most Vulnerable Persons in Mukono District, Uganda . T.A-CRUSADE- UGANDA empowers Communities to change difficult Situations into Opportunities that Improve their own Living Standards and Welfare to become Responsible Citizens and break away from the Pangs of Poverty.
Each year, thousands of Ugandan Poor Youth and Children drop out of Schools and fail to get the basic gainful employment, while most of these are Teen mothers, Orphans, Victims of split families, Widows, Pregnant teenagers , from rural and peri-urban areas, HIV Victims. In the course of helping these victims of circumstances, we started a personal initiative in form of an Employment Agency in the Heart of Mukono Town called Twekembe Employment Centre which gives them some bit of Counseling, Meals, Temporary accommodation, Health Care and a Brief Job Mentoring, then give them out to people who employ them in petty jobs like House maids, bar maids and others paying less than one US dollar a day. Over 7,000 People have got jobs through our Employment Agency in the last 6 years though most of them are petty jobs given the level of Skills of the beneficiaries. Over a Period of time T.A-CRUSADE– UGANDA has become Conversant with Uganda’s Labour Laws and Regulations. Since T.A-CRUSADE – UGANDA carries out Parallel Monitoring of Workers recruited and Employed through its Job placement Bureau where ever they are taken, it has been witnessed that many have been manhandled, tortured, raped, overworked and some cheated of their wages. And many have desperately fled their work places to join peer groups engaged in deadly activities like thuggery, robberies, prostitution, drug abuse and others all in name of searching for survival. Consequently many have been sexually abused, resulting into unwanted pregnancies, contracting deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS. After rejection by Parents, Partners and Society at large many of these victims of circumstances return to our centre for assistance and moral support. In so doing, we realized that wasn’t a permanent solution. We are seriously overwhelmed by the needs around us given the fact that up to 300 new people report to us in one month for assistance and allocation to pet jobs.
As a way of Assisting and Re-Integrating these Vulnerable Persons into Society, T.A- CRUSADE - UGANDA has initiated a Community Vocational Training Project in Nakiwate Village, Nabaale Sub County, Mukono District to Train and Empower them with Vocational Skills in Hair dressing, Tailoring, Carpentry, Computer Applications, Masonry and Brick laying, Craft making among others, with all these Courses blended with an Entrepreneurship Component which will in turn improve on their income generating potential as we strive to improve on their Livelihood Prospects.
Principally we are requesting for $4500 to purchase Roofing Materials, Doors and Windows for a 5 Class roomed Block we have constructed up to Wall plate level using Local Resources for Training Purposes as we wait for a Confirmed Bulky Vocational Training Equipment Donation from Europe for the same Project (Part of this has already arrived i.e. 28 Electric Sewing Machines).
Any contribution towards this intent, whether technical, financial or material would be greatly appreciated .I hope you would like to have a look at our Project Write-up and Construction plan.
Looking forward to hearing from you again Kind regards, LUTAAYA RONALD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR T.A-CRUSADE - UGANDA P.O BOX 2339, KAMPALA, UGANDA EMAIL: twekembeassoc@yahoo.com WEBSITE: http://ta-crusade.yolasite.com TELEPHONES: +256 752 487 288 / +256 772 487 288
By Nsubuga Francis (7), Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:47:51 PST
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Mr. Lutaaya, your post is touching. I am now doing Development work in South Sudan . I come from Mukono and when I come back to Uganda would like to share with you. Can it be possible to meet?``_
By Mark Grimes (222), Sun, 02 Sep 2007 08:25:03 PDT
Tags: afghanistan gender women
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