Working for Women Worldwide - Embassy of the United States

Success Story
Afghanistan
Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things
One of the critical steps in helping
societies rebuild after conflict is providing
support to women and children. The
United States takes a holistic approach
to helping women in post-conflict societies,
zfrom access to to education and training to improving
health, safety, and political empowerment.
Afghanistan is a case in point. In only three years
since the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan experienced
the largest return of refugees in modern history. Many
of the nearly four million Afghanis who had fled to
Iran and Pakistan—nearly half of them women and
children—are now streaming back into their homeland.
Three years ago, over eight million Afghans age
six to 30 had little or no education. Today, approximately
4.8 million children are in school, and of these,
nearly 40 percent are girls—the highest number ever
in Afghan history.
Women are active in shaping the country’s new
government. Women held 102 of the 500 seats on the
Loya Jirga, or national assembly, which in January
2004 adopted a new constitution guaranteeing women
equal rights with men and a significant presence in
both houses of the new parliament. Nearly every
woman involved in the Loya Jirga had received some
political training through U.S.-funded projects. The
newly elected president, Hamid Karzai, already has
appointed women leaders to his cabinet.
Women’s political participation in Afghanistan
was especially significant and visible in the October
2004 presidential election: They accounted for nearly
41 percent of registered voters. “In snowstorms, in
sandstorms, in heavy rains, women came out to vote,
and in some cases the number of women voting outnumbered
the men,” says Charlotte Ponticelli, senior
coordinator for international women’s issues at the
U.S. Department of State. “This is a country where
three years ago the women had no voice at all, were
subjected to horrible torture when they went out of
their houses, had no education, no chance for jobs, certainly
no political involvement. Now they are not only
voting by the millions, but they are also running for
office.”
Of course, in a land long-ravaged by war and
tyranny, significant challenges remain. Life expectancy
is only 46 years, even less for many women.
Afghanistan’s maternal mortality rate is among the
highest in the world. One reason is that many Afghan
women give birth without trained medical assistance.
Nationwide, 86 percent of Afghan women are illiterate.
In rural areas, the figure reaches 92 percent.
The good news is that the country is making
tremendous strides on these fronts. The United States
has funded more than 200 programs that benefit
women and girls. Basic health care is now available to
nearly five million citizens in 13 provinces, and services
for women and children are more accessible with the
construction of women’s health wings and the training
of about 5,000 midwives and health workers. U.S. aid
has helped to build or rebuild more than 200 schools,
provide 25 million textbooks, and train 7,000 teachers.
A teacher-training institute opened in September
2004. Seventeen Women’s Centers, each providing
day care services and outfitted with computers, audiovisual
equipment, and a library, will offer safe havens
where women can acquire the basic education, health
services, job skills, and political know-how denied
them under the Taliban.
To tackle the crisis of maternal mortality, the U.S.
government has funded training programs for medical
personnel. With backing by the U.S. Agency for
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