Afghanistan Reconstruction
Community Guides:
David Delos Santos
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Middlebrook-Miller LLC
Humira Noorestani
Throughout the 20th century, the debate on women's rights and their role in Afghan society has been closely interlinked with the national destiny. Women not only carry the burden of symbolizing the honor of the family, but often are seen as embodying the national honor as well. Gender has thus been one of the most politicized issues in Afghanistan over the past 100 years, and attempts at reform have been denounced by opponents as un-Islamic and a challenge to the sanctity of the faith and family. During the years of turmoil, concerns about women's security led to the imposition of ever-stricter interpretations of socially acceptable female behavior, supported by the most conservative reading of the holy scriptures. While it justified itself on the basis of protecting women, the Taliban regime's retrogressive views on gender resulted in the opposite, as women were not allowed to work or receive even basic education, and restrictions on their mobility obstructed their access to medical care.
The recent record of the Afghan state on women’s rights, however, provides room for optimism: a ministry for women, a nationwide back to school campaign targeting girls, improvement in women’s access to healthcare, better visibility for women in Kabul, women in both houses of parliament and modest participation at all levels of governance. But the democracy movement is still very fragile especially for women.
The are critical areas in which gender-responsive actions are likely to enhance growth, poverty reduction and human well-being in Afghanistan. Gender gaps are widespread in health, education, access to and control over resources, economic opportunities and power and political voice, and while women and girls bear the direct cost of these inequalities, the negative effects are felt throughout society. From the different critical areas in which gender disparities act against Afghanistan development, many authors coincide on underline education as a key area: The country’s reconstruction and short- and long-term development profoundly depend on the ability to establish and secure secular educational institutions. Should Afghanistan’s reconstruction fail to address women’s empowerment through the education system, there could be a serious risk of repeating the tragically destructive modern history of the region.
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LATEST ADDITIONS
An interview with Jean-Francois Jarrige, President of the National Museum of Asian Art "Guimet". By Harold Hyman. PARIS, 24 APRIL 2007. Until the 30th of April, the Guimet Museum (the National Asian Art Museum) featured Afghanistan, Rediscovered Treasures. Officially it brought together collections from the National Museum of Kabul. More interestin. . .
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Anuradha Bhattacharjee
May 2, 2007
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"Women for Afghan Women (WAW) is an organization of Afghan and non-Afghan women from the New York area who are committed to ensuring the human rights of Afghan women.
WAW promotes the agency of local Afghan women through the creation of safe forums where Afghan women can network, develop programs to meet their specific needs, and participate in . . .
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Carmen V. Caballero
May 2, 2007
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"A thorough study of the ground-level constraints to women’s organization and participation in the lives of their communities, and men’s involvement therein, would be extremely helpful in efforts to secure effective, gender-balanced participation in I-PACS training and capacity building activities with civil society. The fundamental aim of this re. . .
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Carmen V. Caballero
May 2, 2007
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"This paper reports on a qualitative study of a sample of NGO programs and to
comment on lessons learned from USAID "REACH"’s experience with incorporating women in
health shuras.
The objectives of this study were to better understand:
? The effect on health care and health promotion of having female shura members
in the community,
? The diff. . .
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Carmen V. Caballero
May 2, 2007
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"This guide has been based on the field experience of many women and men working
for 20 years with communities in different parts of Afghanistan. It has ideas and
suggestions but it is not definitive, meaning that we do not have all the answers to
solving men and women’s participation problems in Afghanistan. This guide should
encourage field w. . .
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Carmen V. Caballero
May 2, 2007
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The barring of women by the Taliban from most employment and secondary school education paradoxically galvanised Afghan women activists. The underground schools and literacy programs they established have given rise to many of the NGOs now active in Kabul. Many, however, are dependent on donor support, channelled through large international NGOs. T. . .
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Carmen V. Caballero
May 2, 2007
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"Open and Distance Learning" is Chapter 11 in the Guidebook for Planning Education in Emergencies and Reconstruction. Published by the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) in 2006.
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John Daly
May 1, 2007
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eRepublic.org, which is already listed as a development resource in a number of DG communities for its eGovernment directory of national-level government Web sites and portals for countries around the world, is beginning a program of no-fee, Web-banner ad placements for NGO / ONG country projects...taking advantage of country specific Web pages on . . .
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Gary Vizzo
May 1, 2007
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One million Faces, One urgent message!
There are around 640 million small arms and light weapons in the world today ? one for every ten people on the planet. Eight million more are produced every year. Ten to 14 billion units of ammunition are produced every year, enough to shoot everyone in the world twice over. Without strict control, such w. . .
Added by
Bernard Ochieng Oluma
May 1, 2007
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In post-Taliban Afghanistan, filmmaker Sedika Mojadidi profiled her father's struggles as a doctor in a maternal ward in deplorable conditions. Her new film, "Motherland Afghanistan," is an indictment of the neglect of maternal health issues. Sedika Mojadidi, an Afghan American filmmaker, watched in horror as an expectant mother gasped for breath i. . .
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Anuradha Bhattacharjee
May 1, 2007
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