Field Updates

 

Women for Women International–Afghanistan Newsletter, 2006

Read our Afghanistan chapter office’s first locally-produced newsletter - an exciting “from the field” report about our program. You can read compelling accounts of how Women for Women International has changed the lives of Afghan women like Pashtoon, who hopes to open a beauty parlor, and Sha, who is struggling to support her children in the aftermath of war. Thousands of women like Pashtoon and Sha have had the opportunity to access the job skills training, rights awareness education and income generation support they need to begin rebuilding their lives and communities, as have their counterparts participating in our programs in various other countries.

Creating Bright Futures for Women in Afghanistan, March 2006

Women for Women International opened its doors in Kabul in October 2002 to support women survivors of war in Afghanistan. Since starting as a fledgling office, the Afghanistan Chapter has flourished by offering participants one-to-one sponsorship, job skills training, rights awareness education and a micro-credit program.

"There is nothing more powerful than the spirit woman who has lost everything and then learned to reclaim it all," said Afghanistan Country Director Sweeta Noori. "There is nothing more stunning than a woman who truly knows what she is worth."

Through a one-to-one sponsorship between women in Afghanistan and women in 37 countries, Women for Women International offers a chance to build bridges of mutual support and understanding while simultaneously helping women whose lives have been torn apart by war and conflict. Approximately 8,500 Afghan women have participated in the sponsorship program, and 55,000 women survivors of war have participated world-wide.

Women for Women International matches each woman with a sponsor who provides her with monthly financial support for one year. These funds allow women to obtain basic necessities for their families like food, clean water, medicine, schoolbooks for their children or seed money for projects to earn an income. Sponsors and their "sisters" also exchange letters. They share stories and connect at a time when other emotional support has been stripped away by war. For a woman who may have lost everything or who feels isolated, letters of support help renew her hope for a better future.

While enrolled, the women receive rights awareness education and literacy training. Literacy is the cornerstone to a woman's education and her progression into an active citizen. The Afghanistan Chapter provides literacy training to 637 women in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif provinces. Women for Women International's training guide is translated into national languages in all its Chapters around the world so thousands of women can simultaneously learn how education is the key to social, political, and economic independence. P Since 2004, Women for Women International has offered rights awareness training to 4,800 Afghan women in more than 20 districts in Kabul, Kapisa, arwan, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Warduk provinces. Rights education gives women the ability to realize their vast potential and the strength to fight discrimination and domestic violence. Women have the right to basic knowledge about human reproduction, nutrition, stress management, hygiene and the prevention and treatment of prevalent diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

Through a partnership with the Ministry of Women, the Afghanistan Chapter informed more than 3,800 thousands of women of their right to vote in the national and parliamentary elections. Voter education is a crucial element to teaching woman that their voices and their needs could be expressed freely. Historically women in Afghanistan had been kept out of the voting booths with intimidation and violence. Women for Women International helped to register 2,000 woman to vote in 2004 presidential elections and another 1,800 women for the 2005 parliamentary elections. Many women overcame fears and intimidation about their political participation. Participants voted for the first time in the hopes of becoming a catalyst for further change.

In the job skills training program, women work to develop their existing skills or learn new ones that will lead to employment and self-sufficiency. Through tailoring, silversmithing, horticulture, carpentry, food processing, electrical repair, and more, women are able to cultivate their skills in local markets.
Women also receive business skills training such as how to build and manage small businesses. The technical skills include marketing, basic accounting, pricing, business plan development and cooperative operations. In Kabul, Wardak, and Parwan, vocational skills training, literacy training, and income-generation education help educate Afghan women about their potential as workers and businesswomen.

With these trainings and new skills, a woman is able to move from crisis to stability. She can start to move away from the panic that unemployment and poverty perpetuates. Becoming economically self-reliant teaches women that they truly are crucial components to family and communal stability.

Women for Women International's Afghanistan Chapter operates a micro-lending program for graduates of the sponsorship program. Since 2004, the chapter has distributed nearly $750,000 to approximately 2,700 women borrowers. The repayment rate is 99%. Women use these loans to open businesses for the first time. Pooling their resources, women have opened a bakery in Kabul.

Women who previously had no voice or little bearing in the direction of their national future are now playing active roles in the restoration and development of their country. Through the renewal of their own lives, they are active hands in the reconstruction of their homeland.

Program Participants Reflect on Election, October 2004

Women for Women International opened its doors in Kabul in October 2002 to support women survivors of war in Afghanistan. Since starting as a fledgling office, the Afghanistan Chapter has flourished by offering participants one-to-one sponsorship, job skills training, rights awareness education and a micro-credit program.

"There is nothing more powerful than the spirit woman who has lost everything and then learned to reclaim it all," said Afghanistan Country Director Sweeta Noori. "There is nothing more stunning than a woman who truly knows what she is worth."

Through a one-to-one sponsorship between women in Afghanistan and women in 37 countries, Women for Women International offers a chance to build bridges of mutual support and understanding while simultaneously helping women whose lives have been torn apart by war and conflict. Approximately 8,500 Afghan women have participated in the sponsorship program, and 55,000 women survivors of war have participated world-wide.

Women for Women International matches each woman with a sponsor who provides her with monthly financial support for one year. These funds allow women to obtain basic necessities for their families like food, clean water, medicine, schoolbooks for their children or seed money for projects to earn an income. Sponsors and their “sisters” also exchange letters. They share stories and connect at a time when other emotional support has been stripped away by war. For a woman who may have lost everything or who feels isolated, letters of support help renew her hope for a better future.

While enrolled, the women receive rights awareness education and literacy training. Literacy is the cornerstone to a woman’s education and her progression into an active citizen. The Afghanistan Chapter provides literacy training to 637 women in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif provinces. Women for Women International’s training guide is translated into national languages in all its Chapters around the world so thousands of women can simultaneously learn how education is the key to social, political, and economic independence.

Since 2004, Women for Women International has offered rights awareness training to 4,800 Afghan women in more than 20 districts in Kabul, Kapisa, Parwan, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Warduk provinces. Rights education gives women the ability to realize their vast potential and the strength to fight discrimination and domestic violence. Women have the right to basic knowledge about human reproduction, nutrition, stress management, hygiene and the prevention and treatment of prevalent diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Through a partnership with the Ministry of Women, the Afghanistan Chapter informed more than 3,800 thousands of women of their right to vote in the national and parliamentary elections. Voter education is a crucial element to teaching woman that their voices and their needs could be expressed freely. Historically women in Afghanistan had been kept out of the voting booths with intimidation and violence. Women for Women International helped to register 2,000 woman to vote in 2004 presidential elections and another 1,800 women for the 2005 parliamentary elections. Many women overcame fears and intimidation about their political participation. Participants voted for the first time in the hopes of becoming a catalyst for further change.

In the job skills training program, women work to develop their existing skills or learn new ones that will lead to employment and self-sufficiency. Through tailoring, silversmithing, horticulture, carpentry, food processing, electrical repair, and more, women are able to cultivate their skills in local markets.

Women also receive business skills training such as how to build and manage small businesses. The technical skills include marketing, basic accounting, pricing, business plan development and cooperative operations. In Kabul, Wardak, and Parwan, vocational skills training, literacy training, and income-generation education help educate Afghan women about their potential as workers and businesswomen.

With these trainings and new skills, a woman is able to move from crisis to stability. She can start to move away from the panic that unemployment and poverty perpetuates. Becoming economically self-reliant teaches women that they truly are crucial components to family and communal stability.

Women for Women International’s Afghanistan Chapter operates a micro-lending program for graduates of the sponsorship program. Since 2004, the chapter has distributed nearly $750,000 to approximately 2,700 women borrowers. The repayment rate is 99%. Women use these loans to open businesses for the first time. Pooling their resources, women have opened a bakery in Kabul.

Women who previously had no voice or little bearing in the direction of their national future are now playing active roles in the restoration and development of their country. Through the renewal of their own lives, they are active hands in the reconstruction of their homeland.

Afghanistan Microcredit Program Distributes First $34,000 USD in Loans to Women, July 2004

First Disbursement of Microcredit to Aid 187 Women Entrepreneurs
Women for Women International, currently the only microfinance organization in Afghanistan working exclusively with women, announces its first loan disbursements. This initial investment represents 187 microcredit loans to women in and around Kabul, totaling approximately $34,210 USD. Many of the loan recipients are women opening their own businesses for the first time. They join the growing number of women participating in the reconstruction and development of their country.

"The women in Afghanistan have the desire to run their own businesses, but do not have access to the capital they need to start or expand these projects," says Zainab Salbi, founder and CEO of Women for Women International, "this program gives them the financial support they need to get their business off the ground."
Many of the women who have received loans are interested in starting or expanding an agri-business; the loan will fund activities such as buying and raising a cow or chickens to sell milk or eggs in the market, or cultivating and selling vegetables. However, there are also a variety of creative, non-agricultural businesses as well. Mina Gul is using her loan to start a soap-making business, a skill she learned while she was a refugee in Pakistan. Shilla is opening a small shop, where she and her son will sell the handmade shoes she has been making for the past 13 years. And Sofia is buying newer equipment for her home-run beauty salon to better serve her clients and expand the selection of products she offers. The microfinance program was the next logical step for Women for Women International's programs in Afghanistan. Currently, the organization's year-long program provides women with monthly direct aid and emotional support, rights awareness and leadership education and vocational skills training. "This program will help graduates of our program, and other women in Afghanistan, gain economic independence as the country rebuilds," says Sweeta Noori, Country Director for Women for Women International - Afghanistan.
Women for Women International has a microfinance program in Bosnia and Herzegovina that has distributed 11,800 loans totaling approximately $10 million since 1998, with a repayment rate of 98%. The organization used its experience and its success there to bring a similar program to Afghanistan. Lending practices are based on the Grameen Bank model of lending, which promotes credit as a human right, regardless of collateral, and loans are given to people who would not qualify for a traditional bank loan. This model also organizes borrowers into solidarity groups; each member is responsible for ensuring that the other members repay their loan on schedule. This creates accountability within the group, but also creates a support system for borrowers to discuss problems or successes they are having with their businesses.

The organization established the microfinance program in Afghanistan with support from the Microfinance Investment and Support Facility in Afghanistan (MISFA) and the Grameen Bank Foundation.