The United States has implemented more than 175 programs for the benefit of Afghan women in the areas of political participation, economic opportunity, education, and health care, according to a fact sheet released January 8 by the State Department's Office of International Women's Issues.

Fact Sheet
Office of International Women's Issues
January 8, 2004

U.S. COMMITMENT TO WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN

"There can be no justice in the world unless every woman has equal rights."
-- First Lady Laura Bush
October 10, 2003

Since overthrowing the Taliban in 2001, the United States has implemented over 175 projects for Afghan women to increase women's political participation, build civil society, create economic opportunities, support the education of girls and women, and increase access to health care. As beneficiaries, Afghan women have achieved notable political milestones:

Constitutional Loya Jirga: An Afghan Constitutional Loya Jirga or Council approved a new Constitution on January 4, 2004 in Kabul. The new constitution affords all "citizens of Afghanistan - men and women - equal rights and duties before the law." The new Constitution also reserves 25 per cent of its seats in the lower house of Parliament for women. More than 200 women participated in the 2002 Constitutional Loya Jirga that establishes the current government. Two of the nine members of the Constitutional Drafting Committee, and seven of the 35 members of the Constitutional Review Commission are women. Afghan women will have the right to vote and run for office in the Summer 2004 elections.

Women Leadership: The Cabinet includes two women ministers - the Minister of Women's Affairs and Minister of Health. A woman heads the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. Many more women serve in the public and private sectors.

Programs for Women: The Minister of Foreign Affairs has created an Office of Human Rights, Health and Women's Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to monitor women's programs. The Ministry of Commerce set up a department to help women establish their own businesses.

Political Participation and Civil Society

Women's Resource Centers: The United States has allocated $2.5 million for the construction of Women's Resource Centers in 14 provinces throughout Afghanistan, and is building three other provincial centers. The Centers will provide educational and health programs, job skills training and political participation training to women. Through the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council, the United States is providing $1 million in educational training at the centers. The United States supports the establishment of ten neighborhood-based women's centers in Kabul and nearby towns. Women executives of AOL/Time Warner have raised $60,000 for the Council's Gift Fund to support a provincial women's resource center in Afghanistan.

Electoral Assistance: The United States is providing $15 million for voter registration, and $8.86 million for elections in Afghanistan, including civic and voter education, focus group research, and training for political parties and civic activists.

Human Rights, Advocacy, and Leadership Training: The United States provided $750,000 to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and training in political advocacy for women delegates to the 2003 Loya Jirga.

Media Training: The United States has provided more than $500,000 to train women journalists and filmmakers, some of whom produced "Afghanistan Unveiled," a film documentary about abuses against women by the Taliban.

Economic Opportunities

Microcredit projects: Microcredit helps women gain self-sufficiency by starting their own businesses. Through a $10,000 donation to the U.S.-Afghan Council from Daimler-Chrysler, FINCA, a NGO, will establish two village banks in Herat. FINCA expects to assist more than 30,000 clients in Afghanistan over the next five years. Other projects provide skills and literacy training for widows and female heads of household; teach women in animal husbandry; train women in tailoring; and teach women to preserve produce and dairy products for local sale; technical support to women's carpet and textile projects; and funding for bakeries that employ widows and that provide subsidized bread to hundreds of thousands of urban poor.

Afghan Conservation Corps: The United States contributed $1 million to the Afghan Conservation Corps (ACC) to rehabilitate the environment. The ACC employs several hundred women to make nets to protect newly planted tree seedlings.

Education

Back-to-School: Nearly four million Afghan children are enrolled in school, including more than one million girls, many more than at any point in Afghanistan's history. Since 2001, the United States has given approximately $26 million for primary education, with $35 million budgeted for the next two years to construct schools and to provide books and supplies.

Literacy Programs: The United States is supporting a host of literacy programs for women in Dari, Pashto, English and mathematics. Nine public libraries in eight provinces are participating in a campaign for women's literacy.

Teacher Training: The United States has dedicated $60.5 million over three years for primary education. The University of Nebraska will rehabilitate infrastructure and provide 9.7 million textbooks and 4,000 teacher-training kits for primary education; a multi-sector package includes literacy programs, teacher training, and water supply and sanitation benefiting 50,000 women and 56,500 children and youth; 2,600 teachers in four provinces will receive training.

Health Care

The United States has financed health care programs in Afghanistan totaling more than $58 million, with $50 million forthcoming over the next two years. These programs include the construction of women's wings in hospitals and dormitories for women medical students; curriculum development for health care workers; and maternal and child health, family planning, and nutrition. The United States has rebuilt 140 health clinics and facilities, and will rebuild 400 more over the next three years. We have provided basic health services to more than 2.5 million people in 21 provinces; 90 percent of the recipients are women and children.