MAZAR-I-SHARIF (SW): Women empowerment’s flagship project “Women’s Leadership Development” aimed at lifting the social status of Afghan women was launched in the northern Balkh province on Saturday.
With support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), this project would later be extended to four more provinces. All in all some 75, 000 women are likely to benefit from the project, the organizers claimed.
Hafiza Mirzayee, Head of Women’s Education Center in Balkh, said that the project, which started on Saturday in Balkh, would remain functional for 5 years. Women would be trained in a way that would pave way for them to become leaders in the government sector.
“The project focuses on 4 areas, leadership, economy, participation in the government and women’s unity throughout Afghanistan”, she noted.
Mohammad Abdu, member of the Wolesi Jirga (lower house) from Balkh, expressed his satisfaction with this project and said this would improve women’s life. He asked the participants to best utilize this opportunity for their and the country’s better future.
“The government has opened the space for women, for instance the Minister for Women Affairs, Minister for Labor and Social Affairs and the Minister for Higher Education are women, and now it is up to other women to stand-out and prove their worth”, he added.
Fatima, a participant of the training project told SW education is the key to success. She stressed such projects should include more and more women from the rural areas.
With more than 17 billion dollars spent on development programs in Afghanistan since 2002, USAID provides the largest bilateral civilian assistance program to Afghanistan.
ENDS
