Gender issues in developing Afghanistan

Two women were present at the workshop, and contributed regularly to the discussions, case studies, and activities for the participants.

“I was afraid at first,” said Malek Amiri, one of the women in the workshop.

The purpose of the workshop was to explore and practice gender analysis, and its relevance to the work of World Vision in Afghanistan. The participants were introduced to key gender issues and concepts, and were taught how to apply gender analysis to the relief and development context.

“It is too important,” said Amiri. “Men, women, boys, girls, all of them are the community.”

“There are a lot of women with good knowledge” she said. “At the moment the situation is not very good, but it is getting better.”

One of the key concepts behind the workshop is the critical importance of both men and women in their cultural and social roles in the context of relief and development work.