Story continues after "Women of Afghanistan must be able to build a future"

Women of Afghanistan must be able to build a future

  • Women can no longer attend university (late December 2022)
  • NGOs required to cease employment of all women employees
  • NGOs unite, requesting the defacto reverse the decision
  • World Vision & other major NGOs pause work

As the world prepared for holidays and Christmas, the people of Afghanistan received heartbreaking news. The Defacto authority banned women from university and finishing their degrees.

Just a few days later, another heartbreak...

The Defacto declared, NGOs must immediately cease the employment of all women in their organizations.

The international community reacted strongly, united in the knowledge that this decision would cost innocent lives and deeply affect women and families. Latest data shows that about 28 million people – more than half the population - including 14 million children, are in need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.

The immediate request to reverse this decision has sadly been ignored. As a result, World Vision, Save the Children, CARE & The Norwegian Refugee Council decided to pause their programs.

The decision is extremely difficult because the reality is millions of children and families who need food, health care, water and warmth to survive Afghanistan's harsh winter are now without vital support.

Andrew Morley, World Vision International President and CEO, summarized our work and future hopes like this:

Female aid workers are vital for us to deliver principled humanitarian assistance. They are nurses, doctors, teachers, nutrition experts, team leaders, community health workers, and vaccinators. Our job is to save lives and create a brighter future for children in Afghanistan. This requires the full engagement and leadership of our female staff.

We have been standing alongside the children of Afghanistan for more than two decades, throughout so many challenges. We must find an early resolution, for our female staff to continue bringing life in all its fullness for girls and women. They deserve nothing less.

Learn More

Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a primarily agricultural country in Central Asia, producing some of the world's best pomegranates, grapes and sweet melons. Afghanistan has been in an ongoing conflict since 2001, a radical political group has waged all out war against the government and taken control of many parts of the country.

In Afghanistan our projects focus on community building programmes. Their success relies heavily on collaboration with local community and faith leaders. Sensitively administered with respect for local culture and beliefs the programme currently facilitates community awareness sessions for men regarding child marriage and rights of women. We are also providing sessions for women and girls, to ensure they know their worth, feel safe in their community and understand their rights in relation to violence against women and child marriage.

  • Hundreds of thousands of innocent have been killed in the ongoing conflict, and cities have been left in ruins
  • The country experienced a devastating drought in 2019 which destroyed all the crops and 60% of the livestock in Western Afghanistan. The drought drove over 250,000 people from their homes to seek aid, but even the humanitarian camps they came to have run out of food by now. Many parents consider selling their daughters into early marriage to feed the family
One in three

Afghani girls are married before they turn 18.

More than 10%

of registered refugees in the world today are from Afghanistan