Nimruz leaders attend women’s shura

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

04.24.2012

Story by 1st Lt. Joanna Cappeto 

Regional Command Southwest

KABUL, Afghanistan – Six delegates from Nimruz attended the first International Security Assistance Force Joint Command Women’s Shura at Kabul International Airport, April 23.

More than 300 civilian and military leaders participated in the event to discuss partnership and progress for women in Afghanistan.

Escorted from the flight line by female engagement team members from every regional command, colorfully clad female leaders from Afghan government, business, education and security settled into their seats. They rummaged through purses for mirrors to repair smudged make up or askew scarves and chatted as they dug out cell phones to record speeches, take photographs, exchange contact information and check on children left in the care of husbands or babysitters.

“They love us,” said Rahima Dashti Ghulam Jillani, an advocate at the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in Nimruz, as she received another call from her husband and 18-year-old daughter, checking in on the group.

Nimruz women are proud of their pursuit of higher education and her 18-year-old daughter plans to apply to medical school in Kabul next year, said Jillani.

With a college degree and six years serving as an advocate for injured and sick women, another Nimruz delegate already thinks of herself as progressive. However, the opening remarks from Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, IJC commander; Dr. Habiba Sarabi, Afghanistan’s first female governor; and Brig. Gen. Khatool Mohammadzai, the Afghan National Army’s first female general officer, spurred new ideas for medical assistant Muska Muhammad Jafar’s own family and for women in Nimruz.

“Why can’t we do this in our province? If they can do it, we can do it, too,” she said after hearing about women in Bamyan running their own businesses.

Jafar’s young daughter often brings her “injured” doll to her father, a doctor at a private clinic in Zaranj, she said. Jafar hopes she will grow up to be whatever she wants to be, even if that means having her own medical practice.

“We can follow in their footsteps,” said Amina Hakimi Abdul Hakim, Director of the MWA in Nimruz. “This gives us hope that we can do what they are doing.”

After the inspiring key note speakers concluded their remarks, the women socialized during lunch and then broke into groups for facilitated discussions.

“For every topic, I heard valuable input and had a chance to say what I thought,” said Jillani.

Kabura Salem Qurban Ali proudly brandished her driver’s license and explained how her children are either at school or with a babysitter while she helps sick and injured women at her job at a hospital.

The most valuable part of the shura was the two hours spent in small groups, said Ali.

During those breakout sessions, Shreen Aziz Abdul Aziz was happy to hear about progress in other provinces.

The women from Nimruz were proud to come together and share lessons learned in their province, said Hakim.

They exchanged contact information and hope to build networks with leaders from Farah, Kabul, Khost and Herat.

“Every aspect of life in Nimruz has improved in the past 10 years,” Aziz said, but she had not gotten a chance to talk with women from other provinces before.

Discussions included comparing how to encourage more parents to send their children to school, the impact of increasing teachers’ salaries and security and the possibility of building a women’s shelter.

“We discussed how even though we have made a lot of progress, we still have a way to go,” said Hakim, who would like to build a shelter for abused women.

Nimruz is progressive so runaway women flee there, but the MWA cannot support their long-term livelihood and security in the province, she said.

When the women from Nimruz first found out that the formal opening remarks, seminar-style breakout sessions and tight transportation timeline, would leave them no time to visit Kabul’s bazaar, the women from Nimruz were disappointed, said Jillani.
More time for shopping is not on their list of improvements for the next IJC Women’s Shura either. The women hope for a multi-day event with more time for focused discussions.

“We would want to cover a wider range of topics, from the basics of how to bring up and educate children to improving not just women’s rights, but human rights in Afghanistan,” said Hakim.

• Date Taken: 04.24.2012
• Date Posted: 04.24.2012 07:26
• Story ID: 87224
• Location: KABUL, AF