OVERVIEW

The USAID Promote: Women in Government project seeks to increase and advance the number of women employed in the Afghan government by creating professional development opportunities for female high school and university graduates. Following a year-long internship program, USAID Promote: Women in Government facilitates job placement for internship graduates within the Afghan civil service. The USAID Promote: Women in Government project leverages relationships with Afghan government counterparts to develop and implement key policy reforms that empower women working in the government, including non-discrimination, anti-harassment, and other working standards that foster a female-friendly workplace. The project also implements innovative, nationwide communications and outreach campaigns to expand the impact of project interventions and promote local stakeholder support for women working outside the home. The project operates in the provincial hubs of Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Kandahar, and Nangarhar.

ACTIVITIES

• Facilitate women’s entry into decision-making roles in government service; establish an internship program for at least 3,000 educated young women to enter the Afghan Civil Service.
• Encourage a hospitable environment for female staff working in the government; ensure safe workspaces for women by tackling sexual harassment, discrimination, and policy gaps that affect women.
• Increase local stakeholder support for women in government through targeted, innovative, and nationwide communications and outreach campaigns.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Enrolled 3,901 women in the USAID Promote: Women in Government internship program in Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Kandahar, and Nangarhar.
• Placed 3,153 women in three-month internships across 80 government ministries and independent agencies to gain on-the-job skills training.
• Launched the Job Readiness Program at the Women’s Career Development Center to expand services for female job applicants.
• Supported the employment of 947 interns out of 2,800 graduates of the year-long internship, including 641 in the civil service and 306 in non-governmental organizations and the private sector.
• Trained 183 mentors to support interns in their three-month internships.
• Implemented an Executive Training Program for mid- to senior-level female civil service employees to facilitate professional development and support gender-responsive budgeting, anti-corruption, e-Government, and monitoring evaluation.
• Launched Professionalism in the Workplace and Anti-Harassment E-Learning video for civil service employees.
• Supported the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to assess the results of the National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan and develop a framework for the NAPWA follow-on.
• Supported the drafting, revision, and adoption of six policies and legal instruments to improve workplace conditions for female civil servants.
• Developed two radio programs focused on women’s empowerment; aired the long-running “One Village, A Thousand Voices” radio program nationwide. Produced and broadcast Tawanmandsazi (Empowerment) radio program regionally in Herat and Balkh—discussing employment issues for women in government.
• Launched the Champion Awards ceremony to honor 10 Champions of Women’s Empowerment and handed the strategy over to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to continue the awards program annually.