On Tuesday, 335 Afghan women were awarded certificates of accomplishment by USAID’s Promote Women in Government project.
 
The trainees, who completed a one year training program within the framework of the project, will hopefully go on to get jobs in government and in private institutions.
 
“I served as an intern for three months at the ministry of urban development and housing. The ministry provided me with the opportunity to learn while working,” said one trainee Malalai Latifi.
 
“To all many people may this event possible today, the seventy ministerial partners, our 227 mentors, the 3400 young women enrolled in the women in the government program, the nearly 1200 interns ready for employment and lets not forget in this special day our remarkable staff who has been pushing behind the scenes,” said promote project director.      
 
Over the past three years, 1,200 women have graduated from the project. Of those who graduated, only 335 of them have been hired by government institutions.
 
“If there was an environment of equal opportunity between male and females, there is a new generation of women who can successfully compete with men and get what they deserve. In my opinion, there are positive changes coming for women,” said Maiwand Rahyab, a commissioner from the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission (IARCSC).
 
“Religion does not impose restrictions on the rights of women and their jobs, religion has no problem with them (women), with women’s rights, work and their development in society; you can see this in the history of Islam,” said Faiz Mohammad Osmani, Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs.
 
IARCSC officials have said in the past that very few women are employed in government institutions and that there is a need to increase the number of female recruits.
 
The USAID’s Promote Women in Government project aims to teach and empower Afghan women by fostering opportunities for professional development for female high school and university graduates interested in working with government institutions at a national and local level.
 
The Promote certification program also helps Afghan women obtain internationally recognized certificates that broaden their employment opportunities in both the public and private sectors.
 
Promote is a five-year program targeting the education, promotion, and training of Afghan women. Promote strengthens women’s participation in civil society, boosts female participation in the economy, increases the number of women in decision making positions within the Afghan government, and helps women gain business and management skills.