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A Crack in the Repression: Afghan Women Register to Vote, Signal OptimismOne Great Hour of Sharing Feature StoryPosted: March 8, 2004 There is a crack in the repression of Afghan women. In late February nearly 500 women in Kabul marched over a mile to a voter registration center to prove it. Considering that under Taliban rule women could not leave the house unless accompanied by a male relative, the march was a powerful metaphor for a future Afghanistan. The new Afghan constitution guarantees that women can vote, enroll in vocational training programs, and find gainful employment. Organizers of the march were workers at Afghan Center, a US-based organization working in Kabul. Afghan Center partners with United Methodist Committee on Relief in providing health kits to its 760 students. UMCOR kits, assembled by United Methodist volunteers in the US, contain basic necessities for personal hygiene such as soap, toothpaste and sterile bandages. The UMCOR staff in Kabul is planning its own office voter registration campaign, according to head of mission Warren Harrity. Taking charge of personal health is often a first step in other kinds of empowerment. In addition to its collaboration with UMCOR, Afghan Center offers classes in health education, social studies, geography, and small business management. The center's six-month curriculum also includes computer training, office support and accounting for highly vulnerable populations of women in Kabul-- returning refugees, internally displaced, widows and disabled women. Skill training in upholstery and furniture repair gives women a way to expand their knowledge of trades beyond carpet weaving and tailoring, long traditional women's work in Afghanistan but now over-saturated markets, as more women seek employment. United Methodist Nancy Glaser, a member of First Church in Palo Alto, Calif., volunteers with Afghan Center. From Kabul she wrote back home: "Step by step, these grassroots. . . projects work. Men and women are being trained in skills that enable them to get work. . . (along with) home health care and nutrition. . . so much more effective in winning hearts and changing minds." For UMCOR, Afghan Center is a trusted partner in Kabul. "We were glad to see they are getting out the vote," said Mr. Harrity. The country director for Afghan Center, Duaine Goodno, added his assent in an email. He wrote, "The sheer amount of rebuilding that is evident, the new opportunities that have been created, and the crack in the repression that women are suffering in Afghanistan should provide a great deal of optimism for the future." |  In late February, nearly 500 women in Kabul marched over a mile to a voter registration center. Credit: Duaine Goodno, Country Director, Afghan Center-Kabul, 2/24/2004. Used by permission. UMCOR and the One Great Hour of SharingThe ministry of UMCOR that can bring optimism to these vulnerable citizens of Kabul doesn't happen without the broad support of congregations and individuals. Through the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, United Methodists can be sure that when catastrophes cause suffering, their church is in the lead to ease the pain. "The One Great Hour of Sharing offering is absolutely essential to UMCOR," said the Rev. Paul Dirdak, the agency's deputy general secretary. "UMCOR receives no World Service funds or any other apportionments. So United Methodist gifts to this offering keep UMCOR's lights on and UMCOR's delivery system in place at home and around the world," he stressed. "Through the offering we can also respond immediately to disasters," he said. When the offering plate comes your way on One Great Hour of Sharing Sunday March 21, 2004 (or another Sunday this year), please be generous.
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An Afghan woman smiles as she shows her brand new voter registration card. Credit: Jeanine Borland, Afghan Center, 2/24/2004. Used by permission. |