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Backgrounder

Canada’s support to Afghan women and girls

Canada’s priorities in Afghanistan provide an opportunity to make a direct contribution to improving the lives of Afghan women and girls.

For these women and girls, learning
to read and write opens doors to
new opportunities such as getting a
job.

Canada addresses the needs of women and girls by supporting a range of projects to:

Strengthen the human rights of women and girls;
Increase access to education for girls and women’s literacy;
Improve maternal health;
Increase women’s economic opportunities;
Strengthen women’s political participation.

Today, more than 2.1 million girls are enrolled in school. This number is in stark contrast to 2001, when Afghan girls were not allowed to attend school.

As of December 2009, more than 260,000 women have access to small loans and savings services across the country.

Women and girls in Afghanistan face tremendous challenges. Indicators pertaining to their health, education, economic well-being, and human rights remain among the lowest in the world.

Afghanistan has the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world with 1,800 deaths per 100,000 live births, which means approximately two women die during childbirth every hour.

Afghan women’s literacy rate is one of the lowest in the world at 12.5 percent nationally compared to 39.3 percent for Afghan men; in Kandahar province, the literacy rate is 1.5 percent for women compared to 13.8 percent for men.

Economic opportunities remain limited for women, and women and girls continue to be victims of discrimination and violence in their communities and in their homes.

Progress being made

Despite harsh inequalities, some circumstances are changing for women in Afghanistan:

Statement by Canada’s Ambassador to Afghanistan on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2010.
Flickr Gallery — The Women of Task Force Kandahar celebrate Women's Day.
The 2004 Afghan Constitution re-established equality between women and men before the law
The Government of Afghanistan has ratified international human rights treaties such as the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
The Afghan government has made specific commitments to delivering results for women in its National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan (NAPWA) and its National Development Strategy (ANDS)
Today, women make up 27 percent of Afghanistan’s parliamentarians

Building on progress and addressing the remaining challenges is a long-term process that will not happen overnight. But with Canada’s support, positive changes have already taken place in Afghanistan. Moving forward, Canada’s commitment will remain steadfast in helping improve the lives of Afghan women and girls.

A multifaceted approach

Canada’s support for women and girls in Afghanistan takes many forms, including ongoing dialogue with the Government of Afghanistan, civil society, the UN, and other donors and as an advocate within the international community at the policy and program levels. With Canadian and international partners, Canada financially supports a breadth of targeted projects, such as

Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan — provides small loans and savings services to more than 400,000 impoverished Afghans, of whom 60 percent are women
Kabul Widows Humanitarian Assistance Project — provides monthly food rations, life skills, and health education to more than 21,000 widows and their families
Girls' Primary Education — educates more than 80,000 students, of whom more than 80 percent are girls, and trains more than 3,000 female community-based education teachers
Afghan Women’s Community Support Project — supports literacy and numeracy education training for Afghan women in addition to training in marketable trades such as carpet weaving, beekeeping, and agricultural farming
Integrating Women into Markets — supports close to 3,000 women to develop home-based garden businesses, growing fruits and vegetables to supplement family diets and generate income
Maternal Health Initiative in Kandahar Province — improves access to essential obstetric care (prenatal, postnatal, and newborn care)
Rights in Practice: Women’s Rights and Family Law Reform — improves the status of women in Afghan family law and provides women’s organizations with administration, financial management, and programming training
Broadening Awareness of Democracy in Afghanistan — improves women's participation through civic education initiatives such as radio broadcasts and theatre
Supporting Women's Political Participation at the Provincial Level — provides training to women candidates to compete in the 2009 provincial council elections and serve their constituents once elected
Women as Decision Makers — promotes women's political participation through research, establishing hotlines for women candidates, monitoring media coverage of women's issues, and supporting successful candidates to build networks
Responsive Fund for the Advancement of Women — supports Afghan civil society organizations to strengthen, accelerate, and influence programming and policies that advance women’s empowerment, women’s rights, and equality between women and men