Supporting Women’s Political Participation at the Provincial Level

Current phase: 2009–2010
Project budget: $800,000

CIDA is funding the National Democratic Institute (NDI) to conduct a program helping Afghan women to participate in politics. The Institute is helping female candidates to compete in the 2009 provincial council elections, then, once elected, to serve their constituents. The program is supported by NDI’s provincial offices in: Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar, Khost, Kunduz, and Nangahar. In advance of the elections, the Institute organized one-week campaign schools for women Provincial Council (PC) candidates, with a curriculum specifically adapted to the needs of women in all regions of Afghanistan.

Following the elections, the NDI will hold seven one-week orientation workshops for women elected to the PCs from each of the 34 provinces. The workshops will aim to build the participants’ basic skills and knowledge for developing policy and oversight. These workshops will focus on the unique challenges women councillors face and identify issues of interest to vulnerable constituencies, including women.

Through the proposed program, participating women are gaining improved political skills to apply directly to their campaign work and council activities. This will help each participant to better reach out to constituents and secure support.