News

Kyrgyz women share experiences with rural Afghan women

19.11.2013

The Agency for Development Initiatives (ADI), a network of women self-help groups in Kyrgyzstan, is hosting a group of Afghan women, who arrived on 19 November 2013 for a seven-day visit. The Afghan women are keen to learn the experience of Kyrgyz rural women on social mobilization, economic empowerment and peacemaking.

“We know that Kyrgyz women play an active role in society and enjoy freedom in their endeavours. We are particularly interested to learn more about the economic activities of rural woman in your country and replicate their experience back in our provinces,” said Seema Wafa of Nangarhar in eastern Afghanistan during a press conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, earlier today.

The week-long programme ADI developed for the group includes workshops, roundtable discussions and field trips to villages. The Mountain Partnership Hub at the University of Central Asia (UCA) is hosting three meetings for the women with various UCA departments in addition to a learning session for UCA, Aga Khan Development Network, Aga Khan Foundation staff and other Mountain Partnership partners, in which participants will exchange information and knowledge on gender-related issues.

The visit, with support from the UN Development Programme’s Afghanistan office, sees the participation of officials from the Afghan Ministry of Women Affairs and 15 civil society representatives from the Afghan provinces of Bamyan, Balkh, Herat and Nangarhar.