It is truly amazing what Afghan women have accomplished in spite of being in a war torn country for so many years, including five under the Taliban.  Add in a severe drought and ongoing corruption.  Today, Afghanistan is the second most corrupt country in the world, Somalia being first.

There is also malnutrition of women, which negatively affects pregnancies , caused by the food scarcity linked to the conflict and the drought, but is also related to traditional preferences for males which makes women reduce their own food allowance in favor of men and children.  Only 6% of the women are able to read and write, thanks to the previously destroyed infrastucture of the educational system.  This also affected boys because most Afghan teachers were women.  Many young girls were taken by the Taliban, most sold into the slave market or sold for sex.  Because of poor sanitation, diseases are common. Many Afghans die of tuberculosis every year; most are women.  And, on top of everything else, Afghanistan is one of the most mined countries in the world.

Yet in spite of all that, these women press onward and never give up.  There are so many long term challenges ahead, and that only seems to strengthen their reserve and increase their organizational activities.  They are truly admirable!

Gayle

Thank you for this wonderful and informative article.  When listening to the reports about the war in Afghanistan we never hear much about the women and how they are faring in their country.  As a soldier, my son was there in 2003 where he pulled duty to guard girl’s schools a couple of times.  My other son’s class packaged up school supplies and I sent them over and my son distributed them, it made him and the students very happy.  He talked about how eager the locals were to succeed - especially the women, and at that time they were beginning to flourish again.  It is terribly wrong and sad what has happened to them in the interim. 

I don’t know what the future will hold for the women of Afghanistan, but it is clear that if they give up, the country will fall into a worse situation. There is a strong tradition of women owning businesses in my family and it was and is a mainstay for the support of several generations of siblings and offspring.  I hope the women in Afghanistan can create the same situation for their families and children.  

I think the most notable point in the article is that fact that they never give up.  I have a friend who is a young woman who is a painter - house painter by trade doing murals and fabulous faux finishes.  She has had some success but I see at times a willingness to "just give up".  She has been helped quite a bit by many family members to foster her business with advice, clients and connections but at times convinces herself that it is "just too hard".  To me, the women entrepreneurs of Afghanistan could teach her something.

"Government officials on the take demand payment for everything from filling out registration forms to fulfilling a contract. "

Kabul government issued an edict to US:ISAF procurement that heretofor, all media services (printing, translation, copying, posters, billboards, warning signs, news) could only be provided by the ‘official State-approved media company’, which not surprisingly is owned by Qayum Karzai, Hamid’s older brother last seen living in WA DC. US:ISAF procurement specialists thereupon notified their Afghan contractors accordingly that as of November 25th (ironically Thanksgiving), all Afghan national media services contracts are canceled, and all media contracts will go to the ***State media monopoly***.

NOT ONE WORD in US press, and they were informed of this, with copies of the backthread e-mails.