WLP and Afghan Institute of Learning Convene Institute for Women’s Leadership in Kabul

WLP and its Afghan partner the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) convened the Afghan Roaming Institute for Women's Leadership and Training of Trainers from April 9-13, 2004 in Kabul, Afghanistan. AIL provides educational programs in health, human rights, leadership, and literacy for Afghan women and girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan's refugee camps. The Institute was the product of joint efforts between WLP and AIL to counteract severe political and social discrimination facing women in Afghanistan by helping them gain skills to be more effective advocates for women's rights, social justice, and equal participation in decision-making.

Twenty-nine women and one man from five Afghan provinces and Peshawar, Pakistan took part in the five-day Institute. Participants included representatives from local NGOs and officials from the Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Ministry of Education. The goal of the Institute was to provide training in personal leadership development, facilitation skills, communication techniques, and the development of media and advocacy campaigns. The Institute was a forum for activists and leaders facing similar political, socio-economic, and cultural conditions to exchange experiences, information, and knowledge and to discuss ways to empower Afghan women to participate in decision-making at all levels of society. The draft Persian edition of WLP's multimedia training materials, Leading to Choices: A Multimedia Curriculum for Leadership Learning served as the primary curriculum during the Institute.

On the first day of the training, the group formed four teams to discuss characteristics and ethics of effective and principled leadership. The group collectively identified transparency, accountability, and power-sharing as necessary qualities of good leaders. At the beginning of the discussion, participants said they did not believe women had the same skill capacities as men to excel in management, negotiation, or leadership or the ability to serve as judges, merchants, or members of the military. On the second day, however, this perception shifted dramatically as the group worked together and shared their own leadership and empowerment stories and the stories of other women they had known. Several participants were repatriated Afghan refugees who had lived in refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan during the Taliban regime. They shared stories of how they learned negotiation and flexibility through their experience of working with government representatives and UN agencies in the camps. Other participants, who had stayed in Afghanistan during the Taliban rule, developed endurance and survival skills amidst the widespread violence and crumbling infrastructure. The participants' varied experiences enriched the sessions as they applied their learning to the various leadership exercises. By the end of the second day, all the participants were able to recognize qualities of effective leadership within themselves. On day three of the Institute, participants engaged in lessons and activities on interactive facilitation and effective communication. After breaking into three teams, participants discussed the importance of active listening, observation, imagination, and sharing of experiences. Each participant also developed a personal vision statement, then worked with the group to form a collective vision statement about their hopes for peace, equality, and prosperity in Afghanistan.

By the end of the Institute, three teams of participants each developed a final project that addressed a social problem facing their community. Project themes included political participation, political parties, and the formation of coalitions and networks for social change. One group, who called themselves the Butterflies, wanted to create a national political front based on meritocracy and gender inclusiveness to help build national consensus and unity, and increase voter turn-out and participation in the next national elections in Afghanistan. This front, which they called the National Consensus Front, would consist of one man and one women representative from each political party and would collectively work for the common good, sustainable development, and peace in Afghanistan. A second group, calling themselves the Flowers, wanted to create a women's sewing collective, particularly for widows who have no job or source of income. The collective would also provide basic services for these women until they are able to live on their own. The third group, the Nightingales, drafted plans for an organization to improve women's health services, particularly for disabled women. The organization would employ staff of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds, and would work in cooperation with charitable organizations to raise awareness about women's health issues. The group then critiqued each presentation that included queries about budgeting, fundraising, and the registration of organizations, among other considerations.