The U.S.-Afghan Women's Council

The brave women of Afghanistan suffered immensely under the Taliban and continue to endure hardships as they work to rebuild their country. The American people have not forgotten their plight. Our compassion is enduring , and we are working hard to improve the situation of the women of Afghanistan. The United States is committed to the goal of a thriving, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan – a goal for which the talented and determined women of Afghanistan are essential. Without their full participation, Afghanistan cannot flourish.

The U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council harnesses the power of the American people as an agent for positive change. We are a public-private partnership that connects the U.S. and Afghan governments to the private sector and NGOs to develop and implement initiatives for Afghan women and girls. Council Members are pre-eminent figures in government, the private sector, and philanthropy. We develop and implement projects to improve the lives of Afghan women and children in health, education and literacy, entrepreneurship, and political leadership.

The Council has made considerable public sector investments in education, health, and job-creation programs. In addition, we have:

• Helped establish the American University of Afghanistan and provided scholarships for students to receive a world-class education there;
• helped construct a school for over 200 disadvantaged children in Bamiyan;
• opened Afghanistan’s first reconstruction and burn center in Kabul;
• trained and employed midwives to address the Afghan maternal mortality crisis;
• provided training, literacy skills, and health care to Afghan women and their families in the hand-knotted Afghan carpet industry;
• trained Afghan women entrepreneurs and partnered them with American business mentors;
• built the capacity of women-led NGOs to advocate for women’s rights and to provide legal services to abused women;
• donated computers and software to the Women’s Teacher Training Institute (now the Afghan National Literacy Center);
• helped furbish Women’s Resource Centers to provide literacy, computer, and business training materials;
• provided leadership training to senior women in the Afghan civil service.

For more information, and to find out how you can get involved, please visit us at http://gucchd.georgetown.edu/usawc.