Description:
The project aims to broaden and strengthen an enabling environment for the rights and protection of women, and to empower them through grass roots strategies in Afghanistan. It supports efforts to strengthen the implementation of the Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and promotes collaborative local and national civil society networks in order to influence and mainstream gender equality into government policy-making. Results are achieved through raising awareness and capacity development, as well as by providing enhanced service delivery and empowering women to take stronger roles in decision-making processes.
Project activities include: (1) enabling 20 civil society organisations to map protection issues for women and provide grants for protection projects serving 2,000 community members; (2) developing protection action plans with relevant ministries and civil society organizations; (3) providing legal aid to 3,100 survivors of gender-based violence; (4) providing formal psychosocial counselling for 3,000 women; (5) training 180 female volunteers as community-based educators to raise awareness of gender-based violence and facilitate referrals to services; (6) providing income opportunities to 500 women and offering vocational apprenticeships to 600 women; and (7) reaching 160,000 community members through awareness and media sensitization on women’s rights and empowerment issues, including targeted sensitization for 3,500 men.
Overall, the project is expected to support 9,300 direct beneficiaries and up to 167,300 indirect beneficiaries (including women, men and children in targeted cities and provinces). Direct beneficiaries include survivors of gender-based violence, women in need of legal aid, peer counseling and psychosocial services, and women requiring basic education and vocational apprenticeships to further their socio-economic status. Also, 20 civil society organizations benefit from the project as they increase their capacity to implement community-protection-based programing in support of women and girls.