TDH Afghanistan (Projects8 Page)

Gender Policies:

Starting date:             01 December 2000
Implemented by:        Terre des hommes
Staff:                        All Staff

Due to the present social and political circumstances in Afghanistan Terre des hommes (Tdh) employment policy is focusing on promoting female employment. Presently Terre des hommes (Tdh) has 220 staff members in its programs and projects. 26 % of all staffs are female Afghans working in projects in Kabul and northern Afghanistan. Due to the emergency requirements Terre des hommes (Tdh) was forced to recruit more people mainly male professionals.

Gender policy is focusing on working towards gender equality in all the programs with a strong emphasis to reach women and girls. The gender policy is recognizing Afghans right to cultural integrity and culture. Terre des hommes key programs in Afghanistan are ‘Mother-Child-Health’ projects, street children projects, rural rehabilitation and emergency interventions.

Terre des hommes’ gender strategies include transportation of female staff in separate vehicles, allocating of additional budgets to pay travel salary for same position’, continuing gender training for all senior staff, allocating of budgets to better consider costs for accompanying ‘guardians’, making specific local arrangements for planning, reporting, training and meetings with female staff, arranging professional training workshops in Pakistan, increasing women’s participation in meetings, increase their access and better possibilities in decision making.

With beginning of December 2001 Terre des hommes finally managed to implement a new salary policy: same position – same salary. But there is still a long way to go until gender policies in Afghanistan will have an impact.

Lessons learnt so far for the ‘field’:

In communities it is more culturally accepted to see a woman as a member of her family rather than a marginalized individual. Therefore the use of the concept of ‘communities’ of women, men and children appears much more successful than focusing on gender training.
Professional Afghan women value their self-worth and the benefit they can contribute higher than western views of women rights.
Due to the present circumstances in Afghanistan women are the priority targets for human resource development activity of Terre des hommes (Tdh).
Providing opportunities is less threatening to cultural values and creates more self-esteem and confidence.

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