Help for Afghanistan: how aid organizations circumvent the ban on women working

The reality in Afghanistan is more nuanced than what first appearances would imply, as is so frequently the case. The Taliban administration issued a directive prohibiting the hiring of women by non-governmental organizations at the end of December.

The report served as the momentary pinnacle of the Islamists' strategy for ejecting women from Afghanistan's public life. They had just a few days earlier announced that female professors and students would no longer be allowed in the universities.

However, a month later, it becomes apparent that the ban is not as firmly enforced in reality as the top Taliban leadership in Kandahar would like. Last week, the relief organizations CARE, International Rescue Committee (IRC), and Save the Children were the first to declare that they are funding individual projects in the fields of education, health, and resume nutrition, including those involving female coworkers.

The consensus among all aid agencies is that they cannot and do not want to work in Afghanistan without the participation of women. Those who are directly involved on the ground are reluctant to be quoted because they are so cautious when discussing the specifics.

But as a result of numerous conversations with NGO workers in Kabul, a picture starts to take shape. The pragmatists within the ranks of the Taliban are once more at the center of this.

There were numerous signs, even during the debate over girls' education, that a significant portion of the cabinet did not agree with the radical proposal by Kandahar's top leaders to completely exclude women from public life in order to further their isolation on the international stage. The NGOs argue against cultural reality When it came to the ban on women working, it was reportedly the Taliban's Ministry of Health that had the audacity to make the first move.

There are many pragmatists who must find solutions for the vast human problems facing the nation and who have little time for fundamental ideological issues. The cultural reality of Afghanistan provided the foundation for the helpers' compelling argument against the ban on women working: women shouldn't interact with unfamiliar men.

The need for female employees in the medical industry is therefore unavoidable. The ministry was able to defend an exemption for the involved NGOs by pointing out that the Afghan health system is primarily supported by foreign funding.

However, they didn't want the staff in the front row, i., to be left to fend for themselves. e.

Doctors and nurses are able to resume their employment. Additionally, the organizations demanded guarantees for the back office and once more used Afghan terminology to argue that doctors and nurses shouldn't be required to consult with their male coworkers in administration.

Indeed, this is significant in Afghan practice. Considering that many women would be hesitant to confide in a total stranger if they were having issues.

Defending their own values—that they don't want to work without their coworkers—is important for the aid organizations, but it's also crucial. The work itself is an existential dilemma for many employees.

Large families have been frequently reliant on the income of one person since the nation's economy collapsed. However, in many places, obtaining a special permit from the Kabul ministry alone is insufficient.

The Taliban are not an organization with strictly controlled cadres. There are numerous power centers at the local level, even though everyone submits to the orders of their supreme leader, the Emir Haibatullah Achundsada.

Former commanders who are still in positions of authority sit in those positions and frequently behave very freely. Complicated Networks of Loyalties and Responsibilities For the aid organizations, this means that in some provinces they can accomplish a lot with the right contacts.

Local authorities did not even notice what was happening at the girls' schools. Nevertheless, in order to avoid putting their employees in risky gray areas, NGOs must navigate these intricate networks of allegiances and responsibilities and include all pertinent parties.

The exceptions made, in any case, are merely "a drop in the ocean," as one of the participants puts it. The nation is under the spell of the bitter winter.

The majority of projects are idle because women are not permitted to work, and approximately three-quarters of Afghans are dependent on foreign assistance. The majority of UN projects are carried out in collaboration with regional NGOs, despite the fact that UN organizations are exempt from the Taliban decree.

Additionally, the majority of businesses are stating unequivocally that they will not proceed until the work ban has been lifted. Cultural barriers prevent you from reaching women when you employ only men, and this problem is not limited to the health sector.

Additionally, the majority of donors demand a thorough analysis of how the funds were used. This is only possible if the NGO staff is able to speak with those who ultimately receive the aid and can convey what is actually required.

Generally speaking, women are the ones who help out families or kids who are in need. Martin Griffith, who oversees UN emergency relief efforts, is currently traveling throughout the nation.

However, getting inside the actual power structure in Kandahar, which revolves around the Emir, will be the mediators' biggest obstacle. The progress of the efforts hardly receives any commentary, but the UN claims that some things are in flux behind closed doors.

This is only possible if the NGO staff is able to speak with those who ultimately receive the aid and can convey what is actually required. Generally speaking, women are the ones who help out families or kids who are in need.

Martin Griffith, who oversees UN emergency relief efforts, is currently traveling throughout the nation. However, getting inside the actual power structure in Kandahar, which revolves around the Emir, will be the mediators' biggest obstacle.

The progress of the efforts hardly receives any commentary, but the UN claims that some things are in flux behind closed doors. This is only possible if the NGO staff is able to speak with those who ultimately receive the aid and can convey what is actually required.

Generally speaking, women are the ones who help out families or kids who are in need. Martin Griffith, who oversees UN emergency relief efforts, is currently traveling throughout the nation.

However, getting inside the actual power structure in Kandahar, which revolves around the Emir, will be the mediators' biggest obstacle. The progress of the efforts hardly receives any commentary, but the UN claims that some things are in flux behind closed doors.

Martin Griffith, who oversees UN emergency relief efforts, is currently traveling throughout the nation. However, getting inside the actual power structure in Kandahar, which revolves around the Emir, will be the mediators' biggest obstacle.

The progress of the efforts hardly receives any commentary, but the UN claims that some things are in flux behind closed doors. Martin Griffith, who oversees UN emergency relief efforts, is currently traveling throughout the nation.

But the biggest challenge for the mediators is to gain access to the actual center of power around the Emir in Kandahar. The progress of the efforts hardly receives any commentary, but the UN claims that some things are in flux behind closed doors.

There were numerous signs, even during the debate over girls' education, that a significant portion of the cabinet did not agree with the radical proposal by Kandahar's top leaders to completely exclude women from public life in order to further their isolation on the international stage.