Feminist Majority Foundation leaders met with Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), who indicated that the WFP would be sending workers into Kabul to conduct a survey of the area in an effort to assess the growing humanitarian need and to deliver food supplies to 180,000 people. According to Bertini, among the 3600 workers being employed by the WFP, a staggering 2400 will be Afghan women. The WFP was not allowed to employ women under the Taliban even though women are better able to conduct the survey and deliver services to those in need, mostly other women.
The WFP is recruiting professional women from Kabul, Quetta, Peshawar, and Islamabad for this latest effort and will pay the women US$20-40 per week for their work. While the economic incentive is great, the women are equally motivated by something deeper. According to Dr. Massouda Jala, a program officer for WFP in Kabul, “Being able to work openly for WFP gives me a sense of pride, the chance to rebuild my country and, most importantly, the possibility of feeding my family while I contribute to society and interact with other people – something that seemed impossible just a short time ago.”
Learn how you can help Afghan women, log on to www.HelpAfghanWomen.com.
