<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<rss version="2.0">
<channel>
    <title>Mercy Corps Afghanistan Features</title>
    <link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/</link>
    <description>The Latest Mercy Corps Afghanistan Content</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>(c) 2007 Mercy Corps</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <lastBuildDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:59:02 -0800</lastBuildDate>
    <category>Charity</category>
    <generator>Mercy Corps In-house CMS</generator>
    <ttl>60</ttl>
<image>
    <title>Mercy Corps Logo</title>
    <url>	http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/ /images/donate/mercy_logo_red.gif</url>
    <link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/</link>
    <width>136</width>
    <height>48</height>
</image>
<item>
	<title>Real Challenges</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/women/2644/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[Afghanistan Country Director Nigel Pont gives his unique perspective on the present situation and what Mercy Corps is doing today and in the future to help communities and families in this challenging region.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:42:04 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>Bridging the Expectations Gap in Afghanistan</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/countries/afghanistan/1869/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[George Devendorf and Brian Grzelkowski argue that the most serious threat to Afghanistan is in the &quot;unfulfilled aspirations of average Afghan citizens.&quot;]]></description>
	<pubDate>Tue, 07 Aug 2007 07:22:52 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>A Story of Glitter and Plastic Flowers</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/economicdevelopment/1557/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[At 31, Shala has managed to rebuild her life after the war in Afghanistan and living as a refugee in Iran.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Wed, 03 Jan 2007 09:06:11 -0800</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>Life in Shashtepa Takes a Turn For The Better</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/economicdevelopment/1558/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[AARP Program example]]></description>
	<pubDate>Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:29:44 -0800</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>Shamsia: Profile of a Borrower</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/microenterprise/1560/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[My name is Shamsia. I am 31 years old and am from Kabul. I run a school for women where they learn how to sew, embroider, make jewelry, produce ‘chapans' (a traditional Afghan costume) and weave. 

I have had my school for 6 years now. I already started giving courses during the Taliban. I had to work in secret then, in people's houses, as the Taliban had forbidden women to work or to go to school. It was dangerous, but I wanted to help Afghan women. Women here are very poor; they often have no education and no livelihood. Some of them have to stay at home and can not go out. I have founded my own NGO called ‘Help Poor Women Organization' HPWO to support Afghan women. 

I am a client of Mercy Corps' Microfinance Organization Ariana. I have already received two loans from Ariana. The loans have helped me buy materials for my school, like more stones for making jewelry and cloth for the sewing classes. I have also been able to increase the number of students I have from 17 to 32. 

I am so happy about receiving support from Ariana that I have told many people about this and I think I must have won at least 200 new clients for Ariana. Many of my students have formed a group to apply for a loan in order to start their own businesses. 

My school finances itself by selling the products my students have made; we have a room at the school in which we present all our products. Sometimes, men come and buy our products to sell them on the market. When we can, we take part in exhibitions in Kabul to show and sell our products. Our jewelry is very pretty and I sell it to people who export it abroad. 

Our products are not very expensive. Everything is handmade, and an embroidered scarf costs 6 USD and an embroidered shirt only 20 USD. Our jewelry sells for 10 to 30 USD, depending on what stones we used. 

We have two classes every day, one from 8 - 12 and one from 12 to 16.30. The women who are learning to embroider don't come to school as often as they can do their work at home. My students don't have to pay for coming to my school, on the contrary - I give them 300 Afghani (about 5 USD) per month bus money so they can afford coming to school. Some students stay on after their graduation and become teachers at the school, then I pay them a salary. 

My brothers say I should stay at home and get married. Afghan women can have a lot of problems with their families if they want to study and work! I have had to fight hard to continue school after 6th grade. My brothers wanted me to stop studying, but I fought and talked until they gave in and let me finish high school. My brother's wife was a tailor, and she taught me how to sew. I could not have a shop (women here cannot stand in a shop and sell) and so I had the idea to start a school and help other women. 

Right now, I only work in Kabul but I dream of expanding my school and helping women in all of Afghanistan. But it is not easy, just today my landlord called me that he wants to raise the rent for the schoolhouse from 300 USD to 500 USD per month. Rents in Kabul have gone down, but he just wants more money, and I cannot afford this. I do not know what I will do next about this. 

I send my greetings to the people of America. I hope they will continue to support us.  


Note: Shamsia is an excellent example for Ariana's microfinance clients in Afghanistan, who have to overcome many challenges in order to be able to work and have a livelihood. She has managed to solve the problem with her landlord. She is very happy as she has recently become engaged. She plans to continue her school after her marriage - if her husbands permits.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Wed, 03 Jan 2007 06:06:03 -0800</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>Small Loans, Big Difference</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/microenterprise/1555/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[One Afghanistan microlender is helping women who range in occupation from weavers to hairdressers to animal herders.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Wed, 03 Jan 2007 10:47:21 -0800</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>Microfinance in Afghanistan</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/microenterprise/1559/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[Mercy Corps' Shirine Pont highlights a few success stories from the agency's Ariana microfinance program in Afghanistan.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Wed, 03 Jan 2007 11:28:12 -0800</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>Q&amp;A: Afghanistan, Five Years After the Taliban Fell</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/women/1545/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[Michael Bowers, former Mercy Corps Country Director in Afghanistan, describes his experiences and shares his thoughts.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Wed, 20 Sep 2006 10:54:01 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>Forsaking the Flower for a More Hopeful Future</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/peacefulchange/105/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[Mercy Corps is finding solutions to help Afghan farmers break the deadly cycle of opium poppy production.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Fri, 10 Feb 2006 09:22:00 -0800</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>Mercy Corps Stays Put</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/countries/afghanistan/21/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[Despite security threats, Mercy Corps continues it's humanitarian work in Afghanistan.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Fri, 22 Apr 2005 08:44:13 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>A Day in the Life of an Aid Worker in Afghanistan</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/countries/afghanistan/102/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[Every day, Mercy Corps staff around the world are working to improve conditions for poor families.  In Afghanistan, Mohamad Rahimi is committed to changing his country for the better.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Fri, 29 Oct 2004 07:43:05 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>Afghans Speak Out on Violence and Elections</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/peacefulchange/101/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[A new report indicates that violence, oppression and inequality are still tragic facts of life in Afghanistan.  Mercy Corps is helping change Afghan communities - and lives - for the better.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Thu, 07 Oct 2004 07:44:57 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>Afghan Team Members Honored for Service</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/peacefulchange/20/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[Thirteen Afghan staff members who have kept Mercy Corps programs going during tumultuous times in their country were recently recognized for their commitment.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jul 2004 10:14:32 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>Mercy Corps Calls on NATO to Improve Security in Afghanistan</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/countries/afghanistan/99/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[On June 22, 2004, Mercy Corps and over 50 other humanitarian organizations sent a letter to NATO asking for a stronger commitment to security in Afghanistan.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jun 2004 11:04:15 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>Letter to NATO Heads of State Regarding Security in Afghanistan</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/emergencies/100/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[Letter to the NATO Heads of State urging an increase of efforts to promote security in Afghanistan]]></description>
	<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jun 2004 07:52:19 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>New Hope Flows Into Zad Kamar</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/agriculture/97/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[Whether rebuilding a vital canal or helping a young girl with polio, Mercy Corps is transforming lives in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Read their stories in the June 2004 edition of Sabah magazine.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jun 2004 06:57:47 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>New Opportunities in a Fertile Land</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/civilsociety/98/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[In Helmand Province, opportunities for women are slim.  Culturally-prescribed gender roles restrict their movement outside of their households and villages, limit their access to education and economic options and hinder their positive contributions to civil society at many levels.  

Although currently limited, social and economic opportunities for women do exist in Lashkar Gah, Helmand's provincial capital.  Because Helmand is a fertile area with an economy based on crop and animal production, many of these opportunities are related to agriculture.  Through agricultural initiatives that are culturally appropriate for women, Mercy Corps is expanding their options and, ultimately, strengthening their participation in civil society.  

Mercy Corps began the &quot;Women's Vocational Agriculture Education and Civil Society Building Project&quot; in January 2004 with funding from USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives through the International Organization for Migration.  We work alongside the Ministry of Women's Affairs through its provincial office, the Helmand Women's Association (HWA), to improve women's agricultural skills and increase public awareness about the benefits of women's economic and social participation in civil society.

In April, fifteen women, accompanied by their male chaperones, attended a two-week training course at North West Frontier Province Agricultural University in Peshawar, Pakistan.  In exchange for the training they received in food processing, mushroom production and poultry rearing, the women will share what they learned with other women in Lashkar Gah.   

Mercy Corps is building an Agricultural Innovation Center (AIC), where women will be able to learn about agriculture and food processing.  Its design mirrors a typical family compound, incorporating innovations such as rainwater harvesting and using waste water for irrigation.  The aim is to demonstrate ways of maximizing production in cost-effective ways in a setting that is familiar.  The training will cover the topics that Mercy Corps trainees studied in Peshawar as well as beekeeping.  The AIC will be completed in July and, in the meantime, vegetable production training is taking place at Mercy Corps' and HWA's offices in Lashkar Gah.  Other trainings and demonstrations will be arranged for small groups of women at home.
 
We also will offer training via radio.  Approximately 200 women will be organized into radio listening groups.  Programs that complement the training underway will be developed and recorded by Mercy Corps.  Weekly programs as well as agriculture and food processing question-and-answer sessions and other pieces about opium production, child nutrition and civil society topics will be broadcast on the public network.  After each broadcast, the radio listening groups will discuss topical issues. 

In September, the project will conclude with a &quot;Women in Agriculture&quot; fair at the AIC.  The end of this project, however, is just the beginning for women in agriculture in Helmand Province.  Through other Mercy Corps projects, women have access to other training, including business training, and possibly credit to start a business.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jun 2004 06:04:52 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>Lending a Hand and a Little Bit More</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/countries/afghanistan/87/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[Mercy Corps loans are helping Afghan entrepreneurs create and expand businesses to benefit their families and communities. Their unique products and services are breathing new economic life into Afghanistan.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jun 2004 06:57:44 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>A Flame of Hope</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/countries/afghanistan/96/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[Mercy Corps-sponsored business courses and vocational training are creating economic opportunities for women in Kabul, Afghanistan.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Mon, 24 May 2004 06:41:12 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
	<title>A Beauty Shop of Her Own</title>
	<link>http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/countries/afghanistan/88/</link>
	<description><![CDATA[With the opening of the Bagh-E-Zanana Women's Market and prospects of a loan from Mercy Corps' microfinance program, Lailuma was finally able to open her own business.]]></description>
	<pubDate>Fri, 21 May 2004 07:20:24 -0700</pubDate>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>
