Human Rights Advocacy
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The Lana-E-Omid (Haven of Hope) Project
A Project of Women for Afghan Women
Spring 2006

What if it were possible to offer a safe place where women in Afghanistan could live, learn, and make new life choices?

Women for Afghan Women
Women for Afghan Women (WAW) is an international organization that advocates for the rights of Afghan women locally and in Afghanistan. Our mission is the empowerment of Afghan women in all aspects of life. The staff and volunteers of WAW are advocates who understand that everyone is both a local and a global citizen and that the place of one’s origin is both a gift and a responsibility that follow wherever one goes.

What is the Lana-E-Omid Project?
Lana-E-Omid is a special project that is currently in the design phase. It has the full attention and support of WAW’s board and staff.

Imagine throughout Afghanistan a number of safe houses where women and their children can stay if their domestic situation puts her body, mind, and spirit in harm’s way.

Imagine a program that does more than rescue and protect – a program that can heal and open a door to realistic choices within Afghanistan’s cultural context.

Imagine a progression of experiences for women that prepares them for a life of their own choosing, one that includes:
• The opportunity to earn independence with a living wage,
• The chance to contribute to and participate in the community,
• The possibility of reconnecting with members of their families,

The WAW project team has been imagining all this and more, while staying firmly grounded in the realities of life in today’s Afghanistan. WAW’s staff is in regular contact with governmental agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs) in Afghanistan. They know the risks and see the opportunities.

Click here to read more about The Lana-Omid Project, including the program components, feasibility study, and what you can do to help.

Click here to read Manizha Naderi's, WAW's Administrative and Community Outreach Director's, recent speech about The Lana-E-Omid Project and the problems currently facing women in Afghanistan.
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From Rhetoric to Reality: Afghan Women on the Agenda for Peace
By Masuda Sultan
With Contributions from Corey Levine and Elizabeth Powley
Women Waging Peace Policy Commission February 2005

Click here to read full report.
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Annual Conference
Afghan Women's Bill of Right's Drafted By Participants at WAW's 3rd Annual Conference

The Afghan Women's Bill of Rights was drafted, signed, and presented to President Hamid Karzai by women leaders from every region of Afghanistan, who participated in the third annual conference of Women for Afghan Women (WAW). This conference, entitled "Women and the Constitution: Kandahar 2003", was held on Sept. 2-5 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in partnership with Afghans for Civil Society and the Afghan Women’s Network.

Click here to see full Conference Report, including the complete Afghan Women's Bill of Rights.

Photo (above): Conference participants presenting President Hamid Karzai with The Afghan Women's Bill of Rights

The Afghan Women's Bill of Rights, crafted by women from all over Afghanistan at Women for Afghan Women's 3rd Annual Conference, Women and the Constitution: Kandahar 2003, was featured twice in The New York Times.

Click here to see the full article from September 28th, 2003 about WAW's conference, "Women Gather in Afghanistan to Compose a Bill of Rights".  

Click here to see the full Editorials/Op-Ed piece, "Afghan Women's Rights", from September 24th, 2003.
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Herat Self-Immolation Project
As a result of your generous donations on behalf of the Herat victims of self-immolation, WAW has formed  a partnership with a grassroots women's organization in Herat, Voice of Women Organization (VWO), to work on the legal, social, and economic empowerment of women in this extremely conservative region.

Click here to see more about Herat Self-Immolation Project.
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Style Road Trip
Promoting entrepreneurship, trade, and development.

Women for Afghan Women (WAW) along with The Business Council for Peace brought 12 Afghan business women to the U.S. for training, in order to assist them in designing and manufacturing products in Afghanistan that can subsequently be sold in Afghanistan and abroad.

Click here to see more about Style Road Trip.
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Afghan Women's Fund

WAW helps fundsewing and literacy classes at HOOWA in Afghanistan (pictured above). Click here to see more photos and details regarding projects in Afghanistan being funded by WAW Click here to see Fahima Vorgett's, AWF's Director, latest report

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Click here to see details and photos of WAW's Program Director, Masuda Sultan's trip to Afghanistan and Afghan Women's Conference in Kabul sponsored by V-day.
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WAW In The News
Click here to see news coverage of WAW's Human Rights Advocacy Work