May 2,201

Dear WAW Supporters,

Everything is eerily quiet in Kabul today. Police are patrolling the streets, but very few people are walking around, and even at the office, people aren’t talking about the news that is ricocheting across the world—Osama bin Laden has been killed.

We simply cannot know whether the death of bin Laden is or is not good for the Afghan people, but we are worried about what will happen next. Will Al Quaeda and the Taliban be weakened? Will negotiations with the Taliban be stepped up? Will this decade-long chapter in Afghanistan’s history end with the foreign troops hastening away?

I have instructed all our staff members to lie low for the next few days. We are keeping our offices open but avoiding travel and home visits in the communities. But WAW’s work continues.

As many of you know, WAW has Family Guidance Centers and hidden women’s shelters in five provinces: Kabul, Kapisa, Mazar, Jalalabad, Kunduz. This year, we are expanding to Badakhshan, Sari Pul and Faryab.

Last month, I traveled to Badakhshan, which is in the northernmost part of the country. If there is a heaven, it must look like Badakhshan. We gathered many CVs of qualified people and had no difficulty hiring qualified individuals for all open positions. We had our pick among several buildings for the FGC and shelter and are finalizing the leases. The governor and other officials in Badakhshan welcomed our presence and our programs warmly, and Zafaran Natiqi, head of the local Division of Women’s Affairs, has become our ally. We are all set for a grand opening, complete with a ritual ribbon cutting, during the week of May 20th.

In Sari Pul, where I was earlier this week, Taliban insurgents recently murdered the police chief. They have also announced a spring offensive, and we expect them to target police chiefs and governors across the country. We received very few CVs of qualified individuals in Sari Pul, and while we have hired 9 staff members, our program manager and I will have to return to conduct more interviews. While Governor Sayed Anwar Rahmate is very positive about WAW opening an office in Sari Pul, there seems to be more fear and anxiety in the community.

Many of you have asked for an update on the recent crisis facing the women’s shelters in Afghanistan. WAW spearheaded an advocacy campaign that brought together Afghan grassroots women’s organizations, international women’s human rights organizations, and representatives of both the American and Afghan governments. I am happy to report that we have almost (but not quite) won. As a result of negotiations, the Afghan government has agreed to everything the group of women’s human rights advocates who have been active in this situation have asked for in terms of the autonomy of the women’s shelters except for one clause---the government still wants shelter clients to be handed over to any family member who comes to claim them. WAW will never agree to such a clause because it negates the whole purpose of a safe house. With the continued support of all our allies and supporters, we will prevail in this case as well.

I am especially grateful to our 230 staff members, Afghan women and men who risk their lives every day in their work to ensure that the women and girls of their country have access to justice. Nothing has changed for them because of bin Laden’s death---they still live in a country that is ravaged by poverty, corruption, violence and terror. They still must cope with a conservative culture that does not uphold their human rights. Afghanistan’s future is uncertain, but whatever the future holds, my sisters in WAW and I will never abandon the women and girls of Afghanistan.

With all my heart,

Manizha Naderi
Executive Director

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