KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, - In Asadabad, a city located near the Pakistan border in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province, women are seldom seen outside their homes.
But that changed on Oct. 20, as a foot patrol predominately made up of females worked its way through the crowded streets headed to a women's shura.
The patrol included 18 females and a few males, most of them members of female engagement teams at the district and provincial levels from Task Force No Slack.
Members from the Army, Navy and Air Force represented, for the first time, a large joint effort that was put together to address women's issues in Asadabad.
"I think women's affairs are probably the highest priority out here," said U.S. Army Maj. Mary Parmenter, the Iowa National Guard's 734th Agribusiness Development Team operations officer and a member of the Forward Operating Base Wright FET. "Education of women and children is what's going to change the future of Afghanistan."
Around 50 Afghan women joined the females from No Slack, leaving standing room only as they crowded into the Women's Affairs building, right next door to the Fatima Girls School.
The meeting, led by the Kunar Women's Affairs Director Nasima Sadat, allowed the Afghan females to identify issues and discuss solutions directly with members from the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team, the ADT and representatives from the local battle space owner.
"Their biggest concerns are the lack of female-ran businesses, training, and of course their education level," said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Christina LeMond, the Kunar PRT civil affairs non-commissioned officer in charge and member of the FOB Wright FET originally. "Kunar is very, very traditional. The women are not as free to do the things that other provinces are. Security is an issue, and women's abuse is also an issue."
Many programs are already in place to address these issues. There is an established pen pal program with local girls schools, connecting both the students and teachers with other females in the United States.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has sponsored many gender development programs in the area. One of these is the World Food Program's Food for Education, which gives families of young girls who attend school oil as an incentive to further their education. Education is also being addressed with the construction of new girls schools throughout the province.
Another large concern for the women in this area is how to provide care for their livestock. They expressed a desire to take animal care classes and also asked the ADT to provide high-quality seed for their small farms.
Parmenter made no specific promises at the shura, but she said the ADT is currently assessing the effectiveness of existing women's agricultural programs in Kunar and evaluating the feasibility of proposals aimed at giving the women of Kunar agriculture related micro-business opportunities. Those proposals include small-scale poultry, dairy and honey production, as well as carpet weaving.
In addition, the women of Kunar are making strides on their own. In September, they published the first women's magazine in the province named Loopata, which means Shawl.
"The purpose of the magazine is to express the voice of women and their requirements," said Brishna, the director for Loopata Magazine. "It is very important because [the magazine] raises the voice of the women."
The magazine includes novels, poetry and informative articles specifically aimed at women. It's free and distributed throughout the province.
At the end of the meeting, the FET members from FOB Joyce handed out scarfs and the PRT members distributed radios. As the FET members headed back through the streets of Asadabad, they assured the ladies that this would not be the last time they saw them, and as they continue to work together they promised better things to come.