RAWA

RAWA, known as the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, was first established in 1977, in Kabul Afghanistan. It is an independent political and social organization of Afghan women who are fighting for their rights in their country of Afghanistan.

I have dedicated my blogs to refugees in general, but now, I want to focus my attention to refugee children in Afghanistan. As children are probably the most affected by trauma than everyone else, it is crucial, in my opinion that they get the most support. They are the ones who have a whole life ahead of them, and even though there is many difficulties towards refugees, there should be an extra effort in protecting the children. They should be given as much possibility as possible, from education, to mental and physical health. According to the UNICEF report, Afghanistan is one of the countries, fourth to be exact, that has the worst record in child mortality: 152 per 1000 live births. These are mostly cause by the lack of attention or possibilities to the health and pre-natal care to pregnant woman. Even though refugees in general, have many difficulties to face, in my opinion, children should be the priority, from before birth to after.

RAWA

As shocking as it may sound, Pakistan has recently ordered a few Afghans refugee organizations to close, in an attempt to enforce Afghans to return to their country. For many, this was a very hard move since returning would oblige them to re-live what they first escaped from. A question is raised: how are they supposed to live in Afghanistan when refugees have no access to any land or money to build a house? How are they supposed to find a job when the unemployment rate is screeching over 60%? These expectations are nearly impossible when, according to the latest report by the Afghan government, the population is under poverty line, exceeding 65%, while the income of most of the population is $1.00/week. These are very frightening statistics, and even though there are other organizations out there to help refugees, the more the better, and the refugees cannot afford to lose any support.

The Research Keeps on Coming...

Today, I learned that the DACCAR organization, mentioned in the previous post, has provided nearly 250 women with technical training, and to building the self-confidence that they previously did not have. As a result, it has left a high impact on women, providing them with an "independent income source", job opportunities and thus contributing to the overall improvement of live for the entire household. To my surprise, they also offer education for hygiene education to the refugees, I wonder why that is? This is an organization that so huge among themselves, yet so little known to the rest of us, and through this research, that is going to change.

DACCAR

DACCAR, a widely known refugee organization in Afghanistan, has been helping women and their children for decades now. As I'm moving forward with my research, there is plenty of new information that I am learning about it. For example, I did not know that the DACCAR vision, where all Afghans, both male and female, are able to effectively and sustainable manage local resources, improve their own quality of life and withstand periods of calamity and stress. They are highly committed to the "active involvement of women in the development process". They help rural women that belong in a specific women groups, which provides them with a plat form: to discuss the challenges, opportunities and difficulties of local communities. Through these "women groups", women are actively involved in the prioritization and planning of development activities such as agricultural training and improved water supplies. I believe that these resources that are offered to these women are offered to give women a sense of responsibility and freedom; it also enables them to have a voice in their lives.

Let the search begin!

As part of an English class research project, we were asked to choose an area of interest to perform a profound research on it; I chose to base my research on the different refugee organizations based in the Middle East, most specifically in Afghanistan. Since the minute I started my research, I could not believe all of the different organizations that help woman and children, organizations that exist yet we are not familiar with. As I continue my research, I am so excited to learn about these organizations but most importantly, I am excited to teach it to everyone else.