Burka Blue

Under the Taliban, Afghan womenwere largely confined to the home and not allowed to participate in society. Since 2002, UNDP has been helping the new government protect womens rights and educating Afghan society about the important of providing opportunities for all citizens - boys and girls.

Working in partnership with the Ministry of Women's Affairs, UNDP has supported the training of women leaders, established workshops to ensure the heads of other Ministry's are sensitive to gender issues, and created the first gender-awareness training kits written in Pashtu and other local languages. Last year they also helped support the first Afghan women's magazine, Ershad-ul-Naswan, and the establishment of a Gender Training Institute at the University of Kabul.

While helping women regain an equal place in society will take many years, a great deal has already been accomplished. Check out this video of the country's first all-women rock band.