Workshops in Afghanistan and Cameroon Evaluate Leadership Learning

WLP's partners the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) and Community Education and Development Services (CEDS) recently conducted leadership workshops in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Cameroon. Both AIL and CEDS also conducted their first evaluation workshops with women who had previously participated in leadership training courses using the Leading to Choices curriculum. The evaluation workshops are designed to measure improvements in women's ability to exercise leadership and to determine how participants' leadership skills have led to positive changes in their families and communities, improvement in the effectiveness of women's advocacy efforts, and development of local and regional networks.

Educators and staff of the Ministry of Women's Affairs participated in AIL's leadership training workshop in Kabul, Afghanistan. To encourage participatory and collaborative learning, facilitators engaged participants in role play situations and small group discussions. Facilitators shared their own experiences and worked to build an atmosphere of trust in which participants would feel comfortable about sharing their personal stories.

The topics of domestic violence, incest, divorce, and life under the Taliban regime created dynamic discussions during the workshop. Many participants stated that the open and trusting environment fostered in the workshop allowed them to discuss these sensitive issues for the first time. As the workshops progressed participants began to recognize leadership characteristics in themselves and to realize that they could make positive changes in their lives and the lives of others. Amina, a local teacher, stated, "I learned during the leadership training that it is important to listen to other people, to understand their perspectives, and to have the courage to take action when it is necessary."

Several participants from the Ministry of Women's Affairs shared their experiences working for women's and children's rights in the Ministry. Participants from the Ministry committed themselves to bringing the information from the leadership handbook to their colleagues who were not able to attend the workshop. They were eager for an opportunity to work with others to develop effective leadership and communication skills and support organizational capacity building and democratic processes. Focusing on ways to protect women's rights and enhance democracy-building during Afghanistan's reconstruction, one participant commented, "Women and men should be able to work together to enhance democracy and human rights in Afghanistan. We can achieve positive changes for everyone if we are patient and persistent." Another woman suggested holding workshops with men because, "Unless women and men can work together to rebuild Afghanistan based on equality and justice our country will remain at war forever."

At the conclusion of the workshop, participants had developed several projects that they wished to implement collaboratively to further women's rights and education. Among them is a plan to establish small literacy centers in rural areas where there is little access to education for children. Other participants are working together to establish a "Women's Rights Council" in Kabul. The Council will conduct community outreach, host seminars, and develop materials that educate women about their rights and support them in defending those rights in situations of divorce and domestic violence. AIL will follow up with participants within six months and will offer support and assistance in achieving their goals.

AIL also conducted its first evaluation workshop with 20 participants from previous leadership workshops at its office in Peshawar, Pakistan. Participants began by sharing the ways they had taken on leadership roles in order to bring about improvements in their own lives or the lives of others. For example, Shahla* was empowered to become a leading advocate within her family for women's education. She was pleased to report that three of her female cousins-who had previously been forbidden from attending school-are now teachers, bringing in a salary for the family and educating many children within the community. Another participant, Zahira,* applied her leadership skills to unite women in her community, which had been divided into factions for many years. Zahira reported that while there are still occasional arguments, many women have become increasingly more supportive of one another and have begun to advocate for educational and economic parity within their families and the community.

In Cameroon, CEDS conducted its first evaluation workshop with ten participants from prior leadership training workshops in Bamenda, Buea, Kumbo, Kumba, and Yaounde. Facilitators encouraged participants to share and evaluate projects that they had been involved in since taking part in the trainings. A participant shared how she established the Women and Youth Information Technology and Communication Center in Buea along with several other women from her community. The center has conducted outreach programs with rural women, worked with government officials to implement policies that support the growth of information technologies in the area, and created two radio programs for women entitled "Global Voices for Women" and "Women in Action."

A participant from Bamenda shared the story of how she and other women in the community are working to establish a food processing and preservation business after taking part in a leadership training workshop a year ago. Women are primarily involved in the harvesting, processing, and marketing of fruits and produce at the local level and depend on this income to feed their families and send their children to school. In organizing the initial planning stages of the project, the women organizers implemented participatory, inclusive leadership techniques, bringing together representatives from different markets for planning meetings. The meeting also provided an opportunity for the women to exchange stories and experiences, develop a shared vision, and begin to create a plan of action. CEDS will continue to monitor the project's development and to provide assistance and guidance.

As the evaluation workshop progressed, other participants shared stories of how the leadership training had changed their lives either personally, within their families, or at the broader communal level. For example, Elise* was elected Provincial Delegate for Women's Affairs in Buea. She is committed to using her position to positively influence local policy on women's rights and gender equity. Another participant reported that after they took part in a leadership workshop, several male representatives of the local government in Bamenda are now more noticeably sympathetic to women's issues and have been instrumental in encouraging the local government to take action on behalf of women in the community. A participant from Kumbo spoke about how the training had helped her communicate more effectively with her husband and family. The training enabled her to recognize her own potential and empowered her to take action to achieve her dreams.

Participants at the evaluation workshop in Cameroon felt that it had been an empowering experience to meet with fellow participants and learn about how the leadership training had impacted their lives and welcomed the opportunity to share strategies for enhancing their own projects. Not only did participants strengthen their own leadership skills, they established networks between communities that will enable them to continue to support one another over the years.

*Names have been changed to respect privacy.