USAID Promote Musharikat Project Monthly Report September 2016

The project is implemented by DAI and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The program's main objective is to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) to advocate for women's rights and empowerment. In September 2016, the project undertook several key activities to achieve its objectives. One of the notable activities was the second Coalition Organizational Development and Planning Working Session for Women's Economic Empowerment Coalition leaders from 33 provinces. The workshop was led by Musharikat in partnership with the USAID Assistance to Legislative Bodies of Afghanistan Project (ALBA) and aimed to craft a framework for the Coalition's work over the coming months and to receive training in shaping and influencing public policy. The Coalition members narrowed their focus from Women's Economic Empowerment to the more precise goal of "Inclusion of Women in the Labor Market" and set three objectives for their activities. The project also continued its coalition capacity building efforts with a second Coalition Organizational Development and Planning Working Session for Musharikat Women's Economic Empowerment Coalition leaders on September 20th and 21st. The workshop was delivered in partnership with USAID's ALBA Project and aimed to craft a framework for the Coalition's work over the coming months and to build skills in shaping and influencing public policy. The participants had a full agenda, and a highlight was the presentation from Elaha Banaie from Herat, who described the steps required for successful advocacy. The project also made progress in the area of women's rights laws and conventions educational initiative leveraging the Musharikat Mobile Platform. The platform continues to educate Coalition members on their rights, and new functionality has been added to allow for better tracking of this work. Additionally, the project's subcontract partner has delivered a final cut of the international/donor video for the Brussels Conference. The project's technical team also made progress in the area of organizational development and planning. The Musharikat Violence Against Women Coalition held a productive meeting with Musharikat leadership, trainers from ALBA, and a range of policy expert speakers. The goal of the session was to craft a framework for the Coalition's work over the coming months and to receive training in shaping and influencing public policy. The key goals for the Coalition were determined at the end of the meeting, including improving awareness of domestic violence, advocating for improvements in policies, regulations, and laws relating to domestic violence, and advocating against forced marriages. The project's regional implementation also made progress in September 2016. The Central Region reported progress in the area of women's economic empowerment, while the Eastern Region reported progress in the area of access to education. The Southern Region reported progress in the area of women's rights, while the Western Region reported progress in the area of women's economic empowerment. The Northern Region reported progress in the area of women's rights, and the project's partner coordination efforts continued to strengthen. The project's operations team also made progress in September 2016. The team continued to provide support to the project's partners and stakeholders, and the project's communications team continued to disseminate information on the project's activities and achievements. The project's grants team also made progress in September 2016, and the project's monitoring and evaluation team continued to track the project's progress and identify areas for improvement.