USAID Promote Musharikat Project Quarterly Report FY 2018 Q1 (October – December 2017)

The project is sponsored by the USAID Gender Office and is implemented by DAI. The program's main objective is to empower Afghan women and girls by promoting their participation in national priority programs. The project has established coalitions in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan, with civil society organizations (CSOs) representing each province in one or more coalitions. These coalitions focus on various issues, including access to education, economic opportunities, healthcare, justice, and women's political participation. The coalitions have been actively engaged in advocacy efforts, public awareness campaigns, and partnerships with national level officials and decision makers. Musharikat's grantees have achieved significant success on the ground, affecting change at the sub-national level and having a real impact on women's lives. They have established relationships with and lobbied key government officials, earning a "seat at the table" where women- and girl-focused policies are discussed and decisions are made. Advocacy efforts and public awareness campaigns have resulted in more female teachers, increased girls' attendance at school, fewer forced and early marriages, and increased community awareness on violence against women. The Access to Economic Opportunity Coalition, for example, has focused on establishing kindergartens in selected government provincial directorates to encourage more women to work in those directorates. The coalition has conducted research on the existence and quality of kindergartens in 10 provincial government departments, providing solid evidence to encourage the relevant government ministries to establish and improve kindergartens. The Access to Education Coalition has also made progress, with its steering committee meeting to share and discuss the slightly modified policy objective of advocating for an increased number of female teachers. The coalition has also met with the Ministry of Education and the Women in the Economy (WIE) to discuss areas of collaboration and coordination. New coalitions, including Access to Healthcare, Access to Justice, and Women's Political Participation, have been established and are being activated. The legal and public policy team has presented updated policy briefs, and new members have been recruited and enrolled into the coalitions. These coalitions are expected to make significant contributions to promoting gender equality in Afghanistan. The project has also reached more than 9,000 Afghan citizens through its awareness-raising sessions on various women's rights issues. Radio and television programming have also been used to reach potentially hundreds of thousands of Afghans. The project's efforts have been recognized by government officials, who have invited coalition members to participate in local government committees and have acknowledged their advocacy efforts as informed and proactive agents of change. Overall, the USAID Promote Musharikat Project has made significant progress in promoting gender equality in Afghanistan, with its coalitions and grantees achieving real success on the ground and having a real impact on women's lives.