Kay Niedermayer, Girls' Education in Afghanistan: Alternative NGO Approaches

Girls' Education in Afghanistan: Alternative NGO Approaches

By Kay Niedermayer

Afghanistan is a country left in shambles after decades of war and conflict. This has left many groups, communities, and organizations puzzled as to where to begin rebuilding a torn nation. Afghanistan's economy is dependent on foreign investment, especially on aid. However, some question the approach and effectiveness of such aid which sometimes lacks a focused intention. There are currently many NGOs working in Central Asia on relief aid campaigns, although many of these relief campaigns focus on short-term projects and not long-term development projects such as education. Investing in education and especially that of the female population has proven to be one of the most effective ways to increase the social, economic, and cultural wellbeing of a community and therefore a nation. The Central Asia Institute (CAI) and Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan) are two NGOs which aim at a more personal and direct approach to supporting an Afghan-led campaign for girls’ education in the region.

The CAI and CW4WAfghan approaches to education projects in the region are centered on building relationships and enabling the Afghan people to create sustainable community development projects. This means listening to the needs and voices of the Afghan people. There are many other similarities to these two NGO initiatives including the use of books as a way to promote their cause. However, there are many differences as well and these will be outlined in a comparative analysis. These NGOs are examples of some of the initiatives going on in the region and are not single-handedly responsible for the amazing progress of education in the region. This being said, after more than a decade of work in the region, they have proven to be both successful and valuable to the advancement of education and the empowerment of Afghan people through an approach focused on building relationships, partnerships, and sustainable community-oriented projects.

Jana Knezacek, Human Rights NGOS and the Fight for "Invisible Children"

Human Rights Non-Governmental Organizations & the Fight for the “Invisible Children”

By Jana Knezacek

In an increasingly globalized world, the quest for humanitarian intervention and human rights has become commonplace in countries around the globe. Organizations worldwide are creating networks, uniting concerned individuals and advocating for human rights. Whether from the heart of oppression or the seemingly free and democratic nations in the global north, these organizations are confronting injustice and undermining state sovereignty. So where did these organizations originate and how have they gained enough power to successfully challenge cultural norms and governments around the world? This paper attempts to not only identify the beginning of humanitarian non-governmental organization but to examine framing techniques utilized by these organizations. The subject will be examined by tracing the origins of human rights based NGOs, through its inception with the grandfather of human rights, Amnesty International. This knowledge will provide a foundation for the analysis of what is arguably one of the fastest growing human rights NGOs in recent times: Invisible Children.

Camila Apablaza, Living in War: A Look at Child Soldiers

Living in war: a look at child soldiers

By Camila Apablaza

“[He] handed me the AK with two hands. I hesitated for a bit, but he pushed the gun against my chest. With trembling hands I took the gun, saluted him, and ran to the back of the line, still holding the gun but afraid to look at it. I had never held a gun that long before and it frightened me. The closest thing to it had been a toy gun made out of bamboo when I was seven.” ⁱ

Ishmael Beah, acclaimed author, is known for sharing his story as a child soldier in Sierra Leone. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Child Soldier received praise and admiration from the international community as Beah’s story was shared with the world. Ishmael Beah’s life changed dramatically at the age of 12 when his village in Sierra Leone was invaded; after months of wandering his war-torn country he was recruited as a child soldier. By age of sixteen, he had escaped the life of combat, had undergone rehabilitation at a center filled with children like him, and had been asked to speak at a United Nations conference in New York City. At the UN conference Beah represented the voices of children in Sierra Leone and spoke of the effects of war on his country.ⁱⁱ Since graduating with a political science degree in 2004, Beah has become a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee. While Ishmael Beah’s story is known by many, the issue of child soldiers still has not received an appropriate level of attention. It wasn’t until the late 1970s conflict in Mozambique that the use of child soldiers was first brought to the attention of the international community, thus it remains relatively new to NGOs as do most human rights issues.ⁱⁱⁱ To argue that NGOs have failed to adopt this issue into their agendas is irrelevant as numerous organizations advocate for the abolition of child soldiers; progress made by the international community can be contested however. In addition, the gendered aspect of girls being forced into war has been disproportionately studied.

"War violates every right of a child -- the right to life, the right to be with family and community, the right to health, the right to development of personality and the right to be nurtured and protected."^iv Recruitment of children into war is not a human rights issue; it is one which destroys the utmost important foundations known to humanity—youth. The objective behind recruiting children into war is two dimensional, first to break the link between the abducted child and his or her family and also to initiate the child into rebel forces.^v Breaking this familial link not only impedes the child’s development but also breaks down societal ties. The abduction of children into warfare is systematically destroying communities and their structure, thus affecting the core of society both on the short term and long term basis. In addition, by restricting a child’s essential development, both socially and physically, their human capital is being jeopardized as well as all rights of the child are being violated.