Brief History of AWWD
The Afghan Women Welfare Department (AWWD) is a non-affiliated, nonprofit Afghan women’s NGO established in July 1989. Its primary purpose was to address the urgent needs of women, especially Afghan refugee women in the NWFP region, who were facing significant challenges. Throughout the years of conflict in Afghanistan, Afghan women were systematically denied their basic human and national rights, including access to education and healthcare.
Numerous restrictions and limitations were imposed on women seeking self-reliance, and the civil war further exacerbated the difficulties faced by women. AWWD was founded as a women’s organization with the sole aim of promoting the welfare of Afghan women in refugee situations. AWWD achieves its objectives by implementing community-based programs, particularly in refugee camps where the most vulnerable women in need of assistance reside.
AWWD’s support for women is not limited to these circumstances; it also offers educational and income generation services in the rural areas around Peshawar, catering to educated Afghan females in search of such opportunities.
Over the past nineteen years, AWWD has trained approximately 13,000 Afghan women in various fields, including education, vocational training, health, reproductive health, gender awareness, human rights, and income generation. AWWD’s assistance is not confined to the NWFP region; it has also supported women inside Afghanistan. AWWD has plans to expand its activities within Afghanistan. To achieve this, AWWD established sub-offices in Kabul in July 2002 and Jalalabad in October 2003. As the situation inside Afghanistan becomes more conducive for the secure operation of programs, AWWD intends to extend its activities to all provinces of Afghanistan.
Currently, AWWD operates in Kabul and Jalalabad, where it implements projects such as English and computer training programs, the DIT program, Women’s Rights/Human Rights projects, women and Islam booklet trainings, free coaching classes for university entry tests, literacy programs, and humanitarian assistance for women through HAWA (Humanitarian Assistance for Women in Afghanistan). These activities take place within its two offices located in Kabul and Nangarhar.