December 2003
Throughout Afghanistan, thousands of women and female-headed households have been left with no obvious means of support following decades of political instability, six years under a regime which denied women permission to work outside the home, and four years of drought
Women are now legally permitted to work, but many remain dependent on charity because they lack the skills and confidence needed to seek regular employment. Little work is available, and civil disorder, cultural expectations, and fear of a fundamentalist backlash make it difficult for women to travel to work or to work in mixed gender environments.
As a result, malnutrition is a serious problem and contributes significantly to infant mortality rates that are among the highest in the world.
While many humanitarian organizations are implementing supplementary feeding projects for malnourished children, most are using pre-formulated imported foods. Such foods are convenient and effective treatments for malnutrition, but they have a number of drawbacks:
- Their use increases dependency on external resources.
- The mindset that solutions to Afghanistan’s problems must be imported is reinforced.
- The primary responsibility for feeding malnourished children is removed from the parents.
- Economic and employment benefits of food production and formulation are transferred to donor countries.
In contrast, the International Assistance Mission, a Christian agency that has been in Afghanistan for 37 years, has used locally produced Superflour, made from chickpeas, rice, and maize, to treat malnutrition for over ten years with excellent results.
IAM is initiating a project that will employ 34 of the most vulnerable women living in one of the poorest parts of Kabul They will produce 22,200 kg of Superflour per month.
The Superflour will be sold to NGOs, relevant government departments, and educational facilities. While engaged in the project, the women will be given literacy training on a daily basis to help them read and write in the local language. They will also receive health and hygiene education on childhood illnesses, prevention of household accidents, and training on how to deal with minor injuries and illnesses.
By the end of the six month project, the women will be able to establish their own micro- enterprises using Superflour, which will enable them to remain employed.
Please help us help some of Afghanistan’s neediest women and children.
Superflour is a protein and energy rich food and effective treatment for malnourished Afghan children. It is made from inexpensive ingredients available in Afghanistan.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress...
James 1:27
