Programming for Women’s Dormitory at Kabul University

Security issues continue to prevent women’s full participation in Afghan universities. Providing secure dormitory space for female students supports Afghanistan’s national development goals of educating women and preparing them to serve in leadership positions. The Afghanistan Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) manages all public university dormitories in the country, including the women’s dormitory in Kabul. The dormitory hosts approximately 1,400 women whose homes are far from Kabul. They are students at Kabul University, Kabul Polytechnic University, Kabul Education University, and Kabul Medical University. The MoHE provides the operation and maintenance services for the dormitory, and the U.S. Embassy has funded extra-curricular programming for the residents through a cooperative agreement since 2012. Many of the women housed in this dorm come from provinces where the quality of education is not as high as it is in Kabul, and they are likely to struggle academically and perform poorly in the examinations due to their limited educational opportunities and less developed computer skills. Cultural expectations compel these women to go to class but otherwise remain confined to the dormitory. Providing supplementary training within the dormitory setting encourages productive use of their leisure time, boosts their self-confidence, and improves academic performance. Skills learned through this cooperative agreement also make them better qualified to apply for professional positions in the workforce.