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USAID Promote: Women in Government Project Annual Progress Report 1

USAID Promote: Women in Government

Annual Progress Report

October 2015 – September 2016

IDIQ No. AID-306-I-14-00012

Task Order No. AID-306-TO-15-00044

October 30, 2016

This publication was produced by Chemonics International Inc. for review by the United States Agency for International

Development. The author’s view expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency

for International Development or the United States Government.


Contents

Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................................ 3

Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 5

Deliverables: Deliverables submitted from October 2015 to September 2016 include Monthly

Progress Reports, monthly Financial Reports, Quarterly Reports, and monthly Success Stories. 7

Project Overview: ........................................................................................................................................ 7

Project Result 1: Women’s Entry into Decision-Making Roles in Government Service

Facilitated ................................................................................................................................................ 10

Project Result 2: Hospitable Environment for Female Staff in Government Encouraged .... 22

Project Result 3: Local Stakeholder Support for Women in Civil Service Increased ............ 29

M&E Activities ............................................................................................................................................ 34

Planned Activities for Next Reporting Period .................................................................................... 39

Annex I: Radio PSA Broadcast Schedule in 13 Provinces for Internship Recruitment .......... 40

Annex II: Project Success Stories: ..................................................................................................... 42

Annex III. Environmental Monitoring and Compliance ................................................................ 55


Acronyms

ACBAR Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development

AIRD Afghanistan Institute of Rural Development

ALDO Afghan Learning and Development Organization

AMEP Activity Monitoring and Evaluation Plan

AoP Administrative Office of the President

APPF Afghanistan Public Protection Force

BBC British Broadcasting Company

CAG Content Advisory Group

CBR Capacity Building for Results

CSO Civil Society Organization

DAIL Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock

DoLSAMD Department of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs, and Disabled

DoWAs Directorates of Women’s Affairs

EA Equal Access

EPD Equality for Peace and Democracy

FGD Focus group discussion

GIRoA Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

GIS Geographical Information System

HR Human Resources

IARCSC Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission

IDIQ Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity

IDLG Independent Directorate of Local Governance

IDP Internally Displaced Persons

IPU Internship Program Unit

JSSP Justice Sector Support Project

KM Kabul Municipality

KVTC Korea Vocational Training Center

M&E Monitoring and Evaluation

MAIL Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock

MMP Musharikat Mobile Platform

MoE Ministry of Education

MoHE Ministry of Higher Education

MoIA Ministry of Interior Affairs

MoJ Ministry of Justice

MoLSAMD Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled

MoMP Ministry of Mines and Petroleum

MoPW Ministry of Public Works


MoRR Ministry of Refugees and Repatriates

MoU Memorandum of Understanding

MoWA Ministry of Women’s Affairs

MP Member of Parliament

MP Member of Parliament

MRRD Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development

NSDP National Skills Development Program

NTA National Technical Assistance

OVAT One Village and A Thousand Voices

PIR Project Intermediate Result

PSA Public Service Announcement

RFQs Request for Quotations

ToT Training of Trainers

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

USAID United States Agency for International Development

USIP United States Institute of Peace

VP Vice President

WCSA Women’s Civil Service Association

WIE Women in Economy

WLD Women’s Leadership Development


Executive Summary

Women’s Internship Program: The

USAID Promote: Women in Government

project continued to recruit university

graduate women for a one year internship

program. The multifaceted internship

recruitment program includes six months

of civil service training, three months of the

Women’s Leadership Development

program (WLD) and three months of

practical work with partner ministries.

During the second year of the project, the

pilot interns completed their three-month

practicum with the six partner ministries.

The pilot interns had the opportunity to network with other civil service employees, engage with

and understand the day-to-day work of government departments, learn procurement process

and procedures, and gain technical support from their supervisors and mentors. A group of

dedicated and skilled mentors supported the pilot interns during their practicum period. To

better support the mentors, the project team provided professional development trainings to the

mentors in areas such as, professionalism in the workplace, effective communications skills, and giving constructive feedback. The professional capacity training sessions aimed to provide

mentors with the right skills to professionally communicate with the interns, provide constructive

feedback on their daily performance, and be a better mentor. Sessions included discussions on

successful mentoring, individual mentor skills and experience levels, responding to cultural norms

and diversity, resources available to mentors, active listening, and working across diverse cultures.

The team conducted an evaluation at the end of the session to measure mentor satisfaction. The

feedback from mentors on the training was very positive.

The project team launched its internship program at the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and

Development (MRRD) for 111 Cohort One interns. The MRRD provided the interns with

classrooms and study space. The interns learned of the core civil service functions. Moreove, the

project signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs,

Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD) that will provide training facilities as well as offer opportunities

for practicum placement and employment for interns. MoLSAMD’s training center and newly

created Internship Program Unit (IPU) will assume management of the internship program after

the project concludes. The Internship Program Unit (IPU) under the Department of Manpower

and Planning will be established to support the project and manage the placement and

employment of interns at different ministries and independent agencies.

Relationship Building: The project team built their relationship with the First Lady, Second

Vice President Office, and H.E. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who

expressed their interest and commitment to the program. These relationship-building meetings

updated senior government officials on the project’s progress, and gained their support for the

placement and employment of interns within the ministries’ permanent civil service positions.

YEAR TWO HIGHLIGHTS

Established Relationships with First Lady and

CEO

MoU signed with MoLSAMD and MoIA

Began cohort 1 internship at MRRD

Internship recruitment campaigns conducted

in Kabul, Parwan, Kapisa, Mazar, Herat and

its neighboring provinces


The project also executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Interior

Affairs (MoIA) and the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD) to

collaborate on the implementation of the internship program.

Policy and Research: The project team encouraged the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA)

to take the lead in launching and addressing results from the Workplace Obstacles: Analysis and

Recommendations Report. The MoWA leadership is now preparing for the report launch

ceremony in October 2016. The Workplace Obstacles report outlines the factors which limit

women’s participation in the civil service, with recommendations on how to create an

environment that would encourage more women to pursue careers in the civil service. In

addition to collaboration on the internship program, the project team will work with MoWA,

and other GIRoA ministries with whom the project signed MoUs, to provide policy reform

assistance and respond to their ad hoc policy reform requests during the life of the project.

Communications and Outreach: As part of the project’s communications and outreach efforts,

the Communications and Outreach team carried out multimedia internship recruitment

campaigns in Kabul. Herat, Mazar, and surrounding provinces to encourage women to apply for

the internship program. The campaign included developing and disseminating flyers, posting

announcements on the Promote and ACBAR websites, sharing information with student

networks, alumni groups, public and private universities, and television and radio public service

announcements (PSA) in local languages.

The project’s behavioral change activities continued with the broadcasts of the “One Village, A

Thousand Voices” (OVAT) radio series to reach Afghan villagers and inform them of the

importance of women’s inclusion in public life. The topics of the radio series included women’s

inclusion in village councils, eliminating discrimination against women teachers, allowing women

to work outside the home, and reporting street harassment to provincial authorities. To further

support behavioral change activities, a draft Champions Strategy was developed to identify and

empower men and women leaders who champion women’s participation in government, increase

their visibility as models for positive change, and to create and strengthen a positive image of

reformers and supporters of women in government. The final Champions Report will guide

project implementation in the identification and promotion of champions.

Challenges and Opportunities: The project faced initial challenges with coordinating its civil

service training component with the Afghanistan Civil Service Institute (ASCI), which resulted in

the delay of the training program for Cohort One. Continued delays led to a different strategy

which spread the civil service training component between multiple ministries. The project

solidified commitments from MRRD, MoLSAMD, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and

Livestock (MAIL) to provide training space along with internship placement and employment

opportunities.

During the recruitment process of the pilot interns, the project team observed that a number of

interns withdrew from the internship program before it began. To consider the withdrawal of

interns and also be able to introduce the required number of interns to the ministries, the project

team will keep a list of at least 30 back-up candidates who also wish to join the program.


As the project’s main counterparts are with the Government of the Islamic Republic of

Afghanistan (GIRoA) entities, it’s pertinent that partnerships are formally established through a

MoU mechanism. Due to a shift in signatory rights on MoUs, the project was unable to formalize

partnerships or commitments with ministries, thus delaying placement and employment of interns

in ministries. Despite the absence of this formal partnership mechanism, the project continued

discussions with human resource (HR) directors to place pilot interns for three months of

practical work until the MoUs are signed.

The project experienced a slight attrition of interns throughout June. The project developed a

follow up system to determine the root cause of interns leaving the program, and how the project

can address these issues in the future. The majority of the attrition to date is due to moving to

another part of the country or overseas, obtaining jobs elsewhere, or leaving the workforce due

to marriage or childbirth.

Deliverables: Deliverables submitted from October 2015 to September 2016 include Monthly

Progress Reports, monthly Financial Reports, Quarterly Reports, and monthly Success Stories.

Project Overview:

Period of Performance: April 21, 2015 – April 20, 2020

Name of Prime Implementing Partner: Chemonics International Inc.

Names of Subcontractors/Sub-awardees:

Equal Access (EA)

Afghan Learning and Development Organization (ALDO)

Equality for Peace and Democracy (EPD)

Dreshak Hotel Services

Services International, LLC

Afghanistan Public Protection Force (APPF) Geographic Coverage: Afghanistan

Promote is a joint commitment by the United States (US) and Afghan governments that will work

to empower 75,000 women between the ages of 18 and 30, and help ensure these women are

included among a new generation of Afghan political, business, and civil society leaders. Promote

aims to empower women to become leaders alongside their male counterparts, and ensure they

have the skills, experience, knowledge, and networks to succeed.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Promote: Women in

Government, a task order under the Promote Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)

contract, was designed to increase and advance the number of women in the Afghan Civil Service.

In close coordination with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), USAID Promote: Women

in Government aims to ensure women are represented at the highest levels of policy and

decision-making in Afghan society and government. This component of Promote facilitates

women’s entry into decision-making roles in government service, encourages policy reform

within the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) at both the national and

regional levels, increases support for women in government, and establishes an internship


program for high school- and college-level female students interested in working within

government ministries. {

The USAID Promote: Women in Government program has three objectives:

Facilitate women’s entry into decision-making roles in government service;

Encourage a hospitable environment for female staff in government; and

Increase local stakeholder support for women in government.

Through the advancement of these objectives, USAID Promote: Women in Government aims to

achieve the following results:

At least 3,000 female university graduates and high school graduates complete one-year

government internships and transition to full-time employment;

70 percent of Women in Government participants employed by GIRoA within 24 months of finishing their internship;

75 percent of GIRoA workplace policy reforms benefit and protect female employees;

and

50 percent increase in local stakeholder buy-in for support of women working outside

the home.

The above results will be derived from the planned activities linked to the results framework

shown below in Exhibit 1.


Exhibit 1: Results Framework


Project Result 1: Women’s Entry into Decision-Making Roles in Government Service

Facilitated

PIR 1.1: Internship Program Established and Operational

An increasing number of Afghan women are receiving university degrees, yet have limited access

to professional positions within the government due to limited practical work experience and

applicable skills. The multifaceted USAID Promote: Women in Government internship program

is designed to bridge these skill gaps.

1.1.1 Conduct Phase II of the Gender Analysis

The project is recruiting gender specialists to conduct Phase II of the Gender Analysis for Herat

and Mazar, which will begin in December.

1.1.2 Conduct Phase II of the GIRoA Partnership Assessment Report

The project team is working to finalize the contractual agreement with project partner Equality

for Peace and Democracy (EPD), who will be conducting the Phase II of the GIRoA Partnership

Assessment Report, which will begin in November 2016 upon contract execution.

1.1.3 Internship Program

Pilot Cohort: During the period of

performance, pilot interns completed

their civil service training, went through

their internship placement, and began the

Women’s Leadership and Development

(WLD) program. During the first six

months of technical training, the pilot

interns learned the core functions of the

civil service: human resources

management, financial management,

procurement, project management, and

policy and strategic planning at the

Afghanistan Civil Service Training

Institute. As a part of their civil service training, the interns also accessed the library to seek

information for their research and assignments, studied, and built their capacity in Microsoft

Office programs, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

After completing the training portion of the internship program, the project team placed the 16

interns with six partner ministries to engage in a three-month practicum period. The ministries

included: the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD); Ministry of

Counter Narcotics (MoCN); Ministry of Finance (MoF); Ministry of Information and Culture

(MoIC); Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD); and Ministry of

Communications and Information Technology (MoCIT). The project team visited the interns

during the year, met with their mentors, human resources (HR) directors, and gender directors

Pilot interns discussing their internship experiences

and alumni networking opportunities


to evaluate their performance and address any concerns or challenges observed. At the end of

their practicum period, interns completed and presented a research project. The topics of their

presentations included policies on job related stress, employees’ motivation, internal audits, the

government recruitment process, office communications, job satisfaction, the evaluation and

analysis of Human Resources Departments, women’s opportunities and challenges in the Bakhtar

agency, and low turnout of women during GIRoA recruitment campaigns. The representatives of

partner ministers (Gender Heads, Heads of Training and Capacity Development, MoF Director

of Development Budget, and HR department staff) attended the presentations. The interns

collected data through questionnaires administered to staff in their partner ministries. The interns

also provided their recommendations and lessons learned for each department where they were

assigned. The representatives from the partner ministries evaluated their presentations positively

and appreciated the data collection and contents of their presentations.

As part of ongoing internship support, the project team organized a “High Tea” for the pilot

interns to discuss their experiences with the internship program. The group identified successes,

challenges, and opportunities to further improve the program. The pilot interns also met with

the project Alumni Services Team to learn more about the alumni services available to them,

such as support with identifying full-time employment opportunities and creating professional

networks with female civil servants including mentors, supervisors, and other government civil

servants. The project team also conducted a short survey to quantify the lessons learned for the

internship program. One of the interns expressed, “The entire internship program gave me a

vision to go forward and face challenges with full confidence, thanks to the USAID Promote:

Women in Government program for making me such a person.” The team celebrated the

successful employment of five pilot interns and discussed other employment opportunities for

the remaining eleven interns. The 16 pilot interns joined the WLD portion of the internship in

July. The WLD trainings teach the women about women’s empowerment, leadership skills, and

integration topic that included women’s education, economic, security concerns, women’s health

and politics. They will complete the training by end of October 2016.

Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD): The two pilot interns

at MoLSAMD completed their practicum period with the National Skills Development Program

(NSDP) in the HR department. Both interns learned how to adjust salary revisions under the

Capacity Building for Results program (CBR). They observed the government recruitment

process for national and international expats and were engaged in developing interview packages

for different positions, specifically completing packages for administrative assistant positions for

24 provinces. They also attended a labor market information workshop, which discussed a survey

of the job market in Afghanistan. The interns learned how to write request letters, applications,

and award requests for official ministry positions. The NSDP program management were

impressed by their high quality of work and requested the creation of two HR full-time positions

for the interns within the project structure. They have sent the request to their donors and

ministry for approval. The MoLSAMD mentor supported these interns, and appreciated their

hard work and was impressed with their ability to learn quickly.


Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC): The three interns at MoIC were placed in the

Procurement Department, where they learned about government procurement planning and

procedures. They learned how to develop procurement requests, and other relevant procedures

to ensuring a fair procurement process. These interns had previously worked in the Gender

Directorate of the ministry and had also learned about the department policies and procedures,

in addition to the ministry’s capacity building programs for female employees. Interns also

attended two events on violence against women and women’s political participation, increasing

their awareness on violence prevention and learning from the experiences of participants. Interns

held daily morning meetings with their mentors to follow up on the progress of their activities

and discussed lessons learned. As a result of their good performance, MoIC employed one of the

interns as a Library Assistant at grade six. This intern assists the Library Director in carrying out

daily administrative tasks, assists librarians with acquisition preparation, and plays a key role in

information management.

Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD): The four interns at MRRD

worked with the Archive Department to organize files, scan documents, and catalogue reports

from the ministry. The interns were also responsible for developing a record maintenance filing system. The interns were then placed with the Employees’ Relations Department, where they

learned about MRRD’s recruitment process. The interns also worked closely with the Chief of

Staff’s Office, Employees’ Attendance Reporting Department and Training Department, and

Capacity Building Department, where interns learned how to manage their time, maintain

electronic attendance records, and prepare Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Additionally, interns

attended a five-day workshop on management skills and women’s empowerment in organizations.

The interns learned about management skills and increased their awareness of human rights and

the principles of women’s empowerment. By directly engaging with the Gender Directorate,

interns become familiar with gender policy and its department activities.

Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MoCN): The two interns at MoCN worked in two different

departments. One intern worked with the Drug Demand Reduction department, where she

learned about the country’s drug prevention system and ways to treat addiction. She also

reviewed the M&E report of addicted persons in the provinces and learned more about regional

narcotics issues. The other intern worked on the Ministry’s Geographical Information System

(GIS). She regularly prepared provincial drug cultivation status reports for the ministry, which

aligned with her interest in GIS reporting and mapping systems.

Ministry of Finance (MoF): The two interns at MoF worked with the Gender Directorate to

increase awareness on gender policies and regulations. Additionally, interns assisted the Gender

Director in developing a budget for introducing employees to private universities to pursue higher

education opportunities. By working with the Treasury and Control Department, interns learned

about verifying employee salary payrolls, pension and tax deduction procedures, and maintaining

incoming and outgoing ministry communications. Interns also worked with the Deputy Minister

of Policy within the Department of Data Analysis, where they learned about ministry financial

policies. To date, one intern applied for the grade six position of Control Officer for Internally

Displaced Persons (IDP) at the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR). The other intern

applied for the Health and Safety Officer position with the Employee Relations Department. One


intern obtained the position of Staff Affairs Clerk and the other obtained the position of HR

Officer in the HR Directorate.

Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MoCIT): One intern at MoCIT

worked with the Performance Management Department. She learned about the employee

promotion process as well as the performance recognition and improvement systems. She

attended a one-day management workshop, where she learned about management skills in the

information technology (IT) sector.

Meeting with the Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) and the Ministry of Education (MoE):

In the meeting with the MoPW and the MoE, the project team continued discussions about placing

interns in their ministries. These ministries also expressed their willingness to accept interns for

placement within their different departments. MoPW recommended their gender unit follow up

with the engineering universities to encourage the university graduates to join the program to

gain employment with their ministry. In a follow-up meeting, the Deputy Minister of MoPW also

agreed to hire four of the pilot interns at MoPW. The internship placement team will coordinate

and facilitate the recruitment process of the four proposed interns with the HR Directorate.

Regarding training sites, MoPW proposed a building by Shad-do-Shamshira Wali, which serves as

a women’s dormitory. The ministry was willing move the current residents into a separate

location so the project can utilize this space for our training needs. Unfortunately, the building

needed extensive make ready construction, which is beyond the project scope of work.

Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP), the Administrative Office of the President

(AoP), Ministry of Justice, Kabul Municipality: In meetings with MoMP, Kabul Municipality,

and AoP, the project team

continued discussions about placing

interns in their ministries and

agencies. These ministries also

expressed their willingness to

accept interns for placement in

different departments. MoMP

recommended that their gender

unit follow up with the engineering

universities to encourage university

graduates to join the program to

gain employment with their ministry.

In a follow-up meeting with AoP, the Deputy of Administration also agreed to hire six of the pilot

interns. The internship placement team will coordinate and facilitate the recruitment process of

the six proposed interns with the HR Directorate.

The Deputy Minister of Administration and Finance appreciated the launch of the USAID

Promote: Women in Government’s internship program and has committed her full support to

the program. She suggested that the interns at MoMP should have undergraduate degrees in mine

engineering, geology, business administration, accounting, finance, or law. Additionally, the

Meeting with MoMP.


Deputy Minister requested that USAID Promote: Women in Government support MoMP in

developing a gender inclusive strategy for extractive industries. The Deputy Minister proposed a

long-term program to build the capacity of gender units through a one-year certificate program

in gender studies. The Deputy Minister also requested the project train the members of the newly

established Committee on the Anti-Harassment Regulation and help them introduce the

implementation guidelines and other relevant procedures to the MoMP staff. At the end of the

meeting, the Deputy Minister promised to identify areas of policy reform and share it with the

project for consideration.

The Deputy Minister of Policy and Programs expressed his appreciation for the internship

program and suggested that the practical training period for interns should increase from three

to six months. This longer training period would provide interns with more opportunities and

time to find jobs at the ministry. The Deputy Minister requested the project introduce interns

with trainings relevant to MoMP. At the end of meeting, the Deputy Minister pledged MoMP’s

full support of the program.

1.1.4 Phased Expansion of the Internship Program in the Provinces

The project team conducted an initial assessment of Mazar and Herat to identify office space,

assess training center locations, their capacity to accommodate interns, existing infrastructure,

and necessary security measures in preparation for the internship program rollout in Herat and

Mazar provinces. The project team visited various government and private institutes and training

centers such as Korea Vocational Training Center (KVTC) and MoLSAMD Directorate, met with

Governor’s Office, Directorates of Women’s Affairs (DoWA), MRRD, MoLSAMD, and the

Directorate of Information and Culture (DoIC). In addition to this, the project team also met

with USAID Promote task orders WLD and Women in the Economy (WIE), the Lincoln Learning

Center, and Tadbeer Consulting to discuss potential training space.

The team identified the Jami Vocational Center, affiliated with MoLSAMD in Herat, and MoWA

training center in Mazar. In Kabul, after signing the MoU with MoLSAMD, the project team agreed

to use the Institute for People with Disabilities for the internship program. The Institute for

People with Disabilities is newly constructed and had no other training programs. It houses an

auditorium with the capacity for 150-180 people and five to six washrooms in each floor. The

institute was assessed as a feasible option for the upcoming internship cohorts.

To gain support at the provincial level, the project team visited key government stakeholders in

Herat. The team met with the Governor of Herat, eight provincial council members, a Member

of Parliament (MP), the Dean of Herat University, the Director of DAIL, the Director of DoWA,

the Director of DoLSAMD, and the Director of Hajj and Pilgrimage. The USAID Promote:

Women in Government internship program was well-received by all government officials as a

promising opportunity for the young women of Herat. Moreover, after meeting with the Dean

of Herat University, the project was offered the annual use of the women’s hostel (consisting of

50 rooms) for the internship program. Formalizing this arrangement is subject to signing the MoU

with MoHE.


1.1.5 Identify, Recruit, and Select interns

Cohort Two: During the period of performance, the project team recruited interns for the

second cohort of the internship program. The internship recruitment campaign reached

applicants in Kabul, Kapisa and Parwan provinces. As a result of the recruitment campaign, which

included flyer distribution, radio and TV PSAs, and announcements on the ACBAR and Promote

websites, 1,785 applications were received. Among these applications, 902 applicants were eligible

for the written test. 552 candidates attended the written test, 528 candidates were interviewed

among which 524 candidates were qualified for the program. 360 interns will begin their six-

month civil service training at MoLSAMD in October 2016. While the remaining 164 will start at

MRRD in mid-December, 2016.

Cohort Three, Four, and Five: The project team launched its internship recruitment campaign

for cohort three, four and five in Balkh, Herat, Kunduz, Baghlan, Samangan, Sare- pul, Kabul,

Parwan, Kapisa, Badghis, Farah, Ghor, and Bamyan provinces. The internship announcement was

open from August 30 to September 30, 2016. The project team will receive the hard and online

copies of application forms from 13 provinces in the first week of October 2016. The project

team will continue the shortlisting and screening process to identify qualified candidates to take

the entry written test next month. The project plans to begin training for these candidates at

DoLSAMD in Herat in November and with DoWA in Mazar in December. The MAIL in Kabul,

will take the Kabul cohort in January 2017.

Given the dramatic uptick in the volume of interested candidates, the program decided to pilot

the use of Bulk SMS technology to inform Kabul-based candidates of the written test. As a result,

nearly 600 recent female graduates attended the USAID Promote: Women in Government

written test on July 26, 2016 to qualify for panel interviews. If selected, they will begin a 12-

‘Nearly 600 recent female graduates sat for the USAID Promote: Women in Government written test

on July 26, 2016 to qualify for panel interviews. If selected, they will begin a 12- month, multifaceted

program, ultimately leading to employment within a government ministry or independent agency

internship.


month, multifaceted program, ultimately leading to employment within a government ministry or

independent agency.

Piloting the message in English, the team sent a text message to 821 applicants, of which 787

(96%) successfully received the message. Given the success of this notification approach, the team

then used the technology to send Dari and Pashto messages to candidates who successfully passed

the tests to move onto the panel interview stage. See attached success story (Annex II) for

additional information. The project team invited government officials, civil society organization

(CSO) representatives, project members, and project mentors to participate in the interview and

selection process.

1.1.6 Identify, Recruit, and Select Mentors

The project team identified seven mentors from the six partner ministries who monitored and

provided guidance on the performance of the 16 pilot interns. To better support these mentors,

the project team organized professional development sessions for them. The project team

conducted communications, constructive feedback, and professionalism in the workplace training

for the current mentors to improve their communications skills and teach them how to guide

the interns during their practicum placement at partner ministries. To measure the satisfaction

of the participants from the training, the team conducted an evaluation at the end of the training

session. The feedback received from the mentors on the training was very positive. One mentor

said, “The training was very useful and introduced me to important points of communications,

feedback and professionalism in the workplace.” Another participant said that, “This training

provided me with important tips on writing effective, professional, and official emails.”

The project created a “Mentors Evaluation Form,” to collect intern feedback on the performance

of mentors, in order to improve performance if needed during the Cohort Two internship

placement. The 16 pilot interns evaluated their current mentors and provided feedback on the

level of the mentors’ contribution in aspects of career development and mentors’ personal

communications skills. The interns also evaluated if their mentors served as good role models.

The project team used the results of the evaluation to decide whether or not to continue with

the current mentors and the information will also be used to develop other professional

development programs for mentors as needed.

The current mentors from the partner ministries requested a mentor incentive plan to encourage

more civil servants to become mentors. Mentoring remains a new concept in Afghanistan, and

voluntary participation in mentorship programs is often perceived as an additional responsibility

to the mentors’ regular jobs. An incentive plan may attract qualified civil servants to serve as

mentors and encourage them to continue with their mentorship for the duration of the internship

program. The project team held a brainstorming session with the current mentors of the

internship program to discuss possible incentives for mentors and to obtain their suggestions for

an incentive plan. The mentors suggested covering communications expenses, awarding

certificates to mentors at the end of the project, and providing necessary logistics including


stationery for ad hoc mentor-intern feedback sessions. The project team will continue to

research and develop an incentive plan for mentors.

In the second year, the project team met with the different ministries, to discuss MoUs, placement

of interns and the intention to identify mentors. During these meetings, the project team shared

the workforce table along with a list of interns with their educational background information.

The ministries selected the required number of interns considering their departmental needs,

matched with the educational background of interns. Each ministry identified specific departments

and who will introduce mentors as the interns are placed for their practicum period. The Cohort

Two interns will begin their practicum period in mid-December.

The project Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team also undertook an analysis of the results of

the mentor pre-and post-tests, which was conducted for six out of seven program mentors from

different ministries. This report revealed key results of the project’s professional development

training for mentors. The trainings covered a variety of topics with the objective to help improve

mentors’ work with the interns and build the capacity of the intern cohorts, preparing them for

future work in government ministries. The results depicted in the graph below show dramatic

improvement of mentors’ knowledge in: (Q1) steps of the communications process; (Q2)

communications tools; (Q3) types of feedback in the workplace; (Q4) types of violence as per

the Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW) law; (Q5) victims’ rights as per the EVAW

Law; (Q6) the composition of the Prohibition of Women`s Sexual Harassment Commission at

the central level; and (Q7) attributes of professionalism in the workplace.

Exhibit 2: Mentors Professional Survey Results


1.1.7 Continuation Materials

The project team developed the Internship Recruitment Package, Interns’ Package, Mentor’s

Package, and Mentor’s Training Package. The Internship Recruitment Package includes the

internship application form, acknowledgement letter from family, interns’ commitment letter,

written test questionnaire and answer sheet, intern’s interview assessment question sheet, and

agreement letter for interns. The Intern’s Package includes the internship manual, intern’s

practical work schedule, interns Terms of Reference (ToR), attendance sheet, weekly report

template, performance evaluation template, interns’ placement tracker, and internship

orientation. The Mentors’ Package includes the mentor selection template, mentor ToR, weekly

report template, Training Needs Assessment (TNA) template, mentors’ orientation presentation,

and agenda. The Mentor’s Training Package includes the mentors’ training module, feedback

training module, communication training module and professionalism in the workplace training

module.

PIR 1.2: Interns Trained in Work and Life Skills

1.2.1 Design and Launch Training and Capacity Building Program

The training team is currently reviewing the Civil Service Training curriculum to prepare the

modules according to the project and interns’ needs. The team conducted a focus group

discussion (FGD) with pilot interns at MRRD to identify the topics that were most important to

them. The team identified some of the core civil service function topics that needed to be

reviewed for further upgrading based on the needs of the ministry and interns. The participants

reviewed project management, communications, human resources, financial management, and

related topics to be reviewed for future cohorts. The project training team continues to review

the curriculum and will develop supplementary materials for each module by January 2017. During

a FGD, the pilot interns also reviewed the updated materials and curriculum topic outlines and

will provide feedback for additional curriculum revisions. The areas for upgrading included

standardization of some of the modules, such as project management, improving the sequence of

topics, including charts and graphs, and exercise worksheets for practice and case studies.

Additionally, the curriculum updates will reflect recent changes in the government procurement

law and accounting manual. The training team is integrating these changes into the current

curriculum so that interns learn about the most recent changes in the civil service. Other areas

for further curriculum revisions include developing new materials for the professionalism in the

workplace module, and preparing a Training of Trainers (ToT) package, which will include

guidelines, methodology and session plans. The project team is currently working to draft the

suggested changes, review, and finalize all suggested revisions into the curriculum. After

completing revisions, the training team will also hold an orientation session to train the newly-

hired trainers in the upgraded curriculum. The project team will further discuss the training

curriculum with MoLSAMD, as the ministry will certify the curriculum.


1.2.2 Upgrade Career Development Center

In Year 1, the project team conducted an evaluation to identify gaps and areas of possible

assistance. The findings of the evaluation showed that IARCSC’s women’s Career Development

Center (CDC) needs technical assistance in terms of upgrading its curriculum, guidelines, and

publicity tools to lobby the center for new applicants. With the change in the IARCSC leadership,

the project team will resume its relationship to begin collaboration in the future. No activities

were undertaken during this reporting period.

PIR 1.3: Number of Interns Hired for Full Time Positions in Government Increased

1.3.1 Internship Program Linked to Job Placement.

Cohort One: The project team celebrated the beginning of the internship program in a joint

event a MRRD/AIRD on June 11, 2016. The interns celebrated the event with the positive and

encouraging remarks from Chemonics International Inc. Senior Vice President, the project

management team, and MRRD/AIRD senior personnel. During the event, the interns officially

began their six months of civil service training at AIRD, and also received a completion certificate

for their Women’s Leadership Development (WLD) training. A total of 111 interns began

studying core civil service subjects at AIRD; the project Training Team conducted the first three

classes in basic management. The interns continued learning about office management, time

management, and also increased their knowledge about the civil service law, project management

and procurement, and policy and strategy. Interns were satisfied with the quality of training the

project training team is providing and received assignments to review and present chapters of

the civil service law. A cadre of qualified trainers, including an HR and Project Management

Trainer, Finance and Procurement Trainer, and Computer Instructors, have joined the project at

MRRD to deliver the additional civil service training modules.

Cohort Two: After successful completion of the internship recruitment process, the project

team interviewed 542 interns to begin their civil service training at MoLSAMD. The recruitment

process is now complete and among 453 interns who have been selected, 360 will begin their

six-month civil service training at MoLSAMD in October 2016. The remaining interns will start

at MRRD in mid-December 2016.

Cohort Three: The project team launched its internship recruitment campaign for Cohorts

Three, Four, and Five in Balkh, Herat, Kunduz, Baghlan, Samangan, Sare- pul, Kabul, Parwan,

Kapisa, Badghis, Farah, Ghor, and Bamyan provinces. The internship announcement was open

from August 30 to September 30, 2016. The project team received the hard and online copies of

applications form 13 provinces on first week of October 2016. The project team will continue

the shortlisting and screening process to identify qualified candidates to take the written entrance

exam next month. These selected candidates will receive their civil service training at DoLSAMD

in Herat in November, and DoWA in Mazar in December. The MAIL interns in Kabul will begin

in January 2017.


MAIL: In meetings with MAIL, the project team discussed the availability of training space for the

internship over the next three years, the ministry’s capacity for intern placement, expected

employment opportunities within the ministry, and technical assistance needs for gender policy

reform. As a result of these meetings, MAIL offered four furnished rooms with desktop

computers, one trainer’s office, plus a large basement that can be converted into eight rooms

using partitions. The project completed its assessment of the training rooms and drafted a budget

for the upcoming cohort in January 2017. The MoU has also been drafted and shared with MAIL

for review.

MRRD: During the reporting period, the project team met five times with the MRRD leadership

and technical team to discuss comments on the budget for the internship training. The meeting

participants adjusted the cost to match the

target of training 200 interns per year and

brought additional changes to material

costs. AIRD agreed to provide ToRs for all

the positions and submit them for review

to the project team.

The MRRD leadership team agreed to

initiate the necessary HR and procurement

activities prior to signing the MoU.

Additionally, they also discussed

contracting mechanisms for the proposed

staff to be embedded at MRRD. The project team explained Chemonics’ global HR procedures

and clarified that all new staff will be embedded within institutes’ structures with dual reporting

obligations to both Chemonics and MRRD. Only the Capacity Building for Results/National

Technical Assistance (CBR/NTA) salary scale and grading will be applied to these positions. Both

parties agreed that AIRD would review the budget and ToRs and submit for project approval.

With the launch of the internship program at MRRD for 126 interns, the project training team

provided civil service training to the interns until the MRRD embedded trainers were hired. The

project team also upgraded the training curriculum, and is planning to conduct a training of

trainers (ToT) for new trainers. Together with MRRD, the project team discussed the availability

of space for the written test and interviews for the third intern cohort and the ministry’s

commitment to host an additional 360 interns for this cohort. The project team also conducted

assessments for security upgrades, streamlined the recruitment process for the embedded staff,

and updated the internship curriculum and the operational work plan. The project team also met

with the Minister of MRRD to discuss the formal MoU signing and to provide progress updates

on their partnership. The meeting ended positively and the minister committed his full support

to the program for the coming year. He further expressed his appreciation for the project’s

mission to empower educated women in government. The project team also reached mutual

agreement on programmatic and operational issues.

Acting COP meeting the Minister of MRRD.


Pilot Interns’ Employment Status: From a total of 16 pilot interns, five are employed in different

ministries in grades 5 and 6. Among the remaining 10 interns, the project team shared six of the

pilot interns’ CVs with the AoP and four with MoPW to be considered in grades 4, 5, or 6 of

their relevant civil service categories. One intern did not attend the WLD training and the project

team is working to introduce her to WLD in the next cohort. The project alumni services team

also began drafting an Alumni Plan for internship graduates. The plan will outline interventions

for strengthening mentors’ involvement in interns’ job searches, establishing an alumni team,

engaging current and graduated interns on an ongoing basis, and maintaining an alumni database.

1.3.2 Establish and Launch Database for Alumni Network

The project Database Specialist will work on a plan to create the alumni database so the project

can monitor the number of interns recruited and hired for full-time positions. After the database

is established, the project team will transfer the database to MoLSAMD and train their staff to

ensure the database is regularly updated, properly maintained, and effectively utilized beyond the

life of the project. Therefore, to ensure MoLSAMD successfully integrates this database, the

project team will recommend that their gender units include this database in their action plan

and strategic plans. The data will allow the project to make informed decisions about employment

strategies to meet employment targets. The Database Specialist joined the management team for

meetings with the Women in Economy (WIE) project and also with MoLSAMD to further discuss

database development. The project learned that although software programmers from

MoLSAMD could not support database development, WIE could collaborate by sharing their

database structure and user interface and management information system codes with the

project.

1.3.3 Provide Technical Assistance to the Women’s Civil Service Association (WCSA)

No activities were undertaken during this reporting period.

PIR 1.4: Professional Development of Women Who Work in Government Enhanced

1.4.1 Train Supervisors

The project training team designed and facilitated professional development training sessions for

the current mentors, who also serve in the supervisory roles for interns in some ministries.

During the second year, the project provided leadership trainings to the supervisors on topics

such as providing constructive feedback and enhanced communication techniques. These training

sessions aimed to improve the capacity of supervisors to effectively fulfill their supervisory role

along with their role as mentors. Attending this session, mentors were able to provide daily

instruction, mentor the interns’ daily performance and provide effective feedback on their tasks

every day. The project team will continue to train supervisors for upcoming cohorts of the

internship program throughout the life of the project.


1.4.2 Connect to Scholarship Programs as Incentive for Mentors

The project will plan to link successful and qualified mentors with the recently launched Promote

scholarship program. The project team will assist mentors with their applications for scholarships

to attain graduate degrees. No specific activities were undertaken in this reporting period.

Project Result 2: Hospitable Environment for Female Staff in Government

Encouraged

PIR 2.1: Policies that benefit women in government improved and implemented

2.1.1 Initiate and Build Relationships with Relevant Partner Government Staff

During the second year, the project team engaged particular key ministries - MoLSAMD, MRRD,

MoI, MAIL, MoMP, and MoPW- to maintain relationship, gain their support for the placement of

interns, identify employment opportunities for graduate interns, and identify their ad-hoc policy

reform needs. MoMP and MoJ requested training their gender committees on the Anti-

Harassment Regulation, and MoIC requested the project to provide specialized training for

employees engaged in reporting and technical ministry activities. The project team is planning to

meet with these ministries and follow up on their ad- hoc policy reform requests after the MoUs

executed. The project is working with other ministries to identify areas for policy reform needs.

MoLSAMD: MoLSAMD will provide training facilities as well as offer opportunities for practicum

training and employment. The project technical team drafted a budget for MoLSAMD’s training

center and the Internship Program Unit (IPU) and shared it with MoLSAMD for review and input.

MoLSAMD’s Department of Manpower and Planning agreed that it would take over the

management of the internship program after the project concludes. Under the Department of

Manpower and Planning, an IPU will be established to support the project and manage the

placement of interns at different ministries and independent agencies. The unit would further

have the authority to confirm interns’

eligibility for the one-year work

experience certificate and would grant

this certificate to qualifying interns.

Moreover, the project team followed

up on the recruitment approvals for

personnel to staff the IPU under the

Department of Manpower and

Planning to support the project and

manage the placement of interns at

different ministries and independent

agencies. The project also discussed

the provision of work experience

certificates for the 16 pilot interns. Certificate designs were shared with MoLSAMD for approval.

YEAR TWO HIGHLIGHTS

MoWA to launch Obstacle Analysis and

Recommendations Report

MoLSAMD to take on internship program lead

Secured a 12-room training space with MAIL

for the internship program

The last 2 points are component 1 focused


The project team is now working to prepare for the graduation ceremony of the pilot intern

cohort in November 2016.

Meeting with Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC): The project team met with the

Deputy Minister of MoIC to update her on the project’s progress, seek her recommendations

for policy reforms, and to solicit her support in the recruitment of project interns placed at MoIC.

The Deputy Minister requested that the project team notify her prior to the announcement of

the next round of the internship program so she can inform female university graduates at Kabul

University. She said that the ministry recently established an anti-harassment committee to

implement the Anti-Harassment Regulation at MoIC. She suggested that the project team train

the members of this committee in implementing the regulation. She also recommended that the

training would be provided to female journalists and would focus on preventing discrimination in

the workplace.” his training could benefit female journalists both in the public and private sectors.

The ministry also suggested to provide advanced specialized journalism training programs for

female journalists working at Bakhtar News Agency, Kabul Times, Anis Newspaper, Hiwad

Newspaper, National Radio Television, and the broadcasting department of MoIC. However, the

project team expressed that it would discuss provision of this training under Component 2

activities to see if the project could support these ministry training requests. The project team

also delivered the second cohort internship application forms to the Office of the Deputy Minister

for Youth Affairs under MoIC. The project team was able to brief the representative of the

Deputy Ministry on how to complete the application forms and apply for the internship program.

The Deputy Ministry then facilitated a session for a number of potential internship candidates on

the internship application process. As a result of this information session, 38 applicants submitted

their applications. The applications were then delivered to the project for further processing.

Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA): To support MoWA in the development of

implementation guidelines and procedures for the Anti-Harassment Regulation, the project team

discussed plans for launching the Workplace Obstacles: Analysis and Recommendation Report

and for training gender unit heads through ongoing meetings. The Deputy Minister agreed to

launch the report, and has asked the team to update the content of the professionalism in the

workplace training module to include materials on the implementation of the Anti-harassment

guidelines. The proposed training will familiarize the gender units and the newly established anti-

harassment committees with the Anti-harassment guidelines to ensure effective implementation.

The team is now preparing to launch the Workplace Obstacles: Analysis and Recommendations

Report on October 25, 2016.


Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoIA): Meetings were held with MoIA to complete the workforce

table and discuss the MoU to place future

interns at the ministry for their practicum

and employment. This ministry also

requested policy support for strengthening

their gender strategy, which has been

included in MoIA’s Policy Reform Plan. In

addition to the policy support, the ministry

suggested that the outreach and

communication component of the project

support them in promoting messages to

attract and hire female police officers. The

project team indicated interest in supporting

MoIA in this effort, and explained that the

project would first need to work on the ministry policy reforms and advocacy to ensure that the

working environment for women is desirable. The MoU was signed with MoIA on September 25,

2016.

High-level Meetings with Government Officials: During the second year of the project, the

team established and maintained professional relationships with various high ranking GIRoA

ministry officials. The project periodically met with these stakeholders to provide updates on the

project progress and activities. Some of the high level official meetings included: the First Lady,

the Second Vice President, the Chief Executive Officer, the Minister of MoLSAMD, the Minister

of MRRD, the Council of State Ministries, and Members of Parliament.

Meeting with First Lady: The project team established relationships with both the First Lady

and the Second Vice President’ offices. The First Lady was pleased to learn about the progress of

the internship program and pilot interns’ progress. The First Lady was also updated on the

project’s Component 2 activities addressing policy and reform. She took great interest in making

recommendations about the Workplace Obstacles: Analysis and Recommendations Report. She

asked the team to meet with the Second Vice President, as he is responsible for managing gender

reforms within the government, to gain more information about current gender reforms in-

progress. The project will meet with the Second Vice President to update the report before it is

launched. The project team also brought up the challenges within the government that female

interns will face because of corruption and nepotism in hiring practices. She agreed, but suggested

that the project should inform the interns of these challenges, regularly check in with them to

monitor any difficulties they are facing, and follow up with government agencies by reporting

potential corruption cases. The First Lady also recommended an effective way to support interns’

job placement, which will involve requesting the Second Vice President to include this issue in

the President’s agenda in the next cabinet meeting. The project team also updated the First Lady

on Component 3 activities and described how different strategies could encourage behavior

change. She was pleased about the “One Village, a Thousand Voices” radio series broadcasted

through Radio Azadi and expressed that having short TV spots on anti-harassment issues could

further support communications and outreach impact. At the end of the meeting, the First Lady

introduced a point of contact for future contacts and updates.

USAID and MoIA MoU Signing Ceremony September 25, 2016


Chief Executive Officer: USAID arranged a meeting at the office of the Chief Executive Officer.

The Mission Director, USAID Gender Director, and other Afghan women activists were present.

The CEO initiated the program by thanking USAID and expressing his full support for Promote.

The Gender Director gave a brief presentation on the Promote budget and the status of each

task order. She added that in the future there would be Promote “sister projects.” The four

Promote task orders presented their projects, achievements, and challenges to the CEO. In

conclusion, the CEO requested that USAID provide him with monthly reports on Promote so

he can share them at the next cabinet meeting. He asked all the Promote task orders if they faced

any challenges with the Afghan government while implementing, and said the task orders must

notify his office so that he can solve these problems.

First and Second Vice President Office: The project team met with the First and Second Vice

Presidents’ Offices and with the CEO to reaffirm their support for the project. They discussed

the internship program and inquired

about the possibility of placing

interns in their respective offices.

The CEO was very supportive and

asked the Minister of Education to

meet with the project management

to support the program. The First

and Second Vice Presidents also

expressed their support for the

project and decided to place interns

within departments of Women’s

Empowerment, Political Parties,

Economics, Religious and

Minorities, and Social Affairs. The

Second Vice President assigned his gender representative to be in close contact with the project

and provide the team with workforce table information, specifying how many interns they will need for on-the-job training and how many they can hire on an annual basis. The Vice Presidents

will support the project in identifying training centers as well. The Chief of Staff of the Second

Vice President promised to support the project in the provinces, specifically in Mazar and Herat.

The meeting concluded with a promise from the Chief of Staff to distribute official documentation

describing interns’ placement and to provide the project with employment opportunities within

this office.

On August 13, 2016, the project team also met with the Second Vice President to brief him on

the USAID Promote: Women in Government project and gain his support for placement and

employment of interns. The Second Vice President leads high-level government committee

meetings, including the Gender Committee, and can leverage support for the project at cabinet

level meetings. The project team provided an overview of the Promote task orders and described

how they aligned with the government’s National Priority Programs. The team further discussed

Project Team meeting with the Advisor to the First Vice President


sustainability, exit strategy, and relationship building with MoWA and other government

counterparts.

In meeting with the project team, the Second Vice President obtained critical information about

the internship program, which informed his subsequent recommendations. After the team

provided a presentation, he asked questions about interns’ mentorship, the project’s exit strategy,

engagement with MoLSAMD and MoWA, interns’ stipends, provincial rollout, selection criteria,

and internship recruitment. The team comprehensively discussed these questions to ensure that

all points were clarified. At the end of the meeting, the Second Vice President highly praised

Promote as one of the best and largest programs ever implemented for women in Afghanistan.

He further mentioned that Promote is an excellent platform for Afghan women to build their

careers and empower themselves.

The only concern the Second Vice President had involved recruitment. He stated that the civil

servants law and government recruitment procedures are the two largest barriers interns will

face in quickly securing permanent jobs. Some of the barriers mentioned were different job

specifications for different grades, work experience, and high selection criteria. He added that

traditional gender attitudes also could exacerbate women’s promotion opportunities. However,

he offered his full support to the project and requested the project to provide him with ideas to

facilitate women’s quick entry into the civil service. These ideas would be carefully assessed to

determine feasible options that could be presented to his office and shared with the cabinet and

other relevant institutions during government-led meetings (e.g. or cabinet meeting). These

options may also be shared in the next Gender Committee meeting with the Vice President’s

support.

The project team also updated the Second Vice President on the other two components of the

project. He was interested in the two assessment reports (the Partnership Assessment and

Workplace Obstacles: Analysis and Recommendations) and thought these findings would help

inform the project’s planning. The Second Vice President appreciated the project’s work in

informing government entities of their progress.

Meeting with Member of Parliament (MP) On May 21, 2016, the project team met with an

MP to discuss the possibility of placing interns with female MPs. The meeting started with a brief

introduction and update of the project. The MP appreciated the project’s progress and promised

to not only accept 92 interns, but also to assist with placement and hiring within partner

ministries. The MP will arrange a meeting with the Speaker of the House to discuss the signing of

an MoU.

Meeting with MoWA Minister: On January 2, 2016, the USAID Promote: Women in

Government leadership team and the Minister of MoWA met to discuss the project goals and

support the project could provide in conjunction with MoWA’s goals. During the meeting, the

project team stressed the importance of signing a MoU to begin USAID Promote: Women in

Government program implementation. The two parties also discussed the establishment of a

technical working group for developing implementation guidelines for the anti-harassment policy,

as well as monitoring mechanisms for the implementation of activities in the proposed action


plan. In addition, the team proposed an added level of support to MoWA in the dissemination of

the anti-harassment messages and campaign in national and subnational media outlets. MoWA

was in agreement with the proposed actions and determined they would move forward with

assigning a focal point to liaise with the USAID Promote: Women in Government project.

Furthermore, MoWA has confirmed they will discuss the pending MoU with MoWA senior

officials at the ministerial leadership meeting planned on January 12, 2016 to receive further

direction from relevant MoWA departments to finalize the MoU. Lastly, the MoWA minister

pledged to meet the 16 graduating interns from the pilot phase of the internship prior to their

graduation to encourage them toward a better career by sharing her own inspirational career

experience. Currently, the project is following up with MoWA to arrange a meeting between the

minister and the graduating interns. Pursuant to MoWA’s request, the USAID Promote: Women

in Government project provided a highlight of project activities over the past six months.

Counsel of State Gender Committee Meeting: The Government Liaison Lead participated in

the first Counsel of State Gender Committee Meeting, which was chaired by the Second Vice

President of GIRoA. The meeting began with a presentation from MoWA on the new Elimination

of Violence against Women (EVAW) strategy. USAID provided an overall update on Promote,

followed by presentations by each Promote task order. Participants from the Ministry of Higher

Education (MoHE), women’s civil society networks, MoWA, the Attorney General’s Office

(AGO), the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL), civil society organizations

(CSOs), and the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) provided their comments and

recommendations about the overall Promote program. The Second Vice President concluded the

session by thanking USAID for the launch of its largest program for women in Afghanistan and

reiterated Promote’s overall objectives. In principle, the vice president agreed to Promote’s

overall objectives and admitted that it is not possible to change the scope of the program in this

stage, but insisted that Promote should consider the recommendations provided by the

participants and tailor Promote’s objectives to government priorities and needs. He further added

that in the coming meeting, Promote will be provided enough time to respond to some of the

questions and concerns raised in the meeting.

2.1.2 Support IARCSC in Developing Implementation Guidelines for the Anti-Harassment

Regulation

In an effort to keep the momentum for this activity underway, the project team met with MoWA

to discuss the efforts of the project to support MoWA and the issue of the Justice Sector Support

Project’s (JSSP) duplication of efforts on the Anti-Harassment messages. During the reporting

period, in a follow-up meeting with the Deputy Minister for Policy and Programs, the project

team identified that MoWA had already developed Anti-Harassment guidelines. The guidelines

were shared with the project team for review and will be presented to the Gender Committee

led by the Second Vice President for approval. MoWA will require support in developing an

action plan, implementing the Anti-Harassment guidelines, and training the gender committees of

different ministries. The Deputy Minister for Policy and Programs also agreed to extend the

professionalism in the workplace training by one day. This training module includes an


introduction to the Anti-Harassment Regulation and describes how to implement the

corresponding guidelines.

2.1.3 Conduct Offerors’ Conference

The project team finalized the first draft of the agreement and other subcontract-related

documents with project partner EPD in August 2016. Working with EPD, the project will

organize and support an Offerors’ Conference in November 2016, in which senior management

from government partners will be invited to address gender inequities within the government

and share applicable technical resources to aid in rectifying the identified issues. After the

Offerors’ Conference, a specialized workshop will be held on the process of soliciting, evaluating,

and selecting expressions of interest from government entities who seek to support policy

reforms aimed at eliminating harassment and discrimination, particularly against women in the

workplace.

2.1.4 Solicit, Evaluate, and Select Expressions of Interest from Government Entities

Interested in Policy Reforms that Benefit Women in the Workplace

This activity is linked to the above activity 2.1.3. No activities were undertaken during this

reporting period.

2.1.5 Provide Technical Assistance to Support Policy Reform Measures

The project team will provide targeted assistance to support policy reform and enforcement

measures. By completing the project’s Policy Reform Plan, the team will outline specific measures

for technical assistance. The team will also consider and respond to ad hoc gender policy reform

requests from line ministries emerging from GIRoA’s new development agenda. The project team

will support key GIRoA counterparts, including MoWA, MoI, MoPW, the Independent

Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG), MRRD, IARCSC, MoLSAMD, MoMP and AoP to 1)

improve and implement policies that advance women working within the Afghan government,

and 2) identify viable solutions to create a more hospitable environment for female staff.

PIR 2.2: Obstacles in the Workplace for Women in Government Identified and

Solutions Recommended

The project team conducted an assessment of the Workplace Obstacles: Analysis and

Recommendations Report. MoWA will launch the report in October 2016 and it will be shared

with partner ministries. The report will be published and disseminated in three languages and it

will be available online on MoWA’s and Promote website.

2.2.1 Recommend Solutions to Address Women’s Obstacles (policy, cultural, and

infrastructure) in the Workplace

During August and September, with MoWA, the project team agreed to develop a plan for the

launch of the Workplace Obstacles: Analysis and Recommendations report. By launching this

report, MoWA aims to inform other ministries about the obstacles women face in the ministries,

request ministries to eliminate the obstacles, and develop a plan to monitor the process. The

launch is planned for October 25, 2016. Prior to the launch, the project team will assist MoWA


in preparing for the event launch. MoWA agreed to publish and disseminate the report to the

public (e.g. in print and online).

2.2.2 Train Project Interns to Support Implementation of the Recommendations from the

GIRoA Partnership Assessment Report and the Workplace Obstacles: Analysis and

Recommendations Report

With the launch of the Workplace Obstacles: Analysis and Obstacles Report by MoWA, the

project will support MoWA in developing a follow-up mechanism for the recommendation part

of the report. Moreover, the project will apply the recommendations from the Workplace

Obstacles: Analysis and Recommendations Report and the Partnership Assessment Report to

train project interns. The training they will receive will support the implementation of the

recommendations from the GIRoA Partnership Assessment Report and the Workplace

Obstacles: Analysis and Recommendations Report. Interns will gain a deeper understanding of

the workplace obstacles in government and will work together with their mentors to gain support

and seek advice if they face any challenges during their practicum period or employment in the

future.

Project Result 3: Local Stakeholder Support for Women in Civil Service Increased

PIR 3.1: Plan to Communicate

with Individuals who may

Influence Public or Private

Opinions about Women in

Government Designed and

Implemented

The formative research completed

in Year 1 identified socio-cultural

and other barriers to women

working in government and the

tools and channels needed to

address those barriers through behavior change outreach and communication activities. Results

of the formative research has laid the groundwork for producing and broadcasting radio and

television series (and other media communications). The project has sought regular input and

vetting from the content advisory group on behavior change communication, such as scripts,

themes, messaging, and media options and has also collected continuous feedback from

viewers/listeners and shared this with the content advisory group.

To further inform media and outreach activities, a media habit survey was conducted to

determine trends in people’s media consumption. The survey reviewed people’s preferences

between TV and radio programming, different times of the day they are engaged in listening or

watching programs, and the types of programs they prefer to watch or listen to. Results of the

survey found no differences in people’s media habits based on gender and age, which means

messaging could resonate with audiences from all age groups and gender. However, there were

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

Radio series reviewed by CAG and aired

through Radio Azadi

Carried out multimedia internship recruitment

campaigns to attract internship applicants.

Developed Communications Strategy

Developed Champions Strategy


slight differences in media habits in the provinces. Respondents in Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Mazar

preferred both TV and radio programs, while respondents in Herat preferred only TV programs.

Respondents noted they watch TV on a daily basis and across provinces. Respondents also noted

their interest in women-focused programs. EA will work with local radio and television entities

identified through the media habit survey to maximize the reach and influence of the target

audience.

In addition to this, EA developed a Communications and Outreach and strategy for Component

3. The purpose of the Communications and Outreach Strategy is to clearly define the various

activities and outputs to reach the outreach and communications goals of the project. The

strategy outlines a number of activities and outputs to change the attitudes and behaviors of the

primary and secondary target groups and other project stakeholders, as identified in the gender

analysis. Additionally, the strategy includes relevant outreach templates for recurring outreach

and communications activities.

3.1.1 Hold Stakeholder Workshop

The Stakeholder workshop has been put on hold and will be evaluated for implementation in the

next quarter.

3.1.2 Establish and Convene a Content Advisory Group

The project team established and convened a Content Advisory Group (CAG) comprised of

government representatives from the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE),

and media representatives from the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), Radio Azadi, the

United States Institute of Peace (USIP), the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association, the United

Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Equal Access Afghanistan office. The group

meets to review the content of the weekly radio programs to ensure the content of the program

aligns with Islamic law and other national laws. During the second year of the project, the group

reviewed and finalized the scripts of the 18 episodes for the ongoing weekly radio program called

“One Village, a Thousand Voices.”

3.1.3 Create Interactive Feedback Loop

Since the beginning of the project’s radio program, the project team continues to receive

feedback on the topic discussion of the radio program series “One Village, a Thousand Voices”

from the listeners. Their feedback is received through the Facebook page of the Radio Azadi and

the IVR system and later discussed during CAG meetings to be considered during the design,

production, and implementation of radio program. The script writers address the listeners’

feedback while developing scripts for the radio program. The team created this mechanism for

continuous feedback, incorporating into the content development, thus ensuring messages are

timely, relevant, and culturally sensitive to address concerns, perceptions, and beliefs about

women’s contributions to the public sector. For summaries of the radio questions and

discussions, please refer to section 3.3.4


PIR 3.2: Champions for Women in Government Identified and Empowered

3.2.1 Develop and Implement Champions’ Strategy

The project partner Equal Access developed a champions’ strategy, which will identify, empower,

and reward female and male champions in government, promote male champions, and create an

award ceremony to acknowledge selected champions. The Champions’ Strategy aims to identify

and empower champions in government and increase their visibility as models for the positive

behavior change, reward champions through an awards ceremony to recognize their efforts,

create and strengthen a positive image of reformer and supports of women in government and

promote male champions through production of a series of change maker videos focused on men

working outside the government, scholars, religious, leaders, and fathers who support women’s

participation in the Afghan civil service. The strategy is now finalized and the team will begin

implementation it in year three of the project. The strategy recommends a mixed approach to

identify qualified champions. That is, individuals may nominate themselves or may be nominated

by another person or organization. This approach is useful for attracting large numbers of

applications from which qualified champions will be selected by the selection committee. A set of

criteria is also set for selecting champions. The project outreach and communications team also

met with the civil society networks and Musharikat to seek assistance for strategy development

and implementation, involving the champion identification and selection process. Both task orders

discussed how they could work in close collaboration on the implementation of this strategy,

especially by identifying women’s rights activists in its Issue Based Coalitions (IBCs) as potential

candidates for champions of the year. Musharikat can also support the project by informing

relevant people about the champions’ award, as well as circulating our champions’ related

announcements to their coalition members through their Musharikat Mobile Platform (MMP).

3.2.2 Identify and Empower and Reward Champions

After the finalization of the Champion’s Strategy, the project team will identify Deputy Ministers

and other senior staff who support women’s rights and will encourage them to set clear

expectations for their staff on how to treat women in the workplace. The project will provide

additional training, such as harassment-free workplace training, which will teach participants how

to identify, report, and address harassment in appropriate and culturally sensitive ways.

3.2.3 Promote Male Champions

No activities were undertaken this year. This activity is linked to 3.2.1 and 3.2.2 above.

PIR 3.3: Innovative Media Campaigns to Encourage Behavior Change Designed and

Supported

3.3.1 Identify Local Media Partners to Deliver Messaging

Project subcontractor Equal Access identified popular and relevant national and local media for

the internship recruitment campaign PSAs. Equal Access identified these media channels based

on their M&E findings, report recommendations for regional and Kabul-based communication

strategies, stations’ popularity, and coverage. Equal Access also considered the primary and


secondary target groups for the internship recruitment campaign in the provinces. EA team works

closely with the various media channels in provinces. The team having the experience based

information on radio channels, know the specific popular media in the relevant target provinces

and developed a list of those media channels. Based on their previous experiences and recent

research findings, Equal Access has developed a solid understanding of media channels and

communications tools used at the national and sub-national levels in Afghanistan.

3.3.2 Develop and Implement a Multimedia Campaign

With the findings from the GIRoA partnership assessment and gender analysis conducted under

Component 1, the communications and outreach team utilized EA’s experience developing

multimedia campaigns, conducting formative research, and integrating input from stakeholders to

create effective, customized content starting in Quarter 3.

The establishment of the multi-stakeholder Content

Advisory Group has also played a critical role in developing

appropriate outreach content. Through these multimedia

campaigns, the project has reached conservative and

progressive audiences, including potential interns, male and

female government employees, and the general public.

Campaign messages have aimed to break down stereotypes

about women, change behavior toward women, and

improve attitudes about women in government. To

gradually change the behaviors and attitudes about women

working outside the home, and particularly in government,

the project team works through multimedia campaigns such as the ongoing radio program and

the development of the champions’ strategy to recognize and award those supporting women’s

work. The team created an overall communications work plan for the contract period and

individual work plans for each media activity to ensure that all media activities are executed

smoothly and are aligned with Component 1 and 2 activities.

3.3.3 Broadcast Nationwide Radio and TV PSAs

The communications and outreach team produced radio and TV PSAs to recruit the pilot

interns as well as interns for Cohorts One to Five. The TV PSA was broadcasted in Dari and

Pashto through two popular TV stations (Tolo and 1TV channels). The radio PSAs were

broadcasted in Dari and Pashto through Arman FM. 98.1, Killid Radio, and Nawa Radio in

Kabul; and 23 local radio stations in targeted provinces Kabul, Baghlan, Samangan, Kunduz,

Bamyan, Balkh, Sarepul, Herat, Badghis, Farah, Ghor, Kapisa, and Parwan. For information

regarding the approach for identifying these TV and radio channels, please refer to 3.3.1.

3.3.4 Weekly Interactive Radio Series

The weekly radio series is an awareness-raising and behavior change activity that targets rural

communities to promote women’s work outside the home and to change negative perceptions

regarding women working in government. USAID Promote: Women in Government-related

topics were integrated into the ongoing weekly radio drama called “One Village, a Thousand

Voices (OVATV). The CAG functions to review the content and language of the radio program,

Tolo TV PSA


provide technical input, and approve before broadcasting. The CAG members include

representatives from the Supreme Court, Radio Azadi, BBC, Equal Access, MoHE, the United

Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and CSOs. During this reporting period, the project

produced and aired 18 episodes with different topics relevant to project objectives. For details

on the weekly radio programs, please refer to Annex I.

3.3.5 Conduct Workshops and Public Forums

While no specific activities were undertaken during

this reporting period, the project team identified

the activities and deliverables beginning under the

third Task Order of the project partner EA in

November 2016.

3.3.6 Conduct Media Trainings


this reporting period, the project team identified

the activities and deliverables beginning under the

third Task Order of the project partner EA in

November 2016.

PIR 3.4: Campaign to Recruit Interns Developed and Implemented

Project partner EA launched a multimedia internship recruitment campaign for cohorts one to

five in Kabul, Parwan, Kapisa, Baghlan, Samangan, Kunduz, Bamyan, Balkh, Sarepul, Herat,

Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces. The aim of the campaign was to raise awareness among

recent female university graduates and their families about the internship program.

Office of Provincial Council, Samangan Province


The internship recruitment efforts included developing and disseminating thousands of flyers in

Dari and Pashto, developing and broadcasting radio

and TV PSAs, and posting advertisements on the

ACBAR and Promote websites. Recruitment flyers

were posted at various governmental and non-

governmental organizations to reach various

audiences (see text box). During the reporting

period, the project disseminated 5,000 flyers for

cohort one, 5,000 for cohort two, and 24,000 for

cohorts three to six. The TV and radio PSAs were

also aired via Tolo TV and Radio Arman in Kabul,

Radio Najrab in Kapisa, and Radio Sulh in Parwan.

3.4.1 Identify Key Influencers and Messaging


this reporting period, the project team identified the

activities and deliverables beginning under the third

Task Order of the project partner EA in November

2016.

M&E Activities

Indicator Progress Summary - September 2015 to September 2016

Ind.

No.

Indicator Name Baseline Target

Life of

Project

Year 2

Target

Achievement Definition / Notes

1.4.1. Number of mentors

who report increased

capacity to manage

and mentor staff at

the conclusion of U.S.

government

supported

training/programming

(Output)

0 150 20 7 mentors

participated in U.S.

government

supported

training/programming

and reported

increased capacity to

manage and mentor

the 16 pilot interns

during their

practicum period”

and now are enabled to provide

constructive

feedback, mentor

interns and support

as required.

USAID Promote: Women in

Government will train a cadre of

mentors who work in

government ministries to

supervise, support, and guide the


Government interns. It is

assumed that these mentors will

work with 1-10 mentees in each

set of interns. This indicator will

measure the total number of

mentors who report following completing this training that they

feel they have gained an increased

ability to manage and mentor

their prospective mentors.

Internship recruitment flyers

disseminated and posted at:

Governmental and non-

governmental offices

CSOs

Public and private universities

DoWA and MoWA government

offices

Provincial governors’ offices and

provincial council offices

Independent Administrative

Reform and Civil Service

Commission

Governmental institutes for

teacher training

Public locations with high

visibility


1.4.2. Number of mentors

who participated in

professional

development growth

planning for their

interns at the

conclusion of mentor

training (Output)

0 150 20 6 mentors

participated in U.S.

government

supported training/

programming.


Government will train a cadre of

mentors who work in

government ministries to

supervise, support, and guide the


Government interns. It is

assumed that mentors will work

with multiple intern groups, and

with a 1:10 mentor/mentee ratio.

As part of the trainings, mentors

will be taught how to conduct

professional development growth

planning. Professional

development growth planning

refers to providing training and

resources to interns to

successfully attain their goals of

GIRoA employment

Following the end of the training,

a follow-up survey will be conducted to measure the

frequency of mentors utilizing the

professional development growth

planning process with their

assigned mentees.

3.4.1. Number of applicants for the internship

program who applied

due to exposure

through Women in

Government media

campaigns (Output)

0 50% 5% 4% This indicator measures the percentage of the interns in the


Government internship program

that were influenced to apply and

enroll in the program due to

exposure to the USAID Promote:

Women in Government media

campaigns.

Mentors’ Pre- and Post-test Data Collection: The M&E team conducted pre- and post-tests

of the mentors’ training. The team collected the data from seven mentors from different

ministries. The collected data responds directly to indicator 1.4.1. (Number of mentors who

report increased capacity to manage and mentor staff at the conclusion of USG-supported

training/programming). The team identified that 86 percent of mentors “strongly agreed” that the

mentors’ training session was relevant to their work. Analysis of the changes between the pre-

and post-tests showed that mentors increased their understanding of the concepts and principles

of mentoring, including how to apply the GROW Model of mentoring,1 an internationally

recognized framework used to guide mentoring sessions. For results of the pre- and post-test

data, please refer to the below exhibit 1 and 2:

Exhibit 1: Mentor’s Pre-test Results

Pre-test Statements Strongly

Agree Agree

Neither

Agree nor

Disagree

Disagree Strongly

Disagree

No

Response

1 The GROW model of mentoring and coaching involves four stages: 1) Goal setting; 2) Reality checking; 3)

Options; and 4) What is to be done?


1 I know what mentoring is. 0% 86% 0% 0% 0% 14%

2 I know what the GROW

Model of mentoring is. 0% 14% 43% 14% 29% 0%

3 I know what the principles of

mentoring are. 0% 71% 0% 29% 0% 0%

4 I know what key factors in

successful mentoring are. 29% 14% 43% 0% 14% 0%

5 I know what the effective use

of resources is. 14% 57% 29% 0% 0% 0%

6

I know what abilities are

required to work across

cultures.

14% 14% 29% 43% 0% 0%

7 I know what a mentor`s

responsibilities are. 28.5% 43% 28.5% 0% 0% 0%

8 I know what a mentee`s

responsibilities are. 28.5% 28.5% 14% 29% 0% 0%

9

I know what characteristics

successful mentors should

have.

0% 57% 14% 29% 0% 0%

Exhibit 2: Mentor’s Post-test Results

Pre-test Statements Strongly

Agree Agree

Neither

Agree

nor

Disagree

Disagree Strongly

Disagree

No

Response

1 I know what mentoring is.

86%

14%

0%

0%

0% 0%

2 I know what the GROW

Model of mentoring is.

71%

29%

0%

0%

0% 0%

3 I know what the principles of

mentoring are.

86%

14%

0%

0%

0% 0%

4 I know what the key factors in

successful mentoring are.

71%

29%

0%

0%

0% 0%

5 I know what the effective use

of resources is.

43%

57%

0%

0%

0% 0%

6

I know what abilities are

required to work across

cultures.

57%

43%

0%

0%

0% 0%

7 I know what mentor`s

responsibilities are.

86%

14%

0%

0%

0% 0%

8 I know what mentee`s

responsibilities are.

86%

14%

0%

0%

0% 0%

9

I know what characteristics

successful mentors should

have.

86%

14%

0%

0%

0% 0%


10

I learned from USAID

Promote: Women in

Government about the skills

to manage mentees' in my

Ministry/Agency

71%

29%

0%

0%

0%

0%

11

I feel more confident in

handling

responsibilities related to my

mentees

57%

43%

0%

0%

0%

0%

12

The training delivered by the


Government team was high

quality.

86%

14%

0%

0%

0%

0%

Activity Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (AMEP): The M&E team participated in the IDIQ

meeting to learn about the proposed new indicators for the project. The team is currently

reviewing the old project AMEP to identify its relevance and applicability and provide comments

in comparison with the current project indicators.

The M&E team is also working to identify a local M&E firm for the baseline and data collection

survey.

M&E Training: The M&E team conducted an orientation session on the fundamentals of M&E

for Component 1 and 2 team members. During the session, the team discussed the basics of M&E

and linked these fundamentals to project results. The team also reviewed and discussed the

project indicators in detail, helping the teams become more knowledgeable of the project

indicators. The team evaluated the training session at the USAID Promote: Women in

Government FY 2016, Quarter 3 Report. End and found that 88.9 percent of the participants

“strongly agreed” that the M&E training session was relevant to their work and 11.1 percent

“agreed.”


M&E Fundamental Training to 16 pilot interns: During the reporting period, the M&E team

also provided the M&E fundamental training to the 16 pilot interns to assist them with writing

their research projects after the completion of their practicum period. By attending this training,

the pilot interns learned how to identify and collect information on their research topic, analyze

data, and write up their research assignments.

Afghan Info Database: During the reporting period, the M&E team uploaded the fiscal year

2016 four quarters district spending data into the Afghan Info database. The team also oriented

the Component 1, 2, and 3 team members on Afghan Info data entry procedures. The project

team will document meetings and project activities in detail, including activity descriptions, start

and end dates, activity locations, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, etc. The team

uploaded data for the last six quarters of project activities for Components 1, 2, and 3 to the

Afghan Info Database. The Year 1 Annual Report and monthly progress reports from September

2015 to September 2016 were also uploaded to the system.

S# Statements Strongly

agree Agree

Neither

agree nor

disagree

Disagree Strongly

disagree

1

The M&E training session was

relevant to my work 88.90% 11.10% 0% 0% 0%

2

Now I have better understanding

of project M&E activities 77.80% 22.20% 0% 0% 0%

3

the M&E training session

increased my

knowledge/understanding about

project indicators 77.80% 22.20% 0% 0% 0%

4

The contents of the presentation

were useful 77.80% 22.20% 0% 0% 0%

5

The training facilitation meets my

expectations 77.80% 22.20% 0% 0% 0%

6

The M&E training session was

well-organized 77.80% 22.20% 0% 0% 0%

7

Duration of the session was

lengthy 33.30% 33.30% 33.30% 0% 0%

8

Duration of the session was

short 11.10% 22.20% 44.40% 22.20% 0%

9

Overall I am satisfied with this

M&E training session 100% 0% 0% 0% 0%


Planned Activities for Next Reporting Period

•Conduct Phase II of Gender Analysis

•Conduct Phase II of GIRoA Partnership Assessment Report

•Expand internship program to provinces

•Training Specialist will design and launch training and capacity building program

•Interns placement at partner ministries for practicum period

•Training Specialist will train mentors

Project Result 1: Women’s Entry into Decision –

Making Roles in Government Service

Facilitated

•Initiate MoUs

•Build relationships with relevant partner government staff

•Conduct Offeror's Conference

•Provide technical assistance to support policy reform measures

•Recommend solutions to address women’s obstacles

•Train USAID Promote: Women in Government interns to support implementation of the recommendations from the GIRoA Partnership Assessment and Workplace Obstacles Analysis and Recommendations.

•Finalize project Policy Reform Plan

Project Result 2: Hospitable Environment for Female

Staff in Government Encouraged

•Create interactive feedback loop to receive feedback on project outreach messeging

•Identify and empower champions

•Develop and implement a multimedia campaign

•Continue broadcasting nationwide radio and TV PSAs

•Interactive Radio Series

•Conduct workshops and public forums

•Conduct media trainings

•Continue developing and implementing campaign to recruit interns

•Identify key influencers and develop messaging

Project Result 3: Local Stakeholder Support for Women in Civil Service

Increased

• Develop a datasheet and begin data entry for indicator 1.1.1.

• Develop a financial budget for baseline RFP

•Collect the data of activities from 3 components for “Sit Section” of Afghan info Database.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Goal 1: A critical mass of women enter the Afghan

social and economic mainstream and influence

decision-making.


Annex I: Radio PSA Broadcast Schedule in 13 Provinces for Internship Recruitment

No Province

Name FM Station

16

Sep

17

Sep

18

Sep

19

Sep

20

Sep

21

Sep

22

Sep

23

Sep

Total

broadcast

Language: Dari & Pashto

1

Kabul

Arman x x x 4 4 4 2

x 14

2 Kilid x

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 28

3 Nawa x

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 28

4

Badghis

Nariman

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

5 Hanzala

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

6 Baghlan Adeeb

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

7

Balkh

Azad

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

8 Sutara

Sahar

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

9

Bamyan

Bamyaan

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

10 Paiwand

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

11

Farah

Faryaad

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

12 Dunya

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

13

Ghor

Sada e

Adalat

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

14 Feroz Ko

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

15 Hirat Ava

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14


16 Faryad

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

17

Kapisa

Sada e

Nejrab

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

18 Bahar

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

19

Kunduz Roshani

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x 14

20 Zohra 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

21

Parwan

Kahkashan

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

22 Dunya

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

23

Samangan Shahrwand

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 x

28

24 Rustam 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

25

SarePull

Sada e

Bano

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14

26 Bostan

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 x

14


Annex II: Project Success Stories:

Year 2015





Year 2016










Annex III. Environmental Monitoring and Compliance

The USAID Promote: Women in Government project’s activities within the Annual Report period

of performance fell largely under the Categorical Exclusion criteria per IEE OAPA-13-Oct-AFG-

0001 and its amendment OAPA-13-Jun-AFG0046. During the reporting period, the project’s

implementation under its three components complied with the IEEs’ Categorical Exclusion

Determination descriptions, as detailed below, per 22 CFR 216.2(c)(2)(i), (iii), (v) and (xiv).

The project is in the process of developing an Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan

(EMMP) to cover upcoming activities that fall under the category of Negative Determination with

Conditions.

Component 1: Women’s Internship Program

Relevant IEE Categorical Exclusion Activities

Activity 1. Training programs including business, vocational, women’s rights,

organizational and leadership training

Activity 2. Procurement of office equipment, lighting and heating systems, tables, desks,

chairs and stationary for Business/Employment Incubators and other program supported

start ups

Activity 3. Transportation and travel expenses, and stipends for women participants

Project Activities Implemented During the Reporting Period

Training of 127 interns in the five core functions of the Afghan civil service, along with

women’s empowerment training in coordination with the USAID Promote: Women’s

Leadership Development project.

Training of six civil service employees in the areas of communications, workplace

professionalism, and anti-harassment policies to build their capacity as mentors for interns

placed within their associated ministries.

For training of interns at the Afghan Civil Service Institute and Ministry of Rural

Rehabilitation and Development, the project procured chairs, tables, gas for heating

cylinders, and stationary.

Provision of monthly stipends to project interns for their participation in the internship

program.

Component 2: Policy and Research

Relevant IEE Categorical Exclusion Activity

Activity 5. Analyses, studies, research or project workshops and meetings intended to

develop the capacity of women participants


“Workplace Obstacles: Analysis and Recommendations” report to address women’s


barriers to entry in the civil service and policy solutions to increase the number of women

working in government.

Drafting of a “Champion’s Strategy” to identify male and female champions to support

women interns in the government and serve as positive models for behavioral change.

Regular meetings with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA)

ministry counterparts to discuss employment opportunities for the Pilot Cohort interns and

training space and resources for upcoming internship cohorts.

Component 3: Outreach and Communications

Relevant IEE Categorical Exclusion Activity

Activity 4. Document and information transfers


Internship recruitment campaigns in Kabul, Herat, and Balk provinces to recruit for

Cohorts Two, Three, Four, and Five. The recruitment campaigns included flyer

distribution, radio public service announcements, and television public service

announcements.

During the reporting period, the project conducted one activity listed in the Negative

Determination with Conditions category as described in the IEE: Procurement of $355 of fuel to

support the ministry facility where interns are trained. While no EMMP was developed for that

activity, the project ensured that the fuel was stored on sealed surfaces to prevent soil

contamination, containers used were designed and intended for fuel storage, and there was no risks

of groundwater contamination.

The Project will develop an EMMP to cover future project activities that may fall within the

Negative Determination with Conditions category.

Documents

USAID Promote: Women in Governmentpdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00MM1B.pdf · USAID Promote: Women in Government ... MoPW Ministry of Public Works . ... The project team launched its internship