http://viewchange.org Videos from ViewChange.org (Filtered by topics: Women's rights in Afghanistan) en-us Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:35:00 +0000 Copyright 2011 Link Media, Inc. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/beyond-belief From the ruins of the World Trade Center to those of Kabul, Susan Retik and Patti Quigley embark on a journey of personal strength and international reconciliation. Through empowering Afghan widows whose lives have been ravaged by decades of war, poverty and oppression, they believe that peace can be forged one woman at a time. Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:35:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/beyond-belief Afghanistan, Gender, Kabul, Widow, Women in Afghanistan, Women's rights in Afghanistan, CARE, Cycle of poverty, Beyond the 11th, Poverty >> TITLE: There are 500,000 widows living in Afghanistan -- a result of 23 years of war. Only eight percent know how to read or write, and their average income is USD$16 per month, compared to USD$46 for male-headed households. >> PATTI QUIGLEY [9/11 widow]: Susan came to me with the idea of helping a widow. That was the original idea, helping a widow. If we can connect with two widows, that Susan and I could each help, that was the original idea. >> SUSAN RETIK [9/11 widow]: We realized very quickly that the amount of money that we were talking about could clearly help many more than just one woman, because the cost of living over there is so low compared to the United States. >> CLEMENTINA CANTONI [CARE Afghanistan]: It's been estimated that in Kabul alone, there are between thirty and fifty thousand widows. These women and their children are trapped in a cycle of poverty, because if children don't go to school, they have no future either. It's a vicious circle that keeps repeating itself. >> PATTI QUIGLEY: Clementina was the first person that we met that had actually been working in Afghanistan. >> CLEMENTINA CANTONI: What we propose to do with your grant is there are a number of women who've been participating in our poultry project and have received incubators. This has yielded really good results; the incubators are working, they are able to make healthy chicks that they can then sell or keep to make eggs. >> SUSAN RETIK: I would love to go to Afghanistan and really get a sense of these people and their culture. Right now, we're learning through reading books or newspaper articles, or speaking to people who have been there, or talking to people from Afghanistan. But until you can see it and feel it and smell it and taste it, I don't feel like we'll truly have a sense of the plight of these women. >> CLEMENTINA CANTONI: It's very difficult to give the flavor or a real picture of what it's like for a woman living in Afghanistan, whereas just one day touring our project would, I think, answer all the questions they could have. >> SIGN: Welcome to Kabul >> SIGN: CARE International in Afghanistan, Poultry Project, District 5 >> SUSAN RETIK: Thank you all for having us here. It's an honor and a privilege to finally meet you. I live in the United States, in Boston, which is near New York. >> WOMAN: You are Susan. We know you. You are like us. They describe to me, they're the people that gave us 15 chicks. We already know this. Thank you for coming here. >> SUSAN RETIK: That gives me chills. >> SUSAN RETIK: Most of the time, it feels to me like we raise a chunk of money, we give it to different organizations, who then help these women. >> PATTI QUIGLEY: How are they doing taking care of the chickens? >> SUSAN RETIK: But in fact, it is very specific what it is that we are giving to. Four hundred widows, to receive fifteen chicks, a certain amount of chicken feed. And those four hundred women are really four hundred women, which sounds so ridiculous, but part of me feels like it wasn't just "Oh, we're helping women in Afghanistan." We are helping these people in Afghanistan. >> SUSAN RETIK: Before we met you, we wanted to help you. Now that we've met you, we really want to help you. We will tell your stories when we go home, and we will let people know, and we will continue to help support you. We'll continue to work hard. >> SUSAN RETIK: It's not just a story; it's not just words. It's these people. Putting a face to the words is what makes it so powerful. >> PATTI QUIGLEY: A lot of what we've talked about with the media this week and with the women is about 9/11, and I don't want to be there anymore. I want to talk about the women, and what they need. That also has become clear to me, I can still get that message across, that these women need a lot of help, and it doesn't really matter what happened to me. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ferishta-a-voice-from-afghanistan Driven from her homeland by the Taliban and forced to flee to Pakistan when she was 17, Ferishta is one of a growing number of women taking part in rebuilding Afghanistan through small businesses that promote gender equality. Find out how she has overcome these odds to start a thriving sports ball company. Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:54:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ferishta-a-voice-from-afghanistan Afghanistan, Women in Afghanistan, Taliban treatment of women, Gender, Women's rights in Afghanistan, ViewChange Online Film Contest, Taliban, Change Makers, Entrepreneurship >> TITLE: In Afghanistan, women are working to rise from poverty and gender discrimination. They do this even with daily reminders that the Taliban is still present. One such woman is Ferishta, who, in Mazar-e Sharif, is rebuilding not only her life but the lives of others.>> TITLE: Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan>> TITLE: Ferishta: A Voice From Afghanistan>> FERISHTA: Like this is the ball she has printed. She does the printing on them. And also, we have the name of Balkh. Balkh is the province. One of the province in the north.>> INTERVIEWER: They're nice. They're like really sturdy.>> GIRL: They're nice.>> INTERVIEWER: They're nice>> GIRL: They're nice.>> FERISHTA: These are all the printings that has been done by Asina.>> INTERVIEWER: These?>> FERISHTA: Yeah, all of these printings, they have been done by her. She's very good at printing and also preparing sample balls. Made by Afghan women.>> INTERVIEWER: That's awesome.>> FERISHTA: I know. >> TITLE: Asina, one of Ferishta's employees.>> FERISHTA: I run a small company producing soccer ball. I have twenty employees, men and women. You know that in Afghanistan sometimes people think that it's very difficult, especially for women, to do anything, and I also had the same idea, but after starting my own business I feel so much happier. I feel encouraged and I feel very powerful that, okay, as an Afghan woman I am also able to do something. And I'm sure that one day I can compete with other businesses. My daughter also likes playing with soccer ball.>> INTERVIEWER: Yeah, you think she'll become a soccer player?>> FERISHTA: Yeah. She can. It is difficult to manage business, work and also take care of the baby. Especially when she when she was very young, like two, three months?it was very difficult to leave her at home and go for work all the day, but I manage because it's not just the case with me, it's with everyone. Every working mother has the same problem.>> INTERVIEWER: Do you think things are getting better for women in Afghanistan?>> FERISHTA: I think so. Since the collapse of Taliban there have been quite significant changes and we are happy with that. It takes time because a country cannot be built in one or two day or one or two years. For building a country, it's not the responsibility of only men. It's the responsibility of every individual to just contribute to the economical growth of the country. When the Taliban came, I was 17. We went to Pakistan, Karachi city. We lived there for almost seven years. It was very difficult being a refugee and we had to live in poverty. When we came back we had to start our life from zero. It was very difficult, but still we are happy that we've gone back to our own country.>> TITLE: Today Ferishta is one of a struggling but growing number or female entrepreneurs in Afghanistan. She employs men and women, who like herself, were refugees in Pakistan and have since returned home.