Public space for women

A French NGO wants to renovate derelict land in the heart of the Afghan capital, Kabul and turn it into a public space for women, an official told IRIN on Tuesday. "We want to transform the park and provide local women with the recreational space and independence they deserve," the head of programmes for Action et developpement solidaires-international (ADSI) in Afghanistan, Alban L'houmeau, told IRIN in Kabul. Despite the fact that some women have gone back to work following the fall of the Taliban, many remain too scared to go out or to remove the all-enveloping burkas. Recreational facilities in Kabul are very basic and for women virtually non-existent. As part of the local authority-approved plans, 20 hectares of land in the Sharara district will be transformed. The complex will include a computer training centre, facilities for language lessons, a crèche and a theatre. "We want to encourage women to participate in the arts too, and hope to show films made by them," he said. Facilities for local Afghan women's NGOs are also being considered, and would comprise a post office, and Internet and telephone access once communication systems are re-established in the city. "This is the second stage of the project," L'houmeau explained. This is not the first time the patch of ground has been earmarked exclusively for women. Some 20 years ago, before the capital was rocked by war, the land was used as a picnic area for women meeting the mothers of prospective husbands. Local residents remember how it was also a spot where women gathered to discuss issues and even arrange marriages. Gul Nagar, a local resident, said: "We welcome this idea and I will certainly look forward to using the park when it is ready." Meanwhile, a widow who begs from the land said she was struggling to keep her family alive and offered to help rebuild the park by providing manual labour. In accordance with Afghan culture, the park will be sealed off by high walls so that women can relax in private. "We will also have a teashop of course, where women can sit and chat, something they have not been able to do in a very very long time," he stressed. "This is for the women of Kabul. It is empowerment." ADSI has been liaising with women's NGOs in the capital whose members have been described as being "very excited" about the idea. They have expressed an interest and want to help rebuild the park. "This is a start in reintegrating Afghan women into society," said one woman at the Ariana women's NGO in Kabul.