Like everywhere in the world, women in Central Asia work just as hard as the men in their families. Yet rarely do they get paid for their labor. In Afghanistan, for example, only 20% of women earn an income despite comprising half the population.
Central Asia Institute supports literacy and vocational centers where women who’ve been left out of the education system can learn basic literacy and math. The results are life-changing.
For the first time in their lives, these women can fully participate in the world around them. They can read the signs that direct them to markets, the newspapers that provide updates on their country’s most important issues, and the constitution that gives them their rights as citizens.
In addition to learning basic literacy and numeracy, these centers provide skills-training to improve a woman’s chance of producing income for her family. In the same way that literacy empowers and inspires women, so, too, can sewing, weaving, and knitting.
These centers also educate women on health, sanitation, nutrition, money management, and other life skills— all crucial functions that enrich and improve their and their families’ lives.
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