In Celebration of International Women's Day
The theme for International Women's Day 2010 is "Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all."
Today, on International Women’s Day we stand in solidarity with our international partners who are improving access to education, health care, and employment for thousands of women and girls around the world. In celebration of this day, ProLiteracy would like to highlight Nasrine Gross, a woman who dedicated her life to improving the rights of Afghan women.
Nasrine Gross moved to the United States in 1971, from Afghanistan where she was born and educated. Today, she is the founder of the Roqia Center in Kabul and the US based non-profit, Kabultec. It is estimated that today 90% of women in Afghanistan are illiterate. The Roqia Center has developed an innovative literacy program for couples in some of Kabul’s poorest neighborhoods. Attending class often means being in the same room with other men and women not of their own family—with the women’s faces uncovered—for the first time in their lives. Every class includes people of ethnic backgrounds that have historically been in conflict with one another. Bringing couples together outside the home is a powerful way to promote overall change in the community. Women and men assist each other while participating in a three-year literacy program. The program encourages couples to not only attend structured classes together but also practice together at home.
In 2008 Nasrine Gross won the Purpose Prize Award. The following video demonstrates the work of Roquia Center and the outstanding contribution Nasrine Gross has made to the lives of women in Afghanistan.
Today, on International Women’s Day we stand in solidarity with our international partners who are improving access to education, health care, and employment for thousands of women and girls around the world. In celebration of this day, ProLiteracy would like to highlight Nasrine Gross, a woman who dedicated her life to improving the rights of Afghan women.
Nasrine Gross moved to the United States in 1971, from Afghanistan where she was born and educated. Today, she is the founder of the Roqia Center in Kabul and the US based non-profit, Kabultec. It is estimated that today 90% of women in Afghanistan are illiterate. The Roqia Center has developed an innovative literacy program for couples in some of Kabul’s poorest neighborhoods. Attending class often means being in the same room with other men and women not of their own family—with the women’s faces uncovered—for the first time in their lives. Every class includes people of ethnic backgrounds that have historically been in conflict with one another. Bringing couples together outside the home is a powerful way to promote overall change in the community. Women and men assist each other while participating in a three-year literacy program. The program encourages couples to not only attend structured classes together but also practice together at home.
In 2008 Nasrine Gross won the Purpose Prize Award. The following video demonstrates the work of Roquia Center and the outstanding contribution Nasrine Gross has made to the lives of women in Afghanistan.
Nasrine Gross is an inspirational person
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