Gulshan* is from a conservative family in Ghazni province. In 2012, after she finished high school and passed the kankor, or university entrance exam, she decided that she wanted to pursue higher education in Kabul. She hoped to live independently and pursue a career that would allow her to support herself.

Initially, her family was hesitant to allow her to move to Kabul by herself. Like many families, they feared the challenges that she would face living alone as a young woman, but she was not discouraged. She ultimately convinced her family, and in 2013 she moved to Kabul to get a degree in Social Science at Kabul University.

After graduating from Kabul University in 2016, she heard about another great opportunity from her roommate--USAID’s Women in Government (WIG) internship program. She completed the year-long internship program with the goal of finding a job in the government. According to Gulshan, “WIG taught me professionalism, interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively in the office.”

During her internship, she never gave up on her goal of being self-reliant and having the capacity to support her family. With WIG’s support, she was on a career path leading straight to achieving her objective! “During my practicum [with the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission (IARCSC)], I learned computer skills that added value to my skillset; which resulted in a job at the Ministry of Public Works (MoPW), Human Resources Department.”

In her current role at the MoPW, she is financially self-sufficient and building her professional experience. She remains committed to pursuing a career in government, even after surviving a terrorist attack at the MoPW in December 2018. Currently Gulshan is supporting her sister, who recently moved to Kabul to continue her education. Gulshan is an independent and self-supporting woman; who works to empower her sisters by setting a positive example.

WIG aims to train over 3,000 female interns for government careers. As of February 2019, the project has enrolled over 3,900 interns in the year-long training program and helped 680 women secure employment.

*Name changed to protect identity.