Women in Afghanistan have limited access to education. Of the 3.7 million children out of school across the country, 60 percent are girls, according to the latest Survey of the Afghan People. Naraywal* was born in Kunar Province, but she moved to Nangarhar so she could attend a university as there were no higher education institutions in her home province.

In 2016, Naraywal graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from the Faculty of Law at Alfalah University, but with no work experience, she had trouble finding a job. She learned about USAID’s Women in Government internship program and enrolled. During the year-long program, she gained skills in project management, human resources, and finance. She did the three-month practicum portion of her internship with the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) in Nangarhar. According to Naraywal, “Women in Government equipped me with the skills and the work experience required to join the civil service.”

Upon graduating from the internship in Nangarhar, Naraywal wanted to continue working with the AGO to fight for women’s rights. There were no positions available in Nangarhar, but she was selected for a position as the Manager for the Prohibition of Violence Against Women with the AGO in Nuristan Province—a small and conservative province in eastern Afghanistan. Naraywal is now working in a Grade 3 position, one of the highest-ranking women in the civil service in Nuristan.

In her current role, Naraywal helps women and their families to resolve disputes through informal mediation and traditional dispute resolution mechanisms. She organizes women’s rights awareness sessions for the victims of gender-based violence. She provides legal advice, processes women’s case applications, and identifies legal solutions for women and children. “Nuristan’s AGO office now welcomes women to share their problems with a female advocate to identify proper solutions for the welfare of Nuristani women”.

*Name changed