Assisting Afghan women
by Staff Sgt. Brandon Pomrenke ISAF
BAGRAM, Afghanistan – Female U.S. Army soldiers and one Marine began their in-depth look into the intricacies of working with Afghan women during Female Engagement Team training March 7 at Bagram Air Field.
The weeklong course introduces these service members to a new, complex type of communication. Because of local traditions and cultural sensitivities, it often takes a careful juggling act involving accomplishing the mission, following local traditions and keeping safe.
One purpose of the FET is to help Afghans accomplish their personal goals. While it may seem an after thought or a secondary mission, Afghan women are an integral part of society. Helping them reach their goals may add extra value to their villages and families, too.
Empowering Afghan women, while an important mission, can lead to dangerous grounds for both Afghans and the female troops involved.
Allowing Afghan women to make their own decisions will empower them even further. However, FET personnel will also learn the difference between helping the women and causing them to come under scrutiny by their fellow Afghans.
To help the students better learn to work with Afghan females, they visited the Egyptian Field Hospital at Bagram Air Field for their literacy program to celebrate International Women’s Day.
The students worked with children learning the letter “Y” by coloring and practicing their speech. Some of the children also wanted to learn some more basic math, so the female students used practical exercise and games to help them along.
While some of the experiences are fun, the students are also told of some dangers of being in more austere areas as females.
“I think it’s good to get an understanding of the culture of being a female in Afghanistan,” said Sgt. 1st Class Crystie Somero, the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion, S-1 noncommissioned officer in charge.
“With a large female population in Afghanistan, we need to understand female roles, so we can assist them in their focus.”
For some women the focus is survival, for others it is their families. Many want an education and a career but for some, it is all of the above. Completing the course will allow female coalition troops to better realize how to help their Afghan counterparts in everyday situations.
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