The Assistance to Defend Women Rights Organization (ADWRO) works to bring about positive changes in women’s lives in Afghanistan by providing legal awareness, capacity-building and free legal services to women.
ADWRO’s strategic aims are to:
- Foster public awareness of women’s rights through engaging local and international media;
- Provide social services such as education, income generation and health programmes for women;
- Provide legal aid to female victims of violence;
- Liaise with key national and international stakeholders in order to coordinate conflict resolution efforts in Afghanistan;
- Build the capacity of civil society organisations to advocate for a society that is equitable to all; and
- Conduct campaigns to advocate for a national and community-level policy in order to bring improvements in the lives of women in Afghanistan.
Activities
Civil Society Strengthening Program
ADWRO's Civil Society Strengthening program offers capacity building interventions, not only training but providing assistance in areas of expertise. ADWRO offers services such as training, technical assistance, and a resource library.
Advocacy
Advocacy is a core program of ADWRO. The organisation targets both men and women to advance their citizenry rights. They have established one of the first radio stations for women (Radio Rabia Balkhi), provided legal assistance to women, hosted TV round tables engaging Ulemas and Human Rights activists, and provided women rights legal literacy for more than 5,000 School Teachers, School Students, and Mullahs/Religious Leaders, in order to reduce range of violence against women in Northern provinces of Afghanistan.
Legal Clinic
To improve women’s access to justice, ADWRO has a legal clinic that provides women legal assistance. ADWRO also has a training centre that provides capacity building programs for girls and boys who have recently graduated from university.