Shuhada Organization is a non-profit and non-government organization committed to the welfare and progress of Afghan masses residing outside and inside Afghanistan, with special emphasis on the empowerment of women and children. Since it’s inception in 1989, the organization has been active in implementing health, education, construction, relief-distribution and income generation programs. At present, the organization operates four hospitals, twelve clinics and 60 schools in various areas of Afghanistan and among the refugee commmunities in Pakistan.

With the increasing prospects of peace and normality in Afghanistan, we hope that the Afghan government will be able to provide universal access to social services such as basic health care and education. Specifically, there is an urgent need for the establishment of reproductive health clinics throughout Afghanistan. Little attention if any has been paid to this need. Immense as the burden of poverty and insecurity has been, failing health has aggravated the situation for women and children. High fertility rates and failure to space births has been the cause of death among many pregnant women; and what’s more, mothers of poor health can only bear children with diminished physical and mental capabilities.

Afghanistan was a poor and under-developed country even prior to the onset of the Soviet invasion in 1978. The economy of the country has historically been sustained by agriculture practiced on only 13% of the land area. At least 70-80% of the already small arable land has been rendered useless by a combination of man made and natural disasters. Furthermore, the increase in population has meant that land holdings for families have been undercut drastically with each successive generation.

With such a backdrop, it is only to be expected that most of the population in Afghanistan will not be able to afford access to services that constitute their fundamental human rights: access to education and health services.

Needless to say, the dismal literacy rate is a major contributing factor to the violence and warfare in the country. Domestic as well as foreign agents easily manipulate different groups along ethnic and religious lines to promote their own agenda. This situation can be overcome by promoting universal literacy so that the population will be able to voice their concerns and be capable of formulating better plans for their future. Furthermore, higher literacy rates are essential to the success of any democratic government in Afghanistan.