Integrating Gender
Young Muslim girls in India learn computer skills at Madina-tul-uloom Madrasa in Musheerabad.
(Photo: Anita Khemka)
ASIA BUREAU GENDER PROGRAMS
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
CONTACTS
Audra A. Degesys
Asia and the Middle East
Tel: (202) 712-5332
Email: adegesys@usaid.gov Overview
In Asia, women continue to face obstacles to obtaining an education and often restricted from full economic and political participation. To help ensure that our development investments benefit all of society, USAID incorporates a gender focus in all of its programs in the region.
Programs
Increasing Academic Opportunities
USAID's programs are designed to expand access to quality basic and higher education for girls and women. In Pakistan, USAID sponsors higher education scholarships that give women an opportunity to pursue university degrees. More than 730 female students have received scholarships to pursue degrees in Pakistan and the United States. USAID currently supports a university partnership between California State University and two Pakistani female universities, Fatima Jinnah and Sardar Bahadur Khan.
Supporting Economic and Societal Participation
In Afghanistan, USAID has launched a $27 million rapid-response grant program to empower Afghan women-led non-governmental organizations at the local level to serve their fellow citizens by providing them with training and support for programs, including economic development, literacy, skills training, and health care.
In Timor-Leste, a USAID-supported private sector development project includes a financial services component that expands access to finance among Timor-Leste's entrepreneurs, many of whom are women who manage microenterprises. In 2007, USAID-supported microfinance institutions had nearly 27,000 clients, of whom, more than 20,000 were women.
Combating Gender-Based Violence and Trafficking
Gender-based violence and human trafficking stand in the way of development in many parts of Asia. The Asia-wide MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) campaign, funded by USAID, uses celebrity music videos, film shorts, concert specials, and public service announcements to make young people throughout Asia more aware of the dangers of trafficking. The campaign has reached more than 20 million people since 2007.
Increasing Access to Health Services
In Nepal, a USAID-supported model to improve reproductive health among married adolescents has shown very positive results: the median age of marriage rose from 14 to 16 years and the percentage of married adolescents visiting government health facilities increased from 36 percent in 2005 to 42 percent in 2007. Based on this success, USAID will replicate this model in Bangladesh, in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MOH). Since September 2007, 330 MOH staff and service providers have been trained in family planning and reproductive health issues and services for young married couples.
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