After years of fear and brutality, Afghan women are stepping out of the shadows to enter the government, exercise their right to vote and be active members of their communities.

The National Solidarity Program is helping people in communities throughout the country learn to plan, manage, and monitor their own reconstruction and development projects. USAID and other donors have helped establish 1,050 Community Development Councils across Afghanistan. As seen in these photos, members of the Councils are elected through secret ballot. The Councils then work with their communities to decide how the grant money will be spent. This process will form the basis for cooperation within and among communities, and between the communities and the local government. Perhaps most importantly, it provides the women in Afghanistan the opportunity to help plan their communities' future. Photos: Barbara Rodey/USAID

Women played an active role in drafting a new constitution for Afghanistan. They are starting and joining advocacy groups to demand better policies and support for women and girls throughout the country.

With an urgent need to create a governing body in the wake of the Taliban's demise, a governing council called the emergency Loya Jirga was established. Women delegates to the Loya Jirga played an important role in electing the transitional government that has given Afghanistan the relative stability it enjoys today.

This conference organized by Afghan women's non-governmental organizations focused on human rights, women's rights, the constitution, elections and potential candidates for the Constitutional Loya Jirga. This was the first of 140 workshop and discussion groups planned in Kapisa and Wardak provinces. Photo: IOM-ATI Staff-

Provincial women's centers are being built throughout the country, particularly in rural areas that lack places for women to meet. As in this photo, both men and women take part in the planning of the center. Photo: IOM-ATI Staff