AFGHANISTAN FUNDING

Throughout 2022, ICAN continued support and funding to WASL member organizations in Afghanistan as well as Afghan individuals in need. With legal advice, we navigated the complex international sanctions regimes, donor restrictions, and local dynamics to transfer funds safely and efficiently to our partners in Afghanistan.

$410,500

Women and Peace Studies Organization (WPSO) is a local peace-building organization active since 2012.The IPF has supported WPSO since 2018 through six grants. In 2021, despite the Taliban takeover, WPSO continued its work by facilitating self-help groups, skills learning sessions, and psychosocial support for women and girls. During this time, ICAN’s support to WPSO was continuous

In June 2022, Afghanistan’s southeastern region was hit by a strong earthquake that rattled over 10,000 homes. WPSO turned to ICAN and flagged the immediate needs of female-headed households, which were being sidelined because most of the aid workers were male and couldn’t enter the women’s homes. Trusting that women peacebuilders on the ground were in the best position to assess the risks and determine the best mitigation strategies,, we responded by mobilizing additional funds for WPSO to support these marginalized families.

More recently, in December 2022, the Taliban decree banning female staff from working in NGOs put WPSO in a compromising position. Instead of halting support, we immediately came together with WPSO and other Afghan partners to figure out how to sustain activities. After many consultations, WPSO shifted tactics and developed a new approach to continue operations and maintain its female staff and network of focal points.

“The relationship between WPSO and ICAN has not been that of a typical donor and grantee, but an equal partnership that flourished over the years. Despite many difficult days in Afghanistan, WPSO and ICAN have remained in constant communication, sharing needs and realities from the ground, and proposing solutions. ICAN is always by our side – valuing our expertise in Afghanistan and trusting our approach, while offering the institutional support, strategic guidance, and the solidarity we need to sustain our organization.”