Enthusiasm swept the French Medical Institute for Children as more than a hundred faculty and staff members celebrated the International Women’s Day on Saturday March 8, 2014. Out of 580 FMIC employees, 109 are women. The male to female ratio is 4:1 – considerably higher than the Afghan national average.
“We are very proud that we have female staff in every department of FMIC, starting from housekeepers, laboratory and radiology technicians to receptionists, nurses, doctors, pharmacists, administrators and head of departments,” said Dr Fakhria Younas, Chair, FMIC Women’s Group and Head of Department of Pharmacy, FMIC, during a special ceremony held to mark the day.
“I am thankful to all the female employees for their courage, hard work and marvelous contributions to the development and growth of the institution,” she added.
The ceremony was presided over by Her Excellency Mrs Nurjehan Mawani, Aga Khan Development Network Diplomatic Representative for Afghanistan, and FMIC’s senior management. In her keynote address, Mrs Mawani encouraged the FMIC staff to look forward, get higher education and balance personal and professional life.
Over the years, FMIC has achieved higher standards of performance from its female staff by providing ample opportunities for growth and development: scholarships are available for advanced studies while on-the-job training sessions and professional development activities are conducted on a regular basis.
The financial assistance offered has been availed by women working in various departments – at least four female staff have opted to pursue bachelor and master’s level education in business administration.
In a first for most Afghan workplaces, a day-care centre facility is available for women with young children. A women’s group is now actively working at FMIC leading these activities.
It is pertinent to mention that according to research conducted by the Asian Foundation in 2009, only 23.5 per cent of the population above 15 years old is literate in Afghanistan, while the rate for women is even worse at 12.6 per cent.
Female staffers expressed their appreciation of the conducive environment at FMIC and shared their views about the different roles they are playing at the institute. The attendees also emphasized the crucial roles women can play in the Afghan society.
The ceremony concluded with cake cutting and distribution of scarves to all female staff members.
