“I once visited a poor rural village in northern Afghanistan, and as I interacted with the children there, one little boy who saw the work we do said to me: ‘My dream is to have food, go to school and have everything in my community!’” says Nazoana,* who shares the same dream.
Nazoana is in a leadership position with an international NGO (INGO). Almost 10 years ago, she completed her bachelor’s degree in computer science and found a job as a social worker with the INGO. But for her, it has never been “just a job.” At the time, her job entailed working closely with communities, from teachers to children and their parents, almost always taking on child protection cases. She chanced upon the position given that she had completed her studies and there wasn’t much room for Afghan women in information technology – her chosen profession.After a year, Nazoana moved to an administrative role at a national NGO focusing on rural women’s activities. This led her back to the INGO she began her career with a decade ago, but this time as a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Officer, from which she progressed to her current leadership role.Nazoana has experienced considerable upheaval and change in Afghanistan over the past few years, but she tries to retain a positive, can-do attitude. Following the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Nazoana supported her female colleagues by transitioning their functions from office based to remote for a period. This enabled them to keep their jobs. But following regular and effective engagement with the de facto authorities, Nazoana secured the ability for her national female staff to work from both the office and the field. This ensured their continued access to affected communities, including women and girls.
![A woman wearing an OCHA vest talks to men standing outside a house.](https://www.unocha.org/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_50/public/2024-02/AFG_Nov2019_UNOCHA-03642.jpg)