What if, rather than merely studying an issue for four months, students could help move the needle on some of the world’s intractable challenges? Women Forward International’s support will allow us to do just that. As students at Georgetown University’s Master of Science in Foreign Service program, we will be working with Women Activities and Social Services Association (WASSA) to create strategic recommendations to promote the involvement of Afghan women in the peace process. These recommendations will be based on the Afghan experience by drawing on the role of Afghan women in politics since 2001 and account for the WASSA’s unique resources and in-country activities.
The opportunity to meet with Afghan women, WASSA representatives, and scholars will further inform our work. For many of us, this will be the first time we have studied Afghanistan in-depth. It is an incredible opportunity to create recommendations that reflect the priorities and challenges of the women we are seeking to support. Instead of seeing students as the future of change, Women Forward International understands that graduate students are uniquely positioned to drive today’s policy decisions. WFI’s visionary model of experiential learning is changing the game for graduate education in international affairs, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.