Cultural Appropriateness
One of the lessons PARSA has learned through its years of service is that in order for a program to become sustainable, the rationale for its existence must be woven into the existing values of the Afghan people. It must become “theirs” in such a way that even when the foreigners and their money are gone, it will persist because it is reinforced by
6 Proposal, p. 4.
their own cultural stories or ideals. This understanding is clearly evident in the design of the Healthy Afghan Girl Program.
Cultural Connection: A familiar concept in Afghan culture is that of the “Paadar-i-Manawee” or “Maadar-i-Manawee.” This is an adult of the same sex as the child, other than the mother or father, who takes a special interest in the child and serves as a mentor, helper, and guide for the child. It may be an aunt, an uncle or an unrelated trusted adult. Sometimes a beloved and respected teacher takes on the role of a “Paadar-i-Manawee.”
PARSA has built the Healthy Afghan Girl Program upon this theme from Afghan culture, working to train female Afghan teachers to take on the “Maadar-i-Manawee” role with ten girls, spending an hour and a half each day after school working with these children. They are encouraged to learn about each girl as an individual and develop a personalized training program to meet their psychosocial needs.

Focusing: Another cultural understanding exhibited by this program relates to how psychosocial issues are addressed in the groups. Sharing one’s problems and struggles with others is not something done among Afghans. Rather, such issues are carefully guarded for fear of others finding out and using that knowledge against those having the problems. There is a high level of suspicion even among friends and close acquaintances. Rather than seeking to counter this strong cultural tendency, PARSA has adopted a method of dealing with painful emotions and feelings which does not require participants to share their stories. This method, called Focusing, has proven to be effective in the Afghan context and its use in the Healthy Afghan Girl Program offers a culturally viable way for girls and their teachers to begin to address psychosocial issues in their lives.
Nancy Newbrander