August 19, 2003 Vol. LV, No. 17 Story Landis Olden To Leave Directorship But Remain at NIH NIAID Program for Minorities a Success Thompson Addresses Children with Type 1 Diabetes NLM Launches Database on Safety of Everyday Products NCI Lecture Targets Summer Interns NIH Police Celebrate Risk Factors for Hip Replacement in Women |
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Drinker, Failed and Former Spy By Rich McManus
NIH Hosts Women Instructors from Afghanistan By Cynthia Delgado Most NIH employees are well educated. Our daughters, as well as our sons, attend some of the best schools in the nation. Women who are federal employees enjoy equal opportunity, quality health benefits and more. Indeed, of the roughly 19,000 current full-time NIH employees, 11,025 are women, according to the Office of Human Resources. But the women of Afghanistan have not been as fortunate as their American counterparts. Under Taliban repression, Afghan women were not allowed to obtain an education or work outside the home. They were denied access to health care and their daughters could not attend school. Year 2000 statistics (UNICEF) reveal that a mere 21 percent of women age 15 or over were literate; and, that one in every four children did not survive past the age of 5. Since liberation from the Taliban, the women of Afghanistan are struggling to rebuild their professional lives and educate their daughters. NIH and others are trying to help.M O R E . . . |