The military wants to know what they see. A first-of-its kind study into Afghan women has been launched by Canadian soldiers in conjunction with coalition forces throughout southern Afghanistan.

Aid groups and non-governmental organizations have focused on Afghan women’s needs for years, but for the military, the study is an example of the newest front in the war in Afghanistan: getting to actually know Afghans.

When it comes to women, the military knows little more than what they catch through a glimpse of a fabric-clad wraith gliding silently through war-torn villages and cities.

But Capt. Chelsea Braybrook believes it’s time to metaphorically lift that veil.

“If you look at why we are in Afghanistan, to promote the legitimacy of the government of Afghanistan, the group of people trying to take that legitimacy away are men,” said Braybrook, a Canadian.

“It’s most important to understand that group of fighting men first, followed by men at large as they are the biggest influencers in society. Then the logical next step is to move that understanding into women.”

The goal of the study is to examine what role women play in Afghanistan, in the context of understanding how women are affected by military operations and how they can play a role in keeping Afghanistan stable and secure.

It will be carried out by three soldiers and an analyst over the next year, part of what the military calls psy-ops, or psychological operations – the winning of trust and consent among the population.

Half the battle is trying to understand the population, the other half is trying to get the population to understand what the military is doing.

It’s an effort that’s attracted more attention in recent months.

Public affairs officers now routinely invite Afghan media to events and news conferences, and NATO runs its own Afghan newspaper staffed by local journalists.

the Canadian Provincial Reconstruction Team base outside Kandahar City, Afghan media are often invited for exclusive interviews with Canadian leaders or given access to projects and programs to which Canadian reporters are not invited.

But much of that reaches men only, and the Canadian military believe women have a role to play as well.

“Behind all of these men are women who can help eradicate the problems of the population itself,” said Capt. Michel Larocque of the Civil Military Co-operation Team.

“Illiteracy, poverty, these things can be improved through women.”

Braybrook, who works for Regional Command South, the designation given by the International Security Assistance Force to the six southern provinces of Afghanistan, is spearheading the study along with another Canadian soldier.

“(Women) are the ones raising the children, they are the ones who can have the most influence on the next generation,” said Annick. She asked that only her first name be used as she was among the soldiers from the 22nd Regiment in Quebec who received hate mail from opponents to the military’s work in Afghanistan before leaving for her tour.

“If we want to change the attitudes of the people, and I’m not talking about changing their values, but changing what they believe they can do, we need to start working with the women.”

Outreach to women is not something the military has been able to do with ease.

It’s a simple problem of gender. Male soldiers cannot approach women as they conduct their military and reconstruction campaigns throughout the country.

Even when female soldiers are out on patrol, they say it is hard to get women to come out and talk to them.

“Sometimes the men will come and ask me to speak with their women,” Annick said.

“But because I’m with a male translator, even then it is difficult.”

There aren’t enough female soldiers to do the kind of outreach that only they can do, Annick said, so a focused plan and study was needed to find another way around the problem.

Annick and Braybrook will work with a team of female soldiers and local women’s rights activists to try and reach the population.

“It’s a good sign that they are making an effort to learn,” said Rangina Hamidi, a prominent women’s activist in Kandahar, who is helping organize focus groups of women to meet with soldiers.

“But women are probably the most vulnerable group of people in society and don’t have much impact on decisions that influence security.”

Braybrook agrees, but says further study is important.

“Women are not well-understood,” she said.

“I’m not going to say that women are an important target audience here. I’m not going to say they have a lot of influence. But I am going to find out.”

In addition to focus groups, the military will also use the largescale outreach programs they run to reach women.

At recent medical clinics, hundreds of women arrived for treatment, giving Braybrook a rare chance to speak with them one-on-one.

She sat patiently outside the women’s waiting tent for hours, painstakingly gathering details on how women learned about the clinic, whether they knew about a large road-paving project in the area or just simple things on whether they listen to the radio and when.

“You can’t just ask someone about security or the insurgency,” said Braybrook.

“She doesn’t know me, why should she trust me? It’s about getting to figure out what’s important to them and not assuming.”

Sponsored by Barb Maslyk of Bears Oh My and Lisa Schnellinger of Baraka Photos, the show offered clothing, jewelry, and soap handmade in Afghanistan, as well as photos. All profits are donated to the school and news agency.

Many visitors stayed to ask questions about Afghanistan and to express their wish for peace, prosperity and freedom for its citizens. They were especially concerned about the future of girls and women, as well as the general stability and security in the country.

Because of the overwhelming interest, Bears Oh My will continue to offer Arghand soaps as a fundraiser for the school. The soaps sold out quickly during the benefit sale, and a new shipment arrives today.

Stunning embroidered traditional vests, lovely warm shawls and handcrafted lapis jewelry from Afghanistan have just arrived in North Georgia for the special event this weekend, “Love Goes Round the World.”

If you are looking for something to make yourself feel really special, or to give for Valentine’s Day – come to this sale and you’ll benefit Afghan children at the same time.

Bears Oh My and Baraka Photos are co-sponsoring this event Friday and Saturday, February 8 and 9, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The sale will include gift items imported from Afghanistan specially for Bears Oh My. All profits from these gift items will be sent directly to schools in Afghanistan.

Photography of Afghanistan as well as Big Canoe by Lisa Schnellinger, including her canvas prints and recent snow photos, will also be on sale. Her profits will be donated to Pajhwok Afghan News, a national public news service that she and her husband Tom Willard helped create.

Come and share your love!

On Feb. 8 and 9, Bears Oh My and Baraka Photos will sponsor a show and sale to benefit Afghanistan, “Love Goes ‘Round the World.” You can buy an Afghan gift that is beautifully unique and, at the same time, support schools and a public news service to educate children and adults in Afghanistan.

A wide range of handcrafted Afghan gifts will be on sale that weekend: natural herbal soaps, lapis jewelry, embroidered blouses and vests, traditional hats and wool scarves. ALL profit from these sales will be sent directly to schools in Afghanistan.

The soaps are hand-crafted at Arghand cooperative in southern Afghanistan, which was founded by former NPR reporter Sarah Chayes, recently featured in the Atlantic Monthly.

Photography showing off the beauty of Afghanistan will also be for sale, with images by Big Canoe resident Lisa Schnellinger / Baraka Photos and by the Afghan women and men who work for Pajhwok Afghan News, the country’s first independent news agency. All profit from the photo sales will go to support Pajhwok’s news services.

Schnellinger and her husband, Tom Willard, created and launched Pajhwok in 2004 as a national source of reliable news and information. The start-up was funded with US tax dollars (USAID), but the news agency has worked hard to become self-sufficient, Schnellinger said.

“Already Pajhwok gets half its operating costs from subscriptions, ads, photos, and donations. We’re trying to help them find new revenue sources so that they can be fully independent.”

(Pajhwok means “echo” or “reflection” in both Dari and Pashto, the national languages of Afghanistan. “Baraka” means “gift”, “blessing” or “divine essence” in several languages of the region.)

The next education project will be to build a roof on the library of a girl’s school in Logar Province, and pay to hire at least one new teacher.

Schnellinger’s sister and brother-in-law, who visited them in Kabul and became very attached to the country, offered to help rebuild the rural school when it was attacked and burned down.

The new school now has more than 800 pupils, some of whom walk 45 minutes each way to attend classes. Despite the dangers, “they will not stay away,” Schnellinger said. “They’ll do anything to get an education.”

Bears Oh My will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days of the sale.

We were so impressed with yesterday’s crowd at the “Window on Afghanistan” presentation in Big Canoe (North Georgia). By various counts we had 75 to 93 people – we even had people in the balcony.

The audience was very attentive and asked such great questions! If only all Americans were so concerned about the countries that we are involved in around the world… Two hours went so fast, we felt that we just scratched the surface.

If you have any questions that did not get answered at the presentation, just post them here as a comment and we’ll answer as soon as we can!

Thanks to all for coming to hear about Afghanistan. Stay tuned for more ways to learn about Afghanistan directly from its people.

Sponsored by Big Canoe Photographic Society. Friday Dec. 28, 3:30 – 5:30 pm,  at Big Canoe POA Lodge. Questions? Contact Lisa at 706-268-1899