ECSL

(ECSLs)


“I conducted my electoral campaign based on Afghan values and Islam – no big gatherings but instead by meeting with family elders and asking for their prayers. My message is based on education, health and economics, the development vision of former Afghan president Daoud Khan. Through this type of campaign and this message, I convinced people that democracy, if homegrown, is not against their values. In the process, people of all backgrounds, including youth, elders and women became multipliers of my message,” said 31-year-old Mr. Kamin, who was elected to Parliament representing Kandahar province based on the preliminary results announced by the Independent Elections Commission.

The (ECSLs) is a youth network of #136 Afghans (including ) that is supported by ’s , a six-year .

Mr. Gul Ahmad Kamin is one of six who ran in the parliamentary elections in October 2018.

Afghanistan’s Kuchi nomads are some of the most marginalized and vulnerable people in the country due to limited access to services, economic opportunities and security. Ms. Farzana Elham Kochai, a 26-year-old Kuchi of the Khishki subtribe, intends to change this now that she has been elected to Parliament, based on a preliminary result announced by the Independent Elections Commission. Ms. Kochai is one of six Emerging Civil Society Leaders (ECSLs) who participated in the parliamentary elections on October 20, 2018. “I would like to thank Counterpart’s ECSL program and for providing opportunities for us to build our capacities and to finally reach our dreams and goals,” said Ms. Kochai. There are currently 136 Afghans, including 54 women in the ECSL network.

On 26-28 February 2019, Counterpart International under the Afghan Civic Engagement Program (ACEP) organized a 3 days event on Election and On-going Peace Process topics for 65 individuals (25 women, 40 men) representatives from Emerging Civil Society Leaders and other Afghan Youth groups in Kabul. The program was aimed to build the capacity of the participants on the last election challenges, observations, Lessons learned, importance of the election, Electoral Cycle, role of women, media, civil society, disabilities in the election, campaign management and the role of youth and civil society on the on-going Peace process in Afghanistan.