Over a month after Bamyan Governor Habiba Sarabi and MP Masouda Karokhi were given prestigious awards for their work in the field of governance, peace building and women's empowerment in Afghanistan, Hassan Bano Ghazanfar, the Minister of Women Affairs, celebrated their success at the Ministry of Women Affairs (MoWA) on Wednesday.
Ms. Sarabi, the first and only female governor in Afghanistan, was awarded the 2013 Ramon Magsaysay Award – often considered Asia's version of the Nobel Prize – back in July in recognition of her work to improve local governance in Bamyan and efforts to defend women's rights and promote education.
Later in the same month, Ms. Karokhi was awarded the 2013 N-Peace Award by the N-Peace Network – jointly sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Search for Common Ground – and distinguished from a large group of Afghan nominees for her unwavering resolve as a women's activist since before the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
Ms. Ghazanfar used the ceremony at the Ministry on Wednesday as an opportunity to cast the spotlight on what she considered significant progress in the conditions of women in Afghanistan.
"The world sees we are doing good work, especially in governance, which is a major part of the country," said Ghazanfar. "Women are shining and winning awards."
The award-winners were given the chance to speak as well. Ms Sarabi emphasized that the award was more important than a salary for women like her.
"We should not work only for money," said Sarabi. "When you win an award for good work, you are be proud and happy that an Afghan woman can win an award for Asian or political women."
A number of other candidates from Afghanistan were nominated for the N-Peace Award other than Ms. Karokhi who ultimately tool the prize. These included Shukria Barakzai, Seema Ghani, Amina Mustaqim, Farzana Mansoori, Mosa Sherzada Hassan, Lida Naderi Hedayat, Jamila Afghani, Samira Hamidi, Azra Jafari and Najia Shamim.
In addition to Ms. Farokhi, MP Farkhunda Zahra Naderi, a winner of the N-Peace Award in 2012, also attended the ceremony on Wednesday.
"If we Afghans work hand-in-hand, we will successfully meet the challenges that 2014 will bring," said Ms. Naderi. "We can bring massive changes in the region and the world."