Grandmothers for the greater good

Twenty-two-year-old Hanifa* spends most of her days at home, taking care of her children and doing housework. This is how her mother-in-law likes it.

“Traditionally, the mother-in-law forces us to stay at home. Sometimes they don’t even allow us to go to a clinic for check-ups or vaccinations. When I was a little girl, I watched my mother do the same to my brothers’ wives. It has always been like this,” explains Hanifa.

As a young mother, Hanifa feels the weight of these cultural constraints in her home, her community, and her country. Her mother-in-law does not allow her to leave the house when she wants, even to get critical services and information for the well-being of her two young children. The restrictions from Hanifa’s mother-in-law are exacerbated by those imposed by Afghanistan’s de facto authorities, restricting girls’ and women’s education, women’s employment, and movement outside the home.

Older women – grandmothers like Hanifa’s mother-in-law – are often exempted from these restrictions. Many move freely in their communities without seeking permission from their husbands, brothers or fathers. Grandmothers are seen as a trusted source of wisdom in most communities.

Leveraging grandmothers’ uniquely influential position in Afghan culture, UNICEF, with support from Germany through the KfW Development Bank, has established 143 grandmother groups across the country. The grandmothers who lead these groups have been trained to help change attitudes and behaviours that affect the health and nutrition of children and young mothers.  

Masoma is one of these leaders. She is a grandmother and a retired public-school teacher in northern Afghanistan, leading two or three sessions each week for mothers in her community. Through these mothers, she reaches about 80 families.  

Some of the mothers are young, like Hanifa, and have limited access to alternative sources of trusted information. But many of the mothers are older, like herself, and like Hanifa’s mother-in-law.

Each week, Masoma educates young mothers about good hygiene, the importance of regular check-ups for both mothers and babies, how to maintain a healthy diet while pregnant, breastfeeding techniques, and what to feed young children. She reminds them of the vaccines required to protect their children and themselves from diseases.

Masoma also speaks to her fellow grandmothers – the mothers-in-law – to help them understand what is needed to raise healthy children, even if it challenges their traditional understanding of a woman’s role.

Hanifa says she has learnt a lot since attending Masoma’s sessions and that her mother-in-law is more supportive, too.

“I am happy with what the grandmother group is doing. I now have a voice and I have learnt so much about what to feed my children,” she says.

“When grandmothers speak to our mothers-in-law, they listen. I now see some mothers-in-law taking their daughters-in-law to the hospital. This is good.” 

_{*Hanifa’s name has been changed to protect her identity.}