The lives of Afghan women
Photographer Paula Lerner takes a look at the day-to-day lives of women in Afghanistan
A little girl gets caught in the crush of women waiting to receive gifts sponsored by USAID in honour of International Women's Day in Kandahar City. With resources in short supply, women jostle each other to make sure they get their share.Paula Lerner
A woman wearing a burka and holding her baby joins hundreds of others to pray for peace to commemorate International Women's Day in Kandahar City, one of the most volatile parts of Afghanistan. Despite the overwhelmingly female presence in the room, she wears a burka to protect her identity from the small number of men and members of the media in attendance.Paula Lerner
After an event at the Governor's Palace commemorating International Women's Day, hundreds of women press in while waiting to receive gifts sponsored by USAID. In Kandahar a public gathering of this many women in one place is an unusual occurrence, and many remain fully covered by their burkas due to the presence of a few men.Paula Lerner
Teenage girls attend an event to pray for peace to commemorate International Women's Day in Kandahar City, one of the most volatile parts of Afghanistan. In a region where women seldom leave home for any reason, a public gathering like this one of hundreds of women is unusual and attests to their strong wish to advocate for peace.Paula Lerner
A group of women gather to play drums and sing traditional Pashto songs that are sung at weddings and other social gatherings. Socializing is strictly limited to same-sex contact, and the only men most women interact with are their husbands or close family members.Paula Lerner
A woman checks herself out in a mirror after getting her eyebrows and makeup done at a beauty shop in preparation for a Naw Rooz (Persian New Year) celebration later that day. When she goes out on the street, her beauty shop embellishments will be hidden under her burka until she gets to the party and uncovers herself within the host's compound. Her face has been blurred to protect her identity.Paula Lerner
A woman gets her makeup done at a beauty shop in preparation for a Naw Rooz (Persian New Year) celebration later that day. Despite having to hide her beauty shop embellishments under a burka when she goes out on the street, her appearance at the festive event is important to her. Photo: Paula Lerner/Aurora PhotosPaula Lerner
Women don burkas on their way out the door. Although many women in Kandahar do not often venture outside their home compound walls, on the rare occasion when they do they cover from head to toe.Paula Lerner
A breeze blows the cloth intended to keep out dust during a Koran class taught in the home. With her strong singing voice to guide them, this woman teaches her children the prayers and how to chant them.Paula Lerner
A woman and one of her daughters stand in their courtyard to remove their shoes before entering their mud-walled house. Many Kandahari women rarely leave home and live most of their lives within the confines of their compound walls.Copyright © Paula Lerner
A young woman makes the daily bread for her family in the traditional way. Due to their conservative culture, many Kandahari women rarely leave home and live most of their lives within the confines of their compound walls. Their lives have changed little since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.Paula Lerner
Shaima dries laundry in her courtyard on a Friday day off. As a rare woman working outside the home as a school principal, she has to get her household chores done on the Muslim weekend.Paula Lerner
A woman prepares to leave her courtyard and go out on the street dressed in an all-covering garment called a chaderi. Due to the conservative culture in Kandahar, women past puberty often do not go out on the street at all, but when they do they wear chaderis or burkas to completely cover themselves. After the fall of the Taliban, this woman was able to attend university classes in Kandahar, but was required to wear this garment in the classroom and at all times on campus.Paula Lerner
Two girls work on reading their prayers and learning to chant the Koran at home. With an overall literacy rate in Afghanistan of only 28 per cent and an even lower rate among women, simply learning to read is a significant accomplishment for these girls.Paula Lerner
When she took her job, Shaima (centre) was the lone female high-school principal in the city of Kandahar, where she teaches in addition to doing administrative work. In a region where the education of girls is controversial and can bring threats of violence, Shaima keeps a low profile as she goes about her job.Copyright (c) Paula Lerner