I can't start without thanking Dr. Bennett, because she has been a long friend of Afghan women, and she stood beside us while we were struggling under the Taliban. Thank you for that.
Thank you for your question. In terms of how to use the money efficiently and effectively, some of the money that goes to constructing roads and big projects, a big chunk—I'm not talking really about Canada, I'm talking about the international community—goes back to the country in terms of contracting with the companies. Also, in terms of some projects that go through UN bodies in Afghanistan, the cost for administration is too high. Also, for most of the projects that are in Afghanistan, they are decided from the top to the bottom. It terms of being more efficient and meeting the needs of the grassroots women, it has to come from the bottom to the top.
I have not been funded. Our organization is not funded by any government body. We raise our own funding, but I know that with a little money there could be a big change if the real needs of the women or the people on the ground were really evaluated in consultation with grassroots organizations.
Women's groups, as Ariane said, need more training and they need more support. If tomorrow something happens in Afghanistan and the UN bodies leave Afghanistan, there will be a big gap. There is a big gap between the high-level UN bodies and the grassroots women's organizations. That's why, sometimes, the money is not going to the most needed projects.