In 2023, with funding support from the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the U.S. Department of State and the Drug Advisory Programme of the Colombo Plan relaunched a unique and impactful project titled the Women’s Leadership Fellowship Program (WoLF). The primary goal of WoLF is to educate a new generation of Afghan female leaders, equipping them to navigate the complexities of Afghanistan’s political landscape.

Since the project’s restart, 32 young Afghan women have received scholarship opportunities at the Asian University for Women (AUW) in Bangladesh, and 2 Afghan women have been deployed by UNODC Kabul through the fellowship program. This project is a collaborative effort involving key partners, international organisations, and the U.S. government. Through their support, we are beginning to see the first fruits of this initiative.

Recently, The Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme received a heartfelt message of gratitude from a beneficiary of the Women’s Leadership Fellowship (WoLF) Programme. She expressed her sincere thanks to Ms Oranooch Sungkhawanna, Director of the Drug Advisory Programme, Ms Gulmira Suleimanova, Project Manager for WoLF and the entire team at The Colombo Plan for their unwavering support during challenging times. Her message underscores the powerful, transformative impact of the Colombo Plan’s programmes. We wish her continued success in all her future endeavours.