BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (June 28, 2008) Women from Mahmood Raqi and Kohistan gather at the Women’s Affairs building on the Governor’s Compound in the Mahmood Raqi District, Kapisa province, June 25, for a personal hygiene and family planning class.

The two classes were given by Air Force Staff Sgt. Melanie Denison, the Medical non-commissioned officer for the Parwan and Kapisa Provincial Reconstruction Team and  Cmdr. Beth Myhre, Cooperative Medical Assistant Team officer in charge.

These two medical classes are the first of six to be taught here.

At first, only five women from each district were supposed to show up, said Saifora Kohistani, Women’s Affairs director. However, the word about the classes got out and women came from every where to attend.

“I just didn’t have the heart to turn them away,” said Kohistani.

Denison’s personal-hygiene class taught women nutrition and how to take care of themselves without having access to a doctor. Myhre’s family-planning class taught different methods of birth controland at the end of the class, bags full of personal hygiene items were passed out.

“These classes are important because a lot of the women don’t have access to medical facilites,” said Kohistani. “They will be able to take what they learn here and teach themselves, as well as others.”