KABUL (SW) – A female entrepreneur in Kabul, with her personal expenses, has provided job opportunities for 15 homeless women.
The “Meena” sweet factory is a place in an underground facility in Khair Khana area of Kabul city where homeless women and girls, despite the restrictions on women’s work, have been able to spend 10 hours a day preparing “Qetalma” breads to supply to their customers.
Foruzan Kohestani, the founder of this sweet shop, who created this place six months ago with the most basic facilities, said that creating happiness and smiles and helping these homeless women who are suffering from poverty is the motivation and reason for setting up this sweet shop.
“It’s been six months since I took this place and so far I have been able to provide work to 15 women and girls. These girls and women had stopped studying and working and have lost their morale and have economic problems. Before, we had daily orders of 50 to 100 kilograms, but now, as Eid is approaching, we have received orders for up to 5,000 kilograms.”
Mrs. Kohistani, while complaining about the problems in this workshop, has asked for cooperation in the field of solving these problems and supporting women for empowerment and entrepreneurship for more women. “In the machinery sector, we have problems that we use the most basic and simple machines and we cannot buy better machines. We want them to cooperate with us.”
The girls and women who work in this bakery are happy with the job opportunity provided to them.
Mahmouda, an 18-year-old girl who works in this pastry shop, says that she is the sole breadwinner of her eleven-person family, and before working in this place, she suffered from mental illnesses. According to her, this job opportunity has helped to reduce his unhappiness and economic problems.
“Since the Islamic Emirate closed the schools, we had lost our hope. Our problems at home were too many. There have been times when we cut a loaf of bread into four or five pieces and we all ate it. I am the sole breadwinner. It is better than begging to earn money.”
Similarly, Marina, a woman who is responsible for her family of four, says that working in this bakery is her only hope and her three children, and in this way, she provides her living expenses. She added: “I have been working here for six months. May God bless those who have provided us with the field of work. I am a single woman, I have three children and I live by working here. If there is no man and breadwinner, life becomes difficult, but we are satisfied with our work. I want the workshop to grow and women like us to work here.”
This is despite the fact that after the establishment of the Islamic Emirate and with increasing restrictions on the work and education of women and girls by this government, a large number of women are trying to support the needy women by setting up such workshops.
ENDS
