KABUL (SW) – In the wake of mounting restrictions for women and girls in practically all fields of life, a number of females in Kabul city have turned to small scale domestic entrepreneurship to make ends meet for their families.
Despite the fact that women in Afghanistan are facing an array of restrictions and life-threatening times, but there are women that are not giving up in the wake of these limitations and are trying to progress and achieve their dreams. While these days, women do not have access to a large part of their fundamental rights and the gates of education and work are closed to them, some of them have turned to the only door that is open to them in order to re-enter the society. By independently working in various sectors from small businesses to writing, they want to express themselves and shoulder the burden of meeting their families’ needs.
In this report, Salam Watandar interviewed with 23 women in Kabul who, after the establishment of the Islamic Emirate and after enduring restrictions, got up and turned to entrepreneurship. Among these, 16 girls had dreamed of going to university and wanted to create a place for themselves in the society as an educated woman, but after the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan and the closing of the gates of schools and universities to girls and women, they lost their dreams.
In order to escape from the sorrow of being at home and being away from educational facilities, these girls have turned to working online. They work in the fields of selling cosmetics, books as well as attending online journalism courses, and in this way, they give meaning to their lives.
Farahnaz, a resident of Kabul city, who stayed at home after finishing her computer science degree, turned to reading books to escape the isolation and despair that engulfed her. In order to amuse herself more, she bought books for reading, and then created a small bookstore and offered online sales services to interested citizens.
Farahnaz said: “I have been doing this for three months. I chose this job because I used to read books myself, and this is very good because of the growth of reading culture. If we wait for the right conditions, good conditions will never arise. We have to create the right conditions ourselves and we did not rely on the conditions and my sisters and brother supported me in this field. I had saved my teaching money and my sister saved the money she had for daily expenses.”
Darya, another resident of Kabul, said she used to stay up all night for four years in order to always get the first place in her class, after her free time. She stayed at home sad and in miserable conditions that made her life difficult. She used to have nightmares, but then she changed herself became a reporter in one of the private news agencies.
“I have been working in a private news agency for almost five months. I am in charge of the news department. I agree that conditions in Afghanistan are not good for women, but we have to pull ourselves out of hardships. If I accepted these conditions and did not work, naturally I would have been a housewife. But, besides the fact that I believed in my talents, it helped me grow a lot,” She said.
In the past two years, Afghan women have faced many restrictions and have lost the right to education, study and work in non-governmental organizations that has made it difficult for them to survive and their presence in the society has diminished.
Seven other women, who were interviewed in this report, also fought against these obstacles and challenges and became active in the society.
Khatera, who worked in the Ministry of Finance three years ago, after being dismissed from her position, she has now been able to establish two companies. She recently signed a contract with a Chinese company and provided work to more than 5,000 women. “I have been in business for almost three years. I used to work in the Ministry of Finance. After the recent developments, I paid attention to business and currently I have two companies – a fruit selling company and another clothing manufacturing company. Currently, I have signed a contract with a Chinese international company and 5,000 women are busy working. I always tell women to fight.”
In another corner of Kabul, another woman named Najma has gone through the hardships of the times and in the corner of her room writes the stories of women who have experienced the pain and suffering of life in Afghanistan. For two years, she has been drafting stories of women in Afghanistan.
Najma has now published a book called “Dreams and Thoughts” which is about the pain and suffering of Afghan women. “Almost two years ago after the developments, it was very influential for me. It had an effect on my soul and spirit, I was looking for something to do, and writing was my only companion these days. Slowly, I participated in the classes and completed the courses, and some writings of mine were collected in a collection and sent to the print publication by one of my professors. The book is called Dream and Thoughts – the story of women’s lives in Afghanistan.”
Women have not only shown their competence in the aforementioned sectors, but have also done a lot in the sewing and crafting profession in the last two years.
Liza, another resident of Kabul was forbidden from going to her job after the collapse of the Republic. She said that with these changes, she found her life ruined, but the motivation to work and be active again helped her to not sit quietly and sew clothes by buying a few machines and uniting a number of women. She said: “I am heading the Shams sewing workshop. Here, sewing and handicraft works are done in our village, and more than 50 women work here. I had become unemployed after the establishment of the Islamic Emirate. I was suffering from unemployment. I knew a little sewing myself so I started this work from home. The interest increased with time and I created a workshop in our area, and it is doing well now.”
Economic experts believe that small businesses have great value and the government must provide women with a better working environment.
Qais Mohammadi, an expert on economic issues, told Salam Watandar that in the last few years, better chances for economic development were not provided for women, still they are trying to stand on their feet, and it can help the economic growth of Afghanistan. He added: “When women today dare to have an online and face-to-face business, it requires a strong will because women do not have access to credit and loans under the restrictions imposed on them. They are forced to carry out their work on their own, and the businesses operated by women form an important part of Afghanistan’s economy.”
Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of the de-facto government, has said that the Islamic Emirate has provided facilities for working women and encouraged them to work by holding exhibitions. “Women who are busy with work and business, the Islamic Emirate has provided facilities for them within the framework of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry; it held exhibitions; it has encouraged and marketed for them. We want them to stand on their own feet and their business to progress,” Mujahid added.
ENDS
