HERAT CITY (SW) – In the face of mounting restrictions on movement and liberties, women in Herat province have turned to small scale domestic entrepreneurships to secure a livelihood for their families.
A number of women in Herat say that after the de-facto government imposed restrictions on women’s education and work, they turned to domestic work to escape from the psychological pressure caused by unemployment and to create a source of income for themselves.
45-year-old Zainab Shafizada, a resident of Herat city, has provided jobs and income for 30 other women and girls through her dry fruit business at home. Among these women working include female students who could not continue their studies above grade six.
One such female student, Sahar Ahmadyar, a resident of Herat city who has completed the sixth grade, said that to keep herself busy and avoid the sadness of not continuing her education, she spends hours cleaning raisins with other women at Ms. Shafizada’s residence.
She adds: “Nothing can take the place of studies. I used to wake up before everyone else every day. I used to occupy myself with my notebooks and pens. When I reached the sixth grade, at the end of the year, I was afraid that I would not go to school anymore and I was very upset about my mental state, it was then I joined here to work on cleaning raisins.”
On the other hand, some of these women, including Ms. Shafizada, the owner of this small business, are worried about the lack of business and say that the income they get from this work is not enough to meet their life needs.
Zainab Shafizada, said: “We do not have a proper market, our sales are low. The fruits we process are raisins, almonds, jujubes and elderberries. The year is about to end and just one month is left, all our products are left before us. We do not have sales. Women and girls who were in universities and schools have no other job. Everyone came and got involved in the same thing right here.”
Another worker, Sonia Ahmadi said: “It does not meet our needs. There are many of us at home. The money I earn from here does not help meet our needs. It means that our daily expenses are not met.”
According to the local officials of Herat, in the current year, many women and girls in this province have started doing housework and small businesses, and in some cases they have also cooperated with relief organizations.
Behnaz Saljuqi, head of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Western region, said: “We have a meeting with the aid institutions and also with the Department of Commerce, which always supports the private sector, we convey the voices of women to them. We are trying our best to introduce more women to aid institutions so that they can stand on their own feet.”
According to the information of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the west region, now more than 8000 women have formal business activities and more than 120,000 women have informal commercial and home-based business activities in Herat.
ENDS
