In the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, some women have turned to small home-based businesses as a way to escape unemployment and its associated pressures.
Zahra, a resident of Balkh who previously worked at the local municipality during the Republic era, says she began producing and selling Kashk/dried yogurt (a traditional dairy product) after restrictions were imposed on women’s work. She explains, “After the collapse of the government, I became unemployed. To earn a living, I wanted to do something I could manage from home. Now, I make kashk and sell it to shops and families.”
A mother of seven children, Zahra says her husband is also unemployed, and through making and selling kashk, she tries to meet the basic needs of her children. “I first soak the milk, then put it in 10-kilogram barrels and churn it, as I don’t have a traditional churn. After that, I boil it until it solidifies and becomes ready for kashk production. Once it’s ready, I wait for about a month until it dries and I sell it.”
Roya, another resident of Balkh, has started producing various types of soap to help support her family’s economy. “Soap is essential in every household, and it doesn’t spoil or get wasted easily. I started this work to help solve our financial problems.”
Although Roya lacks standard soap-making equipment, she says that she earns a satisfactory income from it every month. “I don’t have a mold to cut the soap into the proper shape. I use basic tools to cut it. The soap I make is of good quality and affordable, so I have many customers.”
Sima Gul, who has turned to cleaning raisins, says she spends hours each day sorting raisins, and the income from this work helps alleviate some of her economic difficulties. She adds, “My sons, because they had no work, went to Iran three years ago with their wives and children. My husband passed away last month, so now I am the breadwinner of the family.”
Over the past three years, many women and girls who have been deprived of education have turned to small businesses, striving to lift some of the burdens from their families.
