{"id":29666,"date":"2026-05-02T07:33:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T07:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/?p=29666"},"modified":"2026-05-02T08:27:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T08:27:41","slug":"taking-advantage-of-opportunities-a-key-to-a-better-future-for-youth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/2026\/05\/taking-advantage-of-opportunities-a-key-to-a-better-future-for-youth\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking advantage of opportunities; a key to a better future for youth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Increased self-confidence, skill development, improved educational status, financial independence, and access to better career opportunities are among the achievements that youth say they have gained by making use of available opportunities. These accomplishments demonstrate that opportunities can fundamentally transform the lives of youth and open new paths toward progress and success.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Findings from Salam Watandar\u2019s interviews with 36 youth (20 boys and 16 girls) show that 30 of them made effective use of the opportunities available to them and succeeded in transforming their lives toward growth and success. However, six others said that due to a lack of sufficient awareness of existing opportunities, they missed valuable opportunities in their lives.<\/p>\n

Ali, a 22-year-old economics student from Faryab, says that alongside his studies, he also takes advantage of opportunities provided through the internet.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlongside my studies, I try to make the best use of educational and academic opportunities that come my way so that I can build a better future for myself. I mostly identify opportunities through teachers, educational programs, and the internet,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Among the interviewed youth, 15 benefited from educational opportunities, 14 from employment opportunities, and 7 from opportunities to learn new skills such as languages, computer skills, and the development of individual skills.<\/p>\n

Asiya, another 21-year-old resident of Faryab, says that the most important opportunity she has gained is the ability to continue her education online.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important opportunity in my life is continuing my education online, which has allowed me to keep learning and move closer to my goals despite the restrictions,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

According to reports from international organizations, around 63% of Afghanistan\u2019s population consists of youth under the age of 25. This group is considered the driving force behind sustainable economic growth and social development and therefore requires greater access to equal opportunities.<\/p>\n

In this regard, several governmental and non-governmental institutions have attempted to pave the ground for youth to access a variety of opportunities.<\/p>\n

United Nations reports from 2025 indicate that despite severe economic and humanitarian challenges, efforts have been made to create employment and livelihood opportunities, particularly in the private sector. However, the needs remain far greater than the available assistance.<\/p>\n

According to reports published in early 2026, the United Nations announced that more than 44,000 long-term jobs were created in Afghanistan\u2019s private sector during 2025 through entrepreneurship initiatives.<\/p>\n

In 2025, the UN also supported more than 18,000 women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and implemented projects aimed at strengthening women\u2019s economic participation, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises.<\/p>\n

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) supported approximately 9,599 jobs, including the creation and strengthening of employment opportunities for more than 3,000 women.<\/p>\n

Some of these youth say that, in addition to educational opportunities, they have also used academic opportunities to build a better future and their lives. Ibrahim Azizi, a 24-year-old from Faryab, says,<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the opportunities available to me were freelance jobs. I worked in many places across Faryab province. The freelance opportunities that came my way eventually enabled me to attend university and work in a private office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Badrullah, a 26-year-old student from Kabul, also says, \u201cAfter graduating, I was able to secure a position as a lecturer at one of the universities at the first opportunity, which greatly helped me. The most important opportunity came when I passed an exam and earned the chance to be considered for one of the positions I wanted. That was the best opportunity in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although governmental and non-governmental institutions are working to provide various opportunities for the growth and empowerment of youth, World Bank reports indicate that nearly one-quarter of Afghanistan\u2019s youth still struggle with unemployment. This is despite the country\u2019s economy recording only 4.3% growth in 2025\u2014a level of growth insufficient to overcome deep-rooted challenges such as widespread poverty, food insecurity, and rising unemployment.<\/p>\n

According to the World Bank, these issues remain major obstacles to improving people\u2019s livelihoods. Nevertheless, the youth interviewed in this report spoke about their efforts to make the best use of the opportunities available to them.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, some psychologists emphasize the importance of utilizing opportunities among youth, stressing that unemployment is one of the main causes of psychological disorders and can lead to a decline in motivation among youth. Mohammadullah Baloch, a psychologist, says,<\/p>\n

\u201cMotivation arises from a need. When a youth\u2019s need is to work and study, and the person is unable to continue working and studying, they will undoubtedly lose motivation. This decline in motivation makes the person not feel good in life and won\u2019t have progress in their life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Economic experts also believe that the effective use of opportunities by youth can serve as a powerful driver of the country\u2019s economic growth. Shaker Yaqubi, an economic expert, says,<\/p>\n

\u201cIf youth can effectively utilize educational and employment opportunities, the main engine of the country\u2019s economic growth will begin to move forward. When youth acquire skills, knowledge, and experience, labor productivity increases, innovation and entrepreneurship expand, and dependence on limited resources decreases.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, officials from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Islamic Emirate say that efforts are underway to improve employment conditions and emphasize that over the past four years, various job, technical, and vocational opportunities have been created for citizens. Samiullah Ibrahimi, spokesperson for the Ministry, told Salam Watandar,<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the return of the Islamic Emirate to power, more than 500,000 people have been employed in official government and private-sector positions. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is also working to implement projects that create employment opportunities for people. In addition, the ministry is trying to provide technical and vocational training based on market demands for those who were unable to continue their education.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the findings of this report, the effective use of educational, employment, and skill-development opportunities has improved the lives of youth, increased their skills, and strengthened their financial independence. However, economic difficulties and unemployment still prevent some youth from fully benefiting from these opportunities. Experts also emphasize that unemployment negatively affects youth motivation and mental health, and that creating more opportunities can play an important role in their progress and in the overall development of society.<\/p>\n

Reporter: Sharifa Qasemi<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Increased self-confidence, skill development, improved educational status, financial independence, and access to better career opportunities are among the achievements that youth say they have gained by making use of available opportunities. These accomplishments demonstrate that opportunities can fundamentally transform the lives of youth and open new paths toward progress and success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":29669,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[990,9,186],"tags":[120,1845,1846,1847],"class_list":["post-29666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-soceity","category-investigative-reports","tag-youth","tag-opportunities","tag-taking-advantage","tag-a-better-future"],"views":20,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29666"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29672,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29666\/revisions\/29672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}