![Women visit handicraft booths at the Kabul International Exhibition on May 15. [Hamza/Salaam Times]](/cnmi_st/images/2023/06/28/42730-3__2_-739_416.webp)
HERAT -- The Afghanistan Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI) has opened new offices in the nation's western region as women continue to fight restrictions via entrepreneurship.
The WCCI opened offices in Farah, Ghor, Badghis and Nimroz provinces on June 14 to help expand women's entrepreneurial activities.
Dozens of female entrepreneurs in the western provinces participated in a discussion the same day at the Arg Hotel in Herat city to discuss ways to improve their entrepreneurship.
"With the opening of WCCI offices in other western provinces, we want to connect female entrepreneurs in those provinces with the centre to address their problems as soon as possible," said Salma Yusufzai, CEO of the WCCI.
![Dozens of female entrepreneurs from western Afghanistan meet on June 14 at the Arg Hotel in Herat city to discuss ways to improve their businesses. [Omar/Salaam Times]](/cnmi_st/images/2023/06/28/42731-w_2-739_416.webp)
Dozens of female entrepreneurs from western Afghanistan meet on June 14 at the Arg Hotel in Herat city to discuss ways to improve their businesses. [Omar/Salaam Times]
The number of businesswomen in the country has increased by some 50% in the past year, according to the WCCI.
That number now exceeds 100,000, with most engaged in the production and exports of handicrafts and food items, Yusufzai said.
"Based on our research, between 50,000 and 80,000 female entrepreneurs were active across the country in 2022, but this number has exceeded 100,000 this year, which shows that more women are interested in entrepreneurial activities and their number is growing every day," she said.
"Most female entrepreneurs operate informally, but they are trying to formalise and expand their businesses by registering them," she added.
"Last year, 800 businesswomen in the country obtained business permits. More and more female entrepreneurs come to the WCCI every day for business permits."
Motivated to work
Oranus Arifi, 27, owns a small embroidery workshop in Firoz Koh that employs five other women.
Arifi said she is motivated to work to build a better future for herself and the other women and to achieve financial independence.
"Despite many restrictions in Ghor province, most women are interested in working outside their home and want to have a role in society," she added.
"Girls and women are highly motivated and are trying to build a source of income."
"With the opening of the WCCI branch in Ghor, women now have access to support from aid agencies," she said, adding that she hopes there will soon be a transformation in the work of female entrepreneurs in the province.
Through the WCCI, they are trying to bring businesswomen who work at home into society and facilitate the sale of their products, she said.
The opening of the WCCI branch in Badghis has given female entrepreneurs new motivation, said Attia Tokhi, 53, an entrepreneur in Badghis.
"From now on, we can cover female entrepreneurs in the districts. This is a positive development for women, through which they can connect with aid agencies and other female entrepreneurs in the country," she said.
"Currently, 200 businesswomen are active in Badghis. Most of them have created employment for other girls and women, saving hundreds of families from poverty."
"The more female entrepreneurs receive support, the more poverty and economic problems in society will decrease," said Tokhi.
Despite restrictions and social pressure, women are motivated to work and want to have an active role in society, she added.
Support from international aid agencies
Abida Ibrahimi, 52, a female entrepreneur in Nimroz province, has been receiving support from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) for more than a year and trains girls and women who are deprived of education to create handicrafts.
She owns a tailoring workshop in Zaranj city, where she teaches women how to open their own workshops and earn income.
She said 20 women have already graduated from her workshop and have become their families' breadwinners.
"The women supported by IOM identify female entrepreneurs and innovators and refer them to IOM for vocational training. Some 84 female entrepreneurs were trained in business last year and have expanded their businesses," she said.
"Girls have turned to learning vocations since the closure of schools and universities for girls and women," she noted.
"Women who had some money have opened workshops, creating work opportunities for other girls and women," Ibrahimi added.
Support by aid agencies has motivated female entrepreneurs and helped them boost their businesses, said Behnaz Saljuqi, WCCI chair in the western provinces.
"In less than two years, nearly 400 female entrepreneurs have obtained business permits," she said.
"Most of these women are supported by international aid agencies."
"We were able to open three women-only markets in the last year in Herat province, thanks to the initiatives taken by female entrepreneurs," she added.
"In the near future, we will open female-only markets in other western provinces too, so women can work outside their homes," she said.
It is hoped that all of the aid organizations will provide work for Afghan women so that this oppressed group can become self-sufficient.
Reply9 Comment
The Afghan authorities have ordered the closure of women's salons in Afghanistan as people in this country struggle with severe economic conditions and hunger. According to the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, all decoration rooms should be closed within a month. Since the current rulers came to power in Afghanistan, they first closed girls' high and middle schools. They closed women's baths and parks and later banned women from working in governmental and non-governmental organizations. It has been decided that the female beauticians will close their workplaces and stop working within a month. In this regard, I heard the words of a girl who is also a university student, but because the universities are closed to girls, she said she was working in a beauty parlor. She has six sisters; she has no brother. She graduated and hoped to become a teacher, but the university was closed to her. According to her, she started working in the beauty parlor out of necessity to earn the household expenses. Still, she claims that the owner of the beauty parlor was told to close the beauty parlor by the Department of Vice and Virtue. The women working in these nursing homes were given the grief of alternative work instead of suffering from mental illnesses or becoming beggars, which not only worsened their lives but his children and his family life were ruined and filled with dust forever. At the same time, the tradespeople and shopkeepers' union in Kabul says about 12,000 women's beauty parlors a
Reply9 Comment
It is very good and important to encourage women to work. This work encourages women to start a suitable job in their life. Women are a very important and valuable group of the society. Women should be encouraged to work and a lot of attention should be paid to this group of the society. It is necessary for the government to provide women with small or big jobs. Women have families similar to that of the men, and they try to find a peaceful life for their families. Compared to men, women are very sensitive, and they try to find a piece of bread for their families, and their families have a prosperous life. As an Afghan, I praise this work, and I ask the government to provide a working environment for Afghan women. Women are a very important group and their work should be divided in life, and time should be given to this important group. On one hand, we should stand the women on their own feet, and on the other hand, we have to make women partners in our business so that they make sure that they also an important member of life, and they are seen as an important part of the society. All over the world, women have an important role, and without women their lives are incomplete. It is also important for us to give time to women in our life, to make them partners in our work, and to encourage them, so that they become self-sufficient in their lives, and not to need anyone. This process is a very important and valuable process, and this process should be developed so that the w
Reply9 Comment
It is true that industry has financial benefits for the nation and it is a good occupation for the women, but education is also important because an educated person can build a literate society and a literate society can build a literate country and a literate country can develop and turn to a free and self-sufficient country. It is ok that the women of this time should be engaged in business and industry, but what should the women of the future generation do? Our demand is that women should be educated and able to serve their country through science and knowledge.
Reply9 Comment
So far, I haven't visited Herat, but I think the people of Herat are doing well in the field of industry in Afghanistan. The name of Herat can be seen on the packaging of many items produced in Afghanistan. Drinks, cakes, ice cream... and Herati halva (sohan) has a special name that is produced in Herat. The Heratis are also ahead in handicrafts. The main point is that the people of Herat are interested in getting education. Whoever studied school can think about life very well. When one way of life is blocked, an educated person can well think of another one. Let's compare the people of Zabul, Uruzgan, Helmand and Kandahar provinces in the southwestern provinces of Afghanistan with Herat. The level of education in these provinces is very low. So how can the living standards of these illiterate people be compared with Heratians???
Reply9 Comment
It is true that some people may or may not be interested in getting education, but it is the right of the nations on the governments to provide opportunities for education, not to take away the right of getting education. There are many advantages in an educated society; an educated society is well governed. An educated society can be a good source of income for the state, an educated society and the state can understand each other well, an educated society does not become a rebel... but on the contrary, which states bring people to the side of uneducated people. Basically shortens the life of your power. So, the result was that Afghanistan should be categorized into zones or provinces. In this sense, the provinces that are ahead in terms of education, the government should take advantage of these possibilities and provide services in the field of education to the youth of the backward and uneducated provinces in return for a good salary. Schools should be obligatory in the backward provinces, but it should be obligatory in all of Afghanistan. If this is done, we will have an educated Afghanistan after 15-20 years of illiteracy, but on the contrary, remember that an uneducated society will always be a burden over the government.
Reply9 Comment
So far, I have not visited Herat, but I think the people of Herat are doing well in the industry field in Afghanistan. The name Herat can be seen on the packaging of many things produced in Afghanistan. Drinks, cakes, ice cream... and on Herati Halwa (Sohan) have a unique name made in Herat. Heratians are also ahead in handicrafts. The main thing is that the people of Herat are interested in education. Whoever has studied school can think very well about life. When one way of life is blocked, an educated person can think about another way very well. Let's compare the people of Zabul, Uruzgan, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces in the southwestern provinces of Afghanistan with Herat. The level of education in these provinces is shallow. So how is it possible to compare the standard of living of these uneducated people with Heratians???
Reply9 Comment
It is true that some people may or may not be interested in getting an education. Still, it is the right of the nation on the government to provide education opportunities, not to take away the privilege of getting an education. There are many advantages to an educated society; a literate society is well-governed. A learned society can be a good source of income for the state, an academic community and the state can understand each other well, an educated society does not become a rebel... but on the contrary, which states bring people to the side of uneducated people. Shortens the life of your power. So, the result was that Afghanistan should be categorized into zones or provinces. In this sense, for the provinces that are ahead in terms of education, the government should take advantage of these possibilities and provide services in the field of education to the youth of the backward and uneducated provinces in return for a good salary. Schools should be obligatory in the backward provinces, but they should be obligatory in all of Afghanistan. If this is done, we will have an educated Afghanistan after 15-20 years of illiteracy. Still, the opposite of the above, remember that an uneducated society will always burden the government.
Reply9 Comment
The other day I read a report about women's business. According to female entrepreneurs in the report, their business is going well; their products are good and delivered to the market on time, but they are not sold. These enterprising women were complaining, which is right. They said that they work in difficult conditions, but no one buys the goods they make. And the truth is that to support women traders, their interests should be purchased and used continuously. With this, their business will expand, benefitting them, and the chances for other women to work will increase.
Reply9 Comment