Economy

Businesswomen hold exhibition in Herat to spur sales, stimulate economy

By Omar

Dozens of businesswomen in Herat province held an exhibition to showcase their handicraft products with the aim of spurring interest and increasing sales. The exhibition was held in Guzara district from October 26–30 and was open to both women and men. [Omar/Salaam Times]

HERAT -- Dozens of businesswomen in Herat province held an exhibition to showcase their handicraft products with the aim of spurring interest and increasing sales.

The exhibition took place in Guzara district, Herat province, last Wednesday to Sunday (October 26–30) and was open to both women and men.

There were 150 booths, including 30 displaying handicraft products. The others showcased foods, women's artwork and other goods.

Fahima Ahmadi, 31, who owns a company that produces herbal creams, displayed her products at a booth at the exhibition.

A female entrepreneur shows dresses to a visitor October 26 at the exhibitiion in Guzara district, Herat province. [Omar/Salaam Times]

A female entrepreneur shows dresses to a visitor October 26 at the exhibitiion in Guzara district, Herat province. [Omar/Salaam Times]

Her company has slightly increased production from previous months and she hopes the exhibition will help promote her products, she said.

"My goal is to expand my business," she said. "I want to open branches throughout Afghanistan to sell my herbal creams."

"My wish is to be able to export my products someday," she added.

Ahmadi said she is the sole breadwinner of her five-member family and can meet her family's expenses through her business income.

Zahra Yousufi, 38, who owns a women's clothing workshop, also exhibited her handmade products at the exhibition.

Because of instability and the economic downturn over the past year, she was forced to temporarily close her shop in Herat city but was able to reopen recently.

"I have been running this business for 15 years through my workshop," Yousufi said. "This work is very valuable to me, and I want my business to expand and thrive in the years to come.

"Her sales volume is not as high as it used to be in the past, but she is very hopeful about the continuation of her business in the future, she said.

Increasing challenges, limitations

Restrictions on women's activities have grown harsher and the business environment for women in Herat has deteriorated over the past year, local entrepreneurs say.

Khalida Qayoumi, an entrepreneur who sells clothes in Khadijah al-Kubra market in Herat city, said that families, women and men used to come to her shop and buy clothes in the past.

However, now that men are prohibited from entering the market, fewer customers come to the market, which has adversely impacted her sales.

"Our market is next to the Goharshad Begum girls' school. Dozens of girls used to come to the shop every day, but this year, because of the closure of the schools, we have lost all of our customers," she added.

Qayoumi said she continues to keep up her activities despite gender restrictions so that she can support her family.

The sale of artwork has plummeted over the past year, said Alnaz Froutan, 19, who represented female painters at the women's handicrafts exhibition.

"Sales of paintings have decreased," she said. "[Customers] were more interested in painting and ordered portraits of themselves and their family members. But now, painting portraits is completely prohibited."

"Despite gender restrictions, we continue our artistic activities," Froutan said. "We want to show the world that Afghan girls are still active and can continue to produce artwork."

The sale of women's handicrafts has decreased in the past year because of the economic crisis, said Behnaz Saljuqi, deputy chairperson of the Herat Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"The demand for handicrafts has substantially decreased. [Afghans] are struggling with economic hardship and therefore cannot afford to buy," she said.

Many businesswomen have been forced to sell their products for very low prices because of the drastic drop in sales volume, she added.

'A lifeline of hope'

The United Nations (UN) is trying to help lighten a grim picture.

Recent support provided by UN organisations has helped many businesswomen to resume operations in Herat province, according to the chamber.

The activities of businesswomen have improved by about 90% from a year ago, thanks to the support and co-operation provided by international organisations, said Nargis Hashemi, the chamber's chairperson.

"Several institutions provide support to businesswomen in various sectors in Herat province," she said. "The UN Development Programme [UNDP] has launched capacity-building training for two months. Each of the participating women received up to $500 in cash assistance after completing the course."

"The International Organisation for Migration [IOM] has provided cash assistance to women who were forced to close their businesses because of economic problems," she added. "The assistance has enabled them to restart their business operations."

Two hundred fifty women and girls launched businesses following the news they heard about potential support from international organisations, Hashemi said.

Nazanin Rezaei, 33, owner of a sewing shop in Herat city, credited cash and fabric donations from the UNDP with improving her shop's production capacity.

"If I had not received the much-needed support from the UNDP, I would have had no other choice but to close my shop because I had no capital to continue my business," she said. "Now, I have employed five girls to work with me and have a monthly salary."

"Many women have expanded their businesses after receiving assistance from international organisations," Rezaei said.

"The assistance has become a lifeline for the encouragement of many businesswomen," she said. "The assistance has also helped entrepreneurs to overcome the economic challenges of the ongoing crisis and gender restrictions that impacted women's access to work."

Afghan women need continued support from the international community so that they can continue to build their business activities amid current gender restrictions and economic problems, said Rezaei.

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The businesswomen of Herat province may try to lunch such exhibitions in other districts of Herat province and try to lunch it in the neighboring provinces as well. I would ask the businesswomen of Herat not to worry, all the commercial markets are facing economic problems. Organizations of the United Nations based in Herat Province may try at least to pay the rent of their shops, and give them some cash to meet the needs of their families. This way, the women of Herat province would not get discouraged to continue their works. Women of Herat Province may try not to close the gates of their shops. It is not necessary to have work all the time. If Allah willing a day will come as your work will prosper. With respects Musawar Khadarkhel

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This is a good news. This way, women can prepare food for their homes as Ms. Qayumi says. I would say that the closure of girls' schools cause loses for ourselves, because with the closure of girls' schools, the shops of female shop keepers also get worse, and another point is that, through Salaam Times, I am asking foreign organizations to provide similar jobs for women in Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar and other provinces. There is no discussion of women's rights in Nangarhar.

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A time has come when we get pleased even by this kind of news. There was a time when dozens of projects were inaugurated daily in our dear country, but our arrogant nation would shout that it was not enough. It has been almost a year since I saw the news of a relatively large project opening. These people would not show their happiness openly, but today they are so humiliated that even everyday work seems big to them, and they are as rude as they deceive the people every day. They say 'good days are coming even when they put one stone over another, but I say good days are not that children and adults have not eaten a full meal for a year, but often people go to bed hungry.

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Every era and every system has its problems. The amount of corruption that has happened in Afghanistan in the last 20 years is unmatched in the world. Afghanistan has reached number one from the lower side of the list of administrative corruption. While only a few hundred people became billionaires, the rest of the country and people were also facing problems at that time. I am not saying that the new system has come from the sky, they also have problems, but now every project that was implemented for one million dollars at that time is implemented for one to two hundred thousand dollars; however, their problem is that they have close ties with Pakistan's intelligence agency, and it is an agency that kills Afghans.

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