Economy

Samangan women find short-term work cracking almonds

By Muhammad Qasem

Woman crack almonds on November 21 in the Samangan provincial capital of Aibak. [Mir Ahmad Nawrozi]

Woman crack almonds on November 21 in the Samangan provincial capital of Aibak. [Mir Ahmad Nawrozi]

SAMANGAN -- Around 300 female heads of household have found short-term work cracking almonds for a Samangan Dry Fruit Association project supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

The Samangan Dry Fruit Association created the two-month work opportunity, hiring impoverished women to process 28 tonnes of almonds they had purchased from farmers, association director Abdul Khaliq Mubarez told Salaam Times.

The goal of the project is to help jobless women, reduce poverty and unemployment, and meet the daily needs of families, he said.

The women will work from late October until late December.

"For cracking the shells of 7kg of almonds, we pay women 50 AFN ($0.57)," Mubarez said. "Each of them cracks the shells of 28kg of almonds for 200 AFN ($2.29), working from 7am to 4pm."

"We also give them 21kg of almond shells for free to use as firewood."

"Women who do not have any income, especially those who are heads of household, are included in the project," he said.

Making a living

Several women working on the project expressed gratitude for the employment, and called on international aid organisations to create more job opportunities for Afghan women.

Aibak resident Abida Hussaini, 38, told Salaam Times she is hoping to improve her life and support her family through her work on the almond project.

Hussaini's husband is paralysed, and she is the breadwinner of her family.

"Our economic situation was not good in the last several months," she said. "My economic life has improved since I started working at this centre."

"We need to work to make a living," she stressed. "If we do not participate in such projects, we will be a burden on society and our family."

"I am very happy that I am able to work outside my house and earn an income in such a difficult situation," Hussaini said. "I want to have a business in the future and create jobs for other women."

Mehrunissa, 42, another project worker, said her family does not have a male provider and that she has to work to address her family's financial needs.

"The 200 AFN that we get here is very good for us," she said. "We also get the shells of almonds that we crack, so we can use them in the winter as firewood."

Families generally do not make enough money to pay for firewood, she said, pointing out that there "are many poor and unemployed women like me who are working here".

"Everyone is happy to have work and to receive shells for heating in the winter," she said, adding that women want more work opportunities in the future.

Supporting families

The project implemented by the Samangan Dry Fruit Association specifically targets unemployed women, said Abdul Rahman Qaderi, who leads the NGO unit at Samangan's Department of Economy.

"We try to offer more women work, so they can be active in society and able to financially support their families," he told Salaam Times.

"Some local and international aid organisations that are active in Samangan have launched various projects to create employment for women and help them become self-sufficient. We are increasingly supporting this process," he added.

"Women are strong pillars of their families," said Aibak resident Abdul Muqim Nazari, 33. "They can overcome economic challenges."

"There are many talented women in the country who are trapped at home," he added. "If they come out and work, they can help in the economic development of society."

"The current situation in the country needs the hard work of strong women. Therefore, it is important that they support each other so they can overcome the current challenges together," he said.

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Wow, this is a piece of happy news. But the money is little. The salary should be increased. And the shells of almonds should be given to the women to burn in their houses. Long live Afghanistan

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It is good that in this cold winter, women, most of whom lost their husbands during the past wars and now have the responsibility of the house, have good works, but I personally am not satisfied with the activities of these organizations. If $1,000 is donated, at least half of it is used for the administrative expenses of the organizations, and the people receive very little. The focus should be more on social committees and councils and they should be allowed to receive aid directly and distribute it through a transparent social mechanism according to the situation in their village and community. Otherwise, these organizations have been helping Afghans for decades, but Afghans have remained poor and their situation has not improved.

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These things are prevalent. People are struggling with the hardships of life. ِYesterday, a journalist committed suicide in Kandahar. Similar incidents have happened in other provinces as well. As long as regular jobs are not found for the people, and they are not assured, such incidents will continue. When the Islamic Emirate first took over power, they started to shout that there was peace, prosperity, and no corruption. They used to tell twenty to a thousand stories about this and that, but now, within a few meters of the presidential palace, people are stealing, stabbing each other with knives, and pickpocketing every day. Even cars are being stolen, whether a mobile phone or cash. The government and aid organizations should instead think about long-term projects and find an alternative to how to implement their projects in the long term instead of the short time. The situation is terrible, and these almonds would not help in survival.

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People's lives are getting worse day by day. I do not think that temporary projects will bring any special benefit to our people. Afghans are in a terrible situation. I heard that some of them sold their children and sold their kidneys to keep their children. We spent some money on war during the past twenty years while thieves took more away. The nation is ruined. The nation was left with nothing that could benefit it now. This is the time for international aid and humanitarian aid. Donations should be spent on something that has long-term benefits. Such short-term projects or a bag of flour, rice from institutions... this help can save lives, but tomorrow we will be begging again. The international community should help these Afghans so that their lives are guaranteed.

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Foreign organizations are trying to create a working environment for poor women so that poor women can earn some money and use this money to buy food for their children. It should be noted that AFN 200 is not enough for these women who are the heads of their families. In the course of 9 hours of work, the amount of AFN 200 is not enough even for a poor woman with a child who leaves her house for 9 hours and earns AFN 200 at the end of the day. In my opinion, AFN 200 is not enough for a woman who is head of her family. Foreign organizations evaluate the economic situation and the price of food products in the market, and then take action. Foreign organizations at least help and provide them with work. Give them enough money to meet the need for food. These women are forced to leave their homes for 9 hours for AFN 200. Only God knows what is going on with the children as their mothers go to work. May Allah have mercy on the Muslims of Afghanistan

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