'Never give up': Women defy restrictions, support families in Farah tailor shop

FARAH -- A group of women are busy tailoring in a small house on an empty, dead-end street in the 4th district of Farah city.

Some of them have lost their husbands to conflict in recent years, while others used to work for the government but have now lost their jobs.

Gulalai, 42, is one of them. Her husband was a policeman and was killed on duty about 18 months ago.

After her husband's death, she assumed the responsibility of making ends meet and feeding her fatherless children.

Gulalai was a housewife before her husband died, but the economic challenges she faced after losing him have forced her to fight the restrictions against women in place and to leave her home to work.

"I have been tailoring for three months, since this workshop opened," she said.

"Since I have been working here, I have an income and can cover the expenditures of my household to an extent," she said. "Under the current circumstances, I am happy to be able to work outside my house."

"I need this job, and if I don't work, my kids will be hungry," Gulalai added.

Lailuma, 36, who also works in the tailoring workshop, lost her husband, who served in the army, in an explosion in Farah.

She lives with her four children and ill mother in a house in Farah city. Her father died of an illness a year ago, so Lailuma is now her family's breadwinner.

"My monthly income from working at this tailoring workshop is 2,000 to 3,000 AFN [$23-$34], which addresses my family's needs to an extent," she said.

"I try hard to increase my income to cover my household expenses," she said. "In the current situation, working outside the home is difficult for women, but I have to tolerate these problems."

Saving families from poverty

Every woman working at the tailor shop in Farah city is trying to support her family in the current difficult times.

Shaima, 27, earns a living for five members of her family.

In the two months that she has been working at the tailor shop, she has had an income and is happy to get out of the house and work.

"Our relatives and other people order clothes, and we sew them for them," she said. "We sew a variety of clothes in the workshop and charge between 200 and 500 AFN [$2.30-$5.70] for a piece of clothing."

"Despite our limited resources, we try to earn a living for our families," she said, adding that the women in the shop work collectively and divide the income at the end of the month.

"We have brought sewing machines from home with us. If aid organisations support us, we can create work opportunities for more women at this workshop," she said.

Sanam, 31, a mother of three, has also been working at the tailor shop in Farah city.

Her husband died three years ago after an illness, and Sanam is now the family's breadwinner.

"I was a cleaner at the Farah Department of Taxation, but I lost my job a year and a half ago and don't have permission to work there anymore," she said.

"Since I lost my job, I had to come here and start tailoring."

"While my salary is low, I cover my household expenses to an extent," Sanam said. "I hope I can work more every day and earn more money."

'Never give up'

Shafiqa, a 35-year-old widow, was teaching at a girls' school in Farah city until 18 months ago, when she lost her job after the closure of girls' secondary schools.

She has a university degree in social sciences and taught for six years. She turned to tailoring after she became unemployed.

She has eight children and is her family's sole breadwinner, she said.

"While I was teaching, I had an income and our life was very good," she said.

"But since I lost my job, my family problems have increased. My father-in-law used to pay for part of my family's expenses, but he died eight months ago."

"My four sons and two daughters go to school. I work hard so they can study and make a brighter future for themselves," Shafiqa added. "I spend part of my income on the cost of my children's education."

The other two children are still too small to attend school.

Although economic problems worry her greatly, she encourages her children to study (rather than work) -- even if doing so means she has to go to bed hungry.

Kubra Noori, 28, used to work at the Farah Municipality, but she was let go from her job nearly a year and a half ago.

Along with other women, she works at the tailor shop in Farah city.

Her father, an army veteran, is also jobless now, she said. As a result, her family has been facing severe economic problems.

"Unemployment, economic problems and being trapped at home were bothering me a lot," Noori said. "I had to come to this workshop to learn how to tailor."

"This situation was unimaginable for my family, but unfortunately we have been facing serious problems due to the loss of our jobs," she added.

"But I will never give up trying. Instead of working for the government, I will open my own tailor shop. I will not allow my family to depend on others."

Noori called on other women to stand up against restrictions and to save themselves and their families from poverty.