HRWMO has launched a two-year training program to support young women who wish to pursue home-based careers in their communities. This initiative aims to address the recent restrictions imposed on Afghan women and girls, who have been confined to their homes. By encouraging economic participation, the program seeks to promote social and political involvement for women, which is essential for sustainable growth and increasing gender equality. More women are needed in the workforce to achieve these goals.
Ms. Hawa says, when I learned about the establishment of a training center for women and girls to acquire skills in various local designs, I quickly registered for a course in embroidery, dress design, tailoring, and local crafting. These skills are crucial to our community, as people appreciate such designs and are willing to pay a premium for them.
The training center program lasted for six months, during which we received instruction in management and marketing. We also learned about conflict resolution, violence against women and children, health, child nutrition, support for pregnant women, and assistance for women facing any form of violence in our community.
Ms. Hawa, a diligent trainee at the Training Center, finds joy and fulfillment in her vocational training and basic literacy education. She reflects on her journey, expressing, “Coming from a humble background, my parents aspired for me to become an educated and capable leader within our family. They wanted me to complete my university education and even obtain a doctorate degree from a well-known university. Unfortunately, I was unable to achieve this goal and had to discontinue my education in the eleventh grade. However, learning various vocational skills has helped me develop my designing skills. Recently, I created a Khamak dozi Design and sold it for 4500 AFN. Although my father was initially hesitant to purchase the tools and materials for this project due to financial constraints, he eventually supported me. After completing the design and selling it successfully, I handed over the earnings to my father, my father delighted and proud that I was able to contribute to our family’s income. This achievement has encouraged me to continue pursuing my dreams, and my father has promised to support me in my endeavors.
She admires the work of HRWMO. She requests that vocational training should be made available in all districts. Women are in dire need of such technical education and support. They are facing financial difficulties and lack knowledge to solve their daily problems. she believes that this kind of training, skills, and knowledge will help women overcome their issues and improve their lives.
In many households, women are responsible for providing food and other necessities, as some men are unemployed. Despite this, many women are unable to afford vocational training to improve their situation.
Ms. Malina, another self-help group active activist participant in vocational training, expresses her happiness and says, “I come from a family with no source of income, and we have no skills to earn money. However, through these trainings, I have learned to make graphs and khamak, and I am learning mathematics. In addition to these, I can also teach literacy. I learned to make graphs and created a beautiful Afghani necklace. I showed it to a shopkeeper as a sample, and he bought it at a reasonable price. Now, I make various items from graph paper and sell them in the city. Previously, I used to feel disheartened by my family’s poor financial situation, but now, thank God, I am able to contribute positively to our household economy.”
I am grateful to the HRWMO for taking constructive steps to support the women in our country. Their efforts will help these women spread their humanitarian values and strengthen their own and their families’ economic situations in their daily lives.
Ms. Khalida is another participant at the women’s training center. She shares her story and expresses relief that she no longer faces pressure from her mother to wash other people’s clothes in their village.
In our district, women are actively engaged in farming and working alongside men. They frequently work together to contribute to their households. My father is too old and poor to work, and nobody in our household supports the family. My brother is underage, so only my mother works and used to wash neighborhood people’s clothes. But she only earns a little because the people in our area are also poor and can’t always pay to wash clothes. We can barely afford to eat, but we manage to find a bit of bread.
Thanks to the HRWMO for establishing vocational training centers in this district, many women and girls are engaged in learning different arts and crafts. In the last six months, I have learned three types of handicraft art designing, and among these, I have made the Kisa Tag designing my profession. I am happy that women in the village order me to make them different designs, and I provide them with items such as women’s bags, scarves, veils, etc. Now my mother is no longer forced to wash people’s clothes, and I will learn more about different types of design which will really help us.
Mrs. Maryam, an enthusiastic participant at the center, shared her happiness with the following statement:
“The women and girls in our village are eager to acquire new skills and initiate small businesses. With many having lost fathers and husbands during decades of conflict, they are determined to support their families independently. Thanks to the organization’s training programs in handicrafts and literacy, many families in our village have found happiness and prosperity.”
“I am the daughter of a poor family; we don’t even have three meals a day. When this Vocational Training Center was built, it was like Eid day for me. The first thing I did was to register myself to learn handicraft skills to help my family financially. I have learned Khamak Dozi Tag with total concentration. My aim in registering and participating in this training center was to learn and economically support my family in fulfilling our daily expenses.”
I now produce Afghani handkerchiefs and other items that people need for these designs. In addition to vocational training, the training center also offers literacy and marketing training from time to time. I have learned to create items that appeal to the market, allowing me to sell them at a fair price.
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