Balkh businesswomen, in collaboration with an educational institution, hosted an expo in Mazar-e-Sharif city.

Afghan Voice Agency(AVA)_One exhibitor, Shukria, said she is a student of literature at Jawzjan University and does embroidery in her spare time to support herself and her family.
  
“I am a student of Dari literature at Jawzjan University. I study at the university for half a day and after finishing my studies I work at home. Not only have I been able to provide for myself but also I help my family,” Shukria said. 

The exhibitors said that such expos are key to them being able to provide for their families. “In general, women have an important role in the family. When a woman is self-sufficient, she can be a great help to her family,” said Dunya, a businesswoman from Samangan province.

Officials at the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development’s (ACTED) northern office, said these women produce a wide variety of goods including handicrafts, food items and clothing. According to them, the women all received training over a period of nine months. 

“These women were trained for 9 months in various centers by the ACTED office and after training, they work in the production sectors that they have learned. Our statistics show that about 90% of women are now engaged in work and business after training,” said Abdul Sami Aria, head of ACTED in the northern zone.

ACTED officials also said that in the past four years, nearly 1,600 women in the four northern provinces of the country have received vocational training in the fields of tailoring, handicrafts and food production.