AFGHANISTAN A quality life

 Afghanistan  Economic Development  20th Oct 2010

By Kieran Green, CARE International

A young boy of about seven runs into the room. He pauses for a moment, eyeing the visiting strangers, then with a mischievous grin climbs into the chair and starts running the sewing machine on the table. Nazifa gently chides him from her place on the cushions on the floor, and continues telling her story.

Nazifa is one of CARE’s many success stories in Afghanistan. Once vulnerable and impoverished, she is building a better life for her family.

Nazifa’s family was one of the many that fled Afghanistan over the many years of conflict to live as refugees in Iran. And like many, when the Taliban years ended they chose to return home. However they returned with very little. Nazifa’s husband had been a construction worker in Iran, but a fall from a scaffolding resulted in serious head injuries that left him unable to work because of crippling chronic headaches. Nazifa became the breadwinner of the family. A difficult position for a woman in Afghanistan, even after the Taliban. Especially since she also had to stay home to look after their four sons and one daughter. CARE found the family then, and Nazifa was registered to receive regular food rations.

After three years in the food program, CARE offered Nazima a chance to graduate to self-sufficiency. CARE’s Vocational Training for Afghan Women Program (VTAWP) was starting new classes in her area. It was an opportunity to learn a trade, and the marketing skills to sell her product. She had a choice of learning charma dozi - the traditional Afghan embroidery – or making handbags and backpacks. Nazifa thought of her children, carrying their books to school in dirty old plastic bags, and without hesitation chose bag-making.

For a year now, Nazifa has had her own home-based business making leather handbags and nylon backpacks. She’s earned 32,000 Afs in her first year – a good wage here. Evidence of her new-found success is all around. They have a TV and, in the other room, the children are clustered around watching Nazifa’s oldest son learn to work on a second-hand computer she was able to buy him. “I’m able to cover everything,” Nazifa says proudly. “Expenses, rent and education.”

She’s bringing her husband into the business now, too. She’s taught him how to sew, too, and is saving up to buy a second sewing machine. It will double their productivity and their income. Nazifa syas she would also like to start teaching her neighbours as well, so they can lift themselves out of poverty as she has.

One of the greatest problems facing small businesses like Nazifa’s is the flooding of the market with inexpensive Chinese products. Many Afghan producers cannot compete. However Nazifa says this has been no problem for her. The quality of her product is so high stores would rather sell her bags than the cheap Chinese imports. In fact, Nazifa is now considering making her own unique “Made in Afghanistan” label to brand her products on the shelf. For Nazifa it’s a quality product, and a quality life.

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