Shopkeeper Woman in the District Bazaar

   Written by: Aqsa Sediqi

Many women in the cities of Afghanistan have economic activities but in the rural area, women are not allowed to set up their own business outside the home.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to a woman, Najiba Mousavi in Yakwalang district, Bamyan province who has a shop in the district bazaar.

Mousavi says: “I am a cleaner in one of the schools in the district. I go to school from morning to 12 at noon and then I go to a learning course. After the course, I go to my shop. I have spent 30 thousand Afghanis on my shop.  I bought ladies suits from Pakistan and now I sell women garments, children dresses, biscuits, stationery and other items.

At the beginning, I faced some problems but now I am famous in the area and I have many customers. When I am busy, my daughters proceed my job. I buy almost all my home necessities from the benefit of my shop and my fund has reached to 50 thousand Afghanis.”

Farmers and Facing Workshops:

Haji Muhammad Shafiq, a resident of Guzar-e-Dehqan area, Chaharikar city, Parwan province, who has ten years’ experience in farming.

Shafiq says: “at the beginning, I did not know how to cultivate and get good crops from the land and no one was eager to buy our productions at a good rate.

One year, I bought some modified wheat seeds from a company and later the company held a training workshop for the farmers and showed us the best way of cultivation, irrigation and fertilizing. At the beginning, we were cultivating 35 kgs wheat per Jerib land and now we cultivate 25 kgs wheat in the same land but get more crops. I also have a grapes garden. Before the vines were laying on the ground. I learned in the workshop and make stands for the grapevines. Before I had been getting 10 thousand Afghani benefits from grapes selling, and now I could get more than 100 thousand Afghani from the same garden.

Before I was only a farmer but now I have my own company of modified wheat seeds and fruit saplings.