Afghanistan City Helping Women Own Businesses
Afgha.com has reported that five women-owned stores in the city of Mazar-e Sharif are doing well. The women’s affairs department helped the women set up their retail shops, something almost unheard of in Afghanistan.
The success of these lady-owned and operated business led to the provincial governor laying the foundation stone for the Women’s Garden, a planned shopping center for 200 more stores. Men as well as women will be allowed to shop there, though it was pointed out that, “officials say their behaviour will be closely monitored.” As expected, there have been some disagreements among religious leaders over the rights of these females, but there are many local clerics who see it as a positive step.
Mazar-e Sharif is the largest city in northern Afghanistan. The city is recovering from the many years of fighting. The afgha.com article described it as vastly more peaceful and secure than other parts of the country.
North Afghanistan’s biggest city, Mazar-e-Sharif, is trying to put behind it the bloody years from 1997 to 2001, when it was fought over by militias, including the Taleban, and thousands of people were killed in the streets.
Today, this low-rise city, baked by the sun of the central Asian grasslands, is thriving again. The broad boulevards have been resurfaced with Japanese funding.
These female business owners in the city are taking a giant step for women in their country and their culture. Their success in running these shops is proving to the citizens that women have the knowledge and the capacity to make contributions to society that will help the city and its economy. My proverbial hat is off to the city of Mazar-e Sharif for giving these ladies the opportunity to step up and prove they have what it takes to help themselves and their city rebuild and recover.
women, international women, Afghanistan, women in business, Mazar-e Sharif, women’s rights
October 18th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
[...] To read how other international women are overcoming oppression, check out Afghanistan City Helping Women Own Businesses. [...]