Education helps unlock the potential of young women from Afghanistan
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Students from Afghanistan, who are studying in Uzbekistan, participated in a UN Women-organized training on entrepreneurship and business skills to increase their employment opportunities after graduation.
The training was also aimed at enhancing their leadership and professional skills and increasing awareness about gender equality, women’s rights, and the role of women in peace building and economic development.
The training was organized within the framework of the EU-UNDP joint programme in partnership with the Gender Economics Research Center (GERC) at the Narxoz University in Tashkent, Uzbekistan for women who are enrolled in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Agriculture at the Tashkent State Agrarian University.
In 2019 and 2020, fifty young women from Afghanistan came to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to study for bachelor’s, master’s degrees and TVET programme in agriculture, finance and mining. Most of these students study at the universities in Almaty, Kazakhstan and 10 of them currently study in Uzbekistan. Besides being talented, motivated, and pro-active, these young women also share a passion for agriculture.
UN Women in Kazakhstan spoke to some of the students about their future plans and dreams*.
BASIRA AHMADI
Basira Ahmadi, 25, comes from the Wardak province, which is located in the central region of Afghanistan, but lately had been living in Kabul. She was one of the nine women (among more than 500 candidates), who won a financial grant from UN Women in Afghanistan to start a business. She owns a small shop of used books.
“It is sad that so many women in Afghanistan cannot read, use technologies or even write their names. That is why, a while ago, I decided to give free classes for women in my neighborhood at my home. I taught reading and writing to them one hour every day for more than nine months. At the beginning I only had four to five students, but those numbers gradually increased to 60. Even being able to read signboards and electricity bills made huge difference in these women’s lives. In the future I would like to help illiterate women from rural areas by establishing a company specializing in agriculture, so they can work and support themselves and their families. Uneducated women should not be left behind. No one should be left behind.”
MUZHGAN ELYASI
Muzhgan Elyasi, 20, was born in Ghazni, which is located 150 km south of Kabul, and raised in Kabul. She has just started her education journey and is yet to receive her TVET certificate, but she already has big plans and dreams for bringing change to her society.
“I am very grateful to have a very supportive family. My parents are not educated, but they made sure that my brothers and I got an education so that we could succeed in life. It was my brother who encouraged me to apply to study abroad. When I go back to Afghanistan, I would like to work to advance women’s rights, especially in the provinces. I would like to share my skills and knowledge with them because I think education is very important. Education can change societies and bring development. My friend was forced to marry when she was 13, and I think it shouldn’t be like that in the future. I want women of Afghanistan to live free from violence and to follow their dreams for life.”
SAFIA AMIRZAI
Safia Amirzai, 21, comes from a very big family of 10 children in the Wardak province. Back in Afghanistan, she used to teach English. She says she is happy to find a programme that suits her future career plans so well. She always dreamed of working in the area of agriculture.
“Before coming to Uzbekistan to join the TVET programme, I had a little bit of knowledge about organic agricultural practices. But now I hope to learn much more about doing business in agriculture without destroying soil, water reservoirs, and without using unsustainable methods. My friends and I want to conduct awareness programmes for farmers. We would like to teach them to grow fruits and vegetables and keep the environment clean. Apart from that, I am planning to conduct research in this field, so that it will be easier for others to see the current situation and build their businesses accordingly. Thus, the sessions on business skills and career planning are very useful.”
ZUBAIDA KHAWAR MUKHLES
Zubaida Khawar Mukhles, 21, was born and raised in Jawzjan, which is located in the north of the country bordering neighboring Turkmenistan. She says that she is lucky to have a family who supports all her endeavors. She has high hopes for the future and dreams of being a project manager in agricultural programmes.
“I think gender inequality can be reduced, if women and men were more aware of their rights. I know it is very challenging to protect your rights and boundaries, when others are violating them, but that’s when society must help. There are so many ways to help those in need, for instance, I am planning to become a professional in my sphere and to be a role model for other girls. By being educated, compassionate and caring I can bring positive change. I am convinced that every person must do what they love the most. I wish women in my country knew that following their dreams and doing what they want in life is their fundamental right.”
HURIA TAHIRY
Huria Tahiry, 17, was born in Ghazni and raised in Kabul. She graduated at the top of her class in high-school. Huria dreams of becoming a Minister of Agriculture and her wish is to make the lives of people in rural areas better.
“In Afghanistan we have some schools and universities that are only for men, and they have all the facilities: fitness centres, pools. They have pitches and courts to play football and basketball. But unfortunately, schools for women are not the same, they even sometimes don’t have enough classrooms. I want this situation to change. Women need an education as well as a safe and comfortable environment in which to study. I love studying and find this training on entrepreneurship and business skills very useful. In fact, I wish all the women of Afghanistan could participate in this kind of course to know their rights and get help with their future career plans. Women of Afghanistan could succeed in all spheres, if they had access to education, including in the area of agriculture.”
Similar training was provided to women from Afghanistan who study at universities in Kazakhstan. You can find their inspiring stories here.
*The views expressed in this article are those of the young women who UN Women interviewed and do not necessarily represent the views of the European Union, UN Women, UNDP, the United Nations or any of its affiliated organizations.