KABUL [ACTED News] - Amina is a member of one of ACTED's 60 women's self help groups across the North of Afghanistan. Each self help group has between 20 –25 female members who have been formed into small cooperatives by ACTED to receive training and grants to start their own businesses producing handicraft products, school uniforms, carpets and embroidery.
Amina is the most vocal member of the Sahar self-help group located in the Northern city of Mazar-e Sharif. When asked what this project meant for her, she told us that “it gave me the first opportunity I had in my life to earn money for my family and meet other women outside of the household.”Her husband is happy to support her in this because she is now able to contribute economically to her household. Other members of the group also feel that “Now we are allowed to meet together because we are earning money, we can share problems and learn about each other’s lives.”
The Sahar self help group has recently been working with a local hospital to make hospital gowns for patients. For each gown, they are able to make 3 USD, which means they can go above and beyond the Millennium Development Goal of increasing people’s income to above 2 USD a day in developing countries.