In a little centre in the war-torn Kabul, the hum of sewing machines drowns out the noise of a country being unstitched.
As battle rages outside, in a little centre in the war-torn Kabul, the hum of sewing machines drowns out the noise of a country being unstitched.
Despite threats from fundamentalists, and intimidation from their own families, hundreds of Afghan women work with newfound confidence in the training centre run by the Self Employed Women’s Association (Sewa), headquartered in Ahmedabad. Seven members of the Sewa team in Kabul are from Gujarat.
The Afghan women are being trained in making garments, horticulture, floriculture, processing fruits, and eco-regeneration. For the women, the opportunity is a godsend, caught as they are in a brutal war which has snatched husbands, fathers, sons and brothers.
The centre was opened by the Indian government in response to a request from the Afghanistan government, and Sewa was selected to train 1,000 women. The centre has been operational for almost a year and has trained around 500 women.
Women in Kabul have been perhaps the worst hit in the socio-political upheaval in Afghanistan. With most men joining the war being fought by the Taliban, the women are left to sustain large families with some dozen-odd children.
Lalita Vasava, one of the trainers from Sewa, recalls that when the centre opened, “We wanted to take women who were widows or had been abandoned, and had no means of livelihood.” She said that when Sewa began the programme, it was flooded with applications, but could accommodate only 1,000 women.
“The women are given a stipend of 100 Afghani (about Rs108) per day during the training, which ranges from one to three months. The women are taught to grow fruits and vegetables, to make jams, jellies and pickles, as well as garments like coats, dresses, tops, and bags adorned with native embroidery patterns.
Reema Nanavaty, the director of economic and rural development at Sewa, said that the women marketed their products themselves. “The women’s ministry helps to organise exhibitions, and the women have been getting orders from embassies and the army. They are able to earn about 5,000 Afghani (approximately Rs5,400) per week and are confident and independent.”
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