KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Razia, a 23-year-old woman, runs a tailor shop in the Daman district of Kandahar in war-torn Afghanistan, where traditions usually do not encourage women to work outside the home.
"I am trying to develop it (the tailor shop)," Razia said, adding that some 50 women are working in her workshop and each receives a monthly salary.
Selling her products to Kandahar city, the capital of the southern province of Kandahar, Razia said that her employees are happy with the income to support their families.
Women and girls working in the workshop are engaged in embroidery, sewing traditional clothes and making burka, an envelope-like veil that covers a woman from head to toe.
"Our products include embroidery, traditional clothes which are in high demand among Afghans," Razia told Xinhua.
In an effort to develop her products, Razia said she had visited Kabul twice to put her products on display at a handicrafts exhibition to find more customers.
Although women are active in the field of health, education and also business, schoolgirls from grade 7th to 12th cannot attend the classroom.
In a recent decision, the Ministry of Higher Education separated educational days for male and female students at universities. Based on the decision, the girl students could attend classes on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday while boy students attend the universities on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Razia, ambitious, has always tried to display her products at craft exhibitions, and also called upon local authorities to reopen Juma Bazaar (Friday Bazaar), a local market where businesspersons used to sell their products.
Razia's colleague Khudija assumed that working women help stabilize the economy.
"My team is composed of 12 women working here and selling our products," said Khudija. "On the one hand (it) helps us to earn livelihood and on the other, stabilizes the domestic economy."
In the northern Mazar-i-Sharif, another woman Habiba Amini has also opened a tailor shop and provided job opportunities for 40 women in the city.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
