Journey of Hope 2017 journey-of-hope-2017 | Page 5

He saw an
opportunity for
women to sell
baked goods and
other treats to earn
extra money for
their families.
now believes women should work outside
the home. Barriers like lack of education, ha-
rassment, threats of violence, and illiteracy
have prevented women from taking a nec-
essary position in the workforce. Nationally
the literacy rate for women is 17 percent, and
in some areas it can be as low as 2 percent.
The vocational trainings set up by CAI
and in-country partner Marcopolo Social
Services and Reconstruction Organization
(MSSRO) work to address these situations
and provide the women of Badakhshan
province with the skills needed to create
their own economy and build opportunity
for the next generation.
TEACHING THE SKILLS
TO SUCCEED
In 2012 Janagha Jaheed, director of
MSSRO, saw an opportunity to work with
Bano Vocational Center in Faizabad to
offer cooking classes for women. He saw
FALL 2017
an opportunity for women to sell baked
goods and other treats to earn extra money
for their families. Working together with
the facility, they hired qualified female
teachers to instruct women in the art of
commercial cooking.
Baking and cooking skills pass from
mother to daughter in these areas, so if
a mother only knew how to cook a few
dishes and breads, her daughters might
only learn those few dishes too. By offering
culinary classes taught by women, families
are more likely to allow their daughters to
attend and learn skills they can use in the
home as well as to earn extra money for
the family.
“They were very happy for providing
such services,” Janagha reported after a
recent visit to the classes. “They said,
‘believe me, if our teachers and managers
were not women, we would not be able
to continue our classes. Our parents and
families allowed us to come because all the
staff were women.’ It’s women for women.”
During the six-month course students
learn how to keep a clean and profession-
al kitchen, how to use tools to achieve
the best look, and dozens of recipes from
everyday meals to cakes and cookies for
special occasions.
Several times during the year the students
set up an exhibition in the women’s garden
with other vocational classes, usually be-
fore the Eid holidays and the holy month
of Ramadan, to show off their accomplish-
ments and find future clients who will order
goods from them and help support their
new businesses.
During the most recent two-day bazaar,
women displayed the products they have
been working on from woven rugs, to sim-
ple tailored clothing, to the beautiful foods
of the cooking class. Women walked be-
tween the pop-up shops, openly chatting
JOURNEY OF HOPE | 3