JOBS TRAINING
CHANGES THE LIFE OF
AN AFGHAN WOMAN
AND HER FAMILY
by Rebecca Lee
"We are now living happy because the
future looks bright for my family."
A
s a young mother in Afghanistan,
Mah Jan shared the same worries
as millions of women around the
world who lack access to paid work:
How can I earn money for myself
and my family?
How can I ensure a brighter future
for my children?
How can I support the women and
girls in my community?
Mah Jan’s story is typical of girls born
into poor, uneducated families in Central
Asia. Her childhood years were difficult.
Problems at home forced her to drop out
of school in the seventh grade. She married
very young and soon found herself with six
children. She was expected to stay home,
raise the children, and do the household
chores. So Mah Jan made the only choice
available to her; she put her dream of getting
an education on hold.
On hold, but not forgotten.
Hope came alive again years later when, at
the age of 38, Mah Jan enrolled in a literacy
and vocational training program funded by
Central Asia Institute. She spent nine months
improving her literacy skills, then focused
her attention on learning how to sew. Within
six months, she had completed a tailoring
course and was hired by the program staff
to teach tailoring to other students.
Mah Jan loved teaching, but the income
wasn’t sufficient to support her family.
Thanks to her training, however, she was
FALL 2019
able to refine her skills and start her own
business from her home. Now, in addition
to sewing her children’s clothes, she offers
her services for pay to private customers.
“It seemed like a fairy tale that I would get
a job and earn money for my family while
supporting women and girls as a whole,” she
says proudly.
Mah Jan’s tailoring business has trans-
formed her life. “Before becoming involved
with the tailoring class, my family’s living
conditions were difficult. But the income and
benefits received from tailoring changed my
life situation. With the little I earn, I am able
to pay the rent on our home, which was one
of the biggest problems we had. We are now
living happy because the future looks bright
for my family. My small business helps
me to increase the family income and ease
any difficulties.”
Thanks to her newfound skills as a tailor
and her generous spirit, Mah Jan believes
that she can end the cycle of poverty and
desperation in her family and also lead the
way in changing attitudes towards women
in her family and society. “My family and
relatives are proud to see me working. The
gift of tailoring makes me feel grateful.
I can now pass on the same knowledge
to my relatives and the women and girls in
my community."
“I want to act as a role model for my com-
munity,” says Mah Jan. “I want to be a teacher
to empower the next generation of girls. If it
were not for Central Asia Institute, I would
be sitting home, not earning, and not able
to support my family. Today, I work and
earn! Central Asia Institute has given me the
skills and opportunity. Thank you, Central
Asia Institute!”
For women living in Afghanistan and
other impoverished areas of Central Asia,
vocational training provides the critical non-
book education that makes earning income
for their families possible. And it has an
amazing ripple effect. Women who receive
an education and livelihood (job) skills not
only contribute to their family’s income and
the local economy but also tend to pass these
skills and benefits on to the next generation.
For 23 years, Central Asia Institute has
been unlocking the full potential of girls
and women through education and training.
And we are seeing progress, especially when
it comes to access to quality education.
That’s where livelihood training becomes
so invaluable. Livelihood training support-
ed by Central Asia Institute is unlocking
women’s economic potential, offering hope
and opportunities that didn’t exist before,
and helping to change not only women’s
attitudes towards themselves but also their
status in society. Thanks to your generous
help, we’re expanding our services in this
exciting new direction to empower women
to become agents of change towards more
prosperous and peaceful societies. l
JOURNEY OF HOPE | 3