Kabul Women’s Association builds gender equality at a grassroots level

An income of her own

Economic empowerment also forms much of KWA’s day-to-day activity. Funded by CARE, Farzana received chickens from KWA along with training on how to care for them, a chicken coop design, plus cash to hire someone to build the coop. As a result she also supports and trains other women while her family is able to eat the eggs and sell the surplus for extra money.

Tahere also built a business – in her case, one selling pickled goods – and wants to help others follow in her footsteps. This 40-year-old married mother of four worked in a KWA-affiliated solidarity group before joining the Association as an executive member.

“Before I was in the KWA, I had so many economic problems,” she says. “Now I teach women to save money and have their own businesses. We work with the most vulnerable women. I want to empower other women to stand on their own two feet to help them solve their own problems at household level. My husband supports what I do. He encourages and supports me.”

“There was one case where three girls were not allowed by their father to go past sixth grade. I went to their home three times to talk to the father and convinced him to let the girls go back to school.”

As Tahere’s story shows, economic empowerment often goes hand-in-hand with domestic peace.

“If a woman is working and bringing income, and if there is income from [both] husband and wife, there tends to be less domestic violence,” says Samira, a project manager for CARE. “Women have more self-confidence if they are earning income. If a woman earns income for herself, she doesn’t have to ask her husband for money. It makes her self-reliant. I’ve worked in women-led organizations for years before – this is my experience.”

Women-led organizations like the KWA are important for many reasons, she adds, giving women safe spaces to share their experiences and learn from each other. “My biggest hope is that women-led organizations can continue to operate without fear.”

* All names changed.