Flowers give hope to Afghan women

SHEBIRGHAN, Afghanistan－Making artificial flowers has made Afghans feel as if it is spring all year round, says Fariha, 22, a flower maker in Afghanistan's northern province of Jawzjan.

For the first time, a group of 30 flower makers, all females, have graduated from a vocational training program on the outskirts of the provincial capital Shebirghan since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August.

One of them, Fariha, graduated from high school with the ambition of making flowers to support her family and opening a flower shop in the city.

The economy has deteriorated, with unemployment rising and more people struggling to make a living, though the security situation has remained generally calm.

"At this difficult time, as Afghanistan suffers from economic woes, the flower-making art helps young girls to make money and helps their families buy basic necessities," Fariha said.

"I have a good income of about 500 to 2,000 afghani (about $5-$20) from selling my daily products," said Fariha, now the breadwinner of her nine-member family.

The artificial flowers are mostly sold to wedding parties, the number of which has been rising recently, she said.

Zahra, another artificial flower maker in the same training program, said she joined it as soon as she graduated from high school a year ago. "Things have been difficult recently. … It gives me a very good feeling to make flowers and sell my own products, to make money."

Tutorial program

The five-month flower-making tutorial program, funded by an international nongovernmental organization, the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development, and launched by the Darakhshan Civil Association, has enabled up to 50 Afghan women to learn the technique and make a living.

Some countries have accused the Taliban caretaker government of failing to remain inclusive and protect the rights of women.

The Taliban have said they respect women's rights more than the previous government.

This month the Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree saying women and girls have their own choices of marriage, fixed share of heritage and property, and that no one can deprive them of their basic rights.

Xinhua