KABUL (Pajhwok): An entrepreneur woman who started her business from 500 afs now has thousands of dollars assets and an established business asked other women to come forward and help their families socially and economically.
This is Zarifa Rezae hailing from the Paghman district of Kabul province. She was born 26 years ago in Iran in an educated family and completed her primary studies in Iran.
After returning to the country she completed her intermediate and high school in the Paghman Girls High School and studied two years of higher education in the field of agriculture from the Afghanistan Technical and Vocational Institute in Kabul (ATVI).
After completing her higher education, she started work at the in the Ministry of Agriculture in the area of refined seed distribution and home gardening.
After her work at the agriculture ministry, Rezae was attracted towards investing in agriculture products processing and thus she started her own business in 2018.
She started making achar, jam and other products from the agriculture products produced in the gardens.
She said from the past five years she invested $32,000, adding that now she also worked in the area of tailoring and handicraft products and exported these items to Germany and Belgium.
She got married seven years ago and now her husband was helping her in her business and they have a daughter.
Referring to the start of her business, Zarifa Rezae said: “I was interested in making achar and other similar products, one day I made achar and distributed them to our neighbours who praised it and from that day I started making achar and jam.”
After getting more familiar with making achar, she started making tomato paste and other similar products and sent them to the market.
Before the fall of previous government she built a small tomato paste making factory in Paghman but now her factor was not functional due to unknown reasons.
Najla Attae, the resident of Kabul’s Kot-i-Sangi area, worked with Rezae in production of achar and other products. She was thrilled due to the fact that she had an opportunity to work.
Tailoring business
Zarifa Rezae said in the initial period after the takeover of the ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’ (IEA) business activities declined but she was able to create open a tailoring brand named ‘Taj-i-Aros Products’ in the Abasin Commercial Market.
She said in her tailoring shop different type of work including hand and machine based wad carried out.
The products are not only sold at her shop but exported to Germany, Belgium and other nations as well. Sometimes export go up and sometimes decline.
She said up to 10 women worked with her in her tailoring factory.
Shaima Khawaja, one of the workers, said: “First I learned tailoring in this factory and now I work here and I am happy.”
She is the student of class 10th and after the closure of schools her family sent her to the factory to learn tailoring.
Creation of religious classes for girls
Besides her other creativities Rezae had recently started religious classes for women and girls inside her house.
She said up to 100 students from 7 to 50 years of age are daily provided lessons on religious topics.
She said more people were interested to attend these lessons but there was not space and her house was small.
Mohammad Haroon Rezae, the husband of Zarifa Rezae, said before the fall of previous government he worked in one of the government institution but with the fall of government he lost his job and now helped his wife in her business.
Nabilla, the student of class 11th said: “We are thankful to Mrs. Rezae that she created special classes where we learn something.”
It is pertinent to mention that after the takeover of the IEA, girls’ schools above class sixth are closed. The acting IEA government also barred girls from going to universities and work last year.
According to government officials the ban on girls’ education was temporary and girls would be allowed to attend universities and schools when a proper a suitable environment is arranged.
Ban and girls, women education and work sparked local and international concerns and different circles at global and domestic level often urged the IEA government to reverse its decision in this regard.
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