Jawzjan woman entrepreneur hires dozens of workers

SHIBERGHAN (Pajhwok): A woman in northern Jawzjan province has employed 170 widows and needy women in her wool spinning and handicraft workshops.

The workers are happy with their job and want the Islamic Emirate to support their employer to enable her to boost her business and hire more women.

Sangimah Sattar, owner of these workshops in Shiberghan city, told Pajhwok Afghan News she set up the wool spinning workshop (spinning wool fiber into yarn) about one year ago in which she has hired 120 female workers.

She said that she established handcraft workshop about one and a half years ago and employed 50 women there.

Seeking to keep the handcraft industry alive in Jawzjan, Sattar wanted to provide work opportunities for widows and bread winning women.

She added women who lost jobs and girls barred from school were working in her workshops.

Regarding salaries, she said: “Wool weaving women are paid 1,500 afghanis salary a month and handcraft makers are paid based on meterage.”

There are more than 300 other women who are interested to work in these workshops, Sattar said and added if supported, she would be able to appoint these women in her workshops.

According to her, they buy wool from shopkeepers and send it back to them after weaving and take their wages.

The female workers weave more than 800 kilos of wool in a month, but if a machine is provided, the production can double.

Without providing figures, she said the handicrafts section as well as production and sales had improved and her income increased to 80,000 afghanis from 15,000 afghanist per month.

Women who are working in these workshops are concerned about the lack of equipment.

Hamida, 50, a worker in the wool-weaving section, told Pajhwok: “I work at home and earn 50 afghanis for weaving one kilo of wool, I’m so happy.”

She complained about economic difficulties and added she was paid 1,500 afghanis per month which could only meet some of her needs.

Hadiha, another worker, said: “I come here every day and weave wool with my hands and earn money this way. If aid giving organization provide me with machine, it will be very good because spinning wool by hands is very difficult.”

Fatima Nik Rasouli, head of the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jawzjan, told Pajhwok recently that the number of tailoring workshops had increased in the province.

She said over the last two years, 6,000 women in Jawzjan turned to tailoring, agriculture and livestock sectors.

She added the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with the Islamic Emirate was supporting women who created small, medium and large workshops to provide employment to women.

kk/ma

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