KABUL (Pajhwok): Fatima Jafari left Afghanistan as a teenager and spent nearly 10 years in Iran before returning to her homeland a year and a half ago. Now working at a café in Kabul, she says returning home has given her a sense of comfort and belonging.
In this edition of its “Woman’s Mirror” programme, Pajhwok Afghan News features Fatima Jafari, who has been working at a café in Kabul since returning to Afghanistan about a year and a half ago.
Migration: An interrupted education and a longing for home
Jafari migrated to Iran with her family at the age of 14, when she was in the eighth grade. However, for various reasons, she was unable to continue her education.
She said that as a child and teenager, she had dreamed of becoming a flight attendant and travelling to different countries to see the world. However, the circumstances of migration prevented her from completing her education and pursuing that ambition.
Despite being unable to continue her studies, Fatima did not give up on her efforts to improve her life. While living in Iran, she learned hairdressing, tailoring and coffee preparation.
Fatima said she had not felt comfortable during her years abroad and had always hoped to return to her homeland one day.
“When I returned to Afghanistan, I felt very good. I felt as though I had come back to my own home, and I felt at ease. I have never regretted returning to my country,” Jafari said.
She added: “Migrating during my teenage years, when we are just beginning to understand society, was really difficult for me. You leave your own community and enter another society with a different accent, culture and people.”
Returning home: Choosing a path towards progress
Fatima had also worked at a café in Iran for a year and a half. After returning to Afghanistan, she decided to continue working in the same field.
She said she felt comfortable in her workplace and continued to learn new skills every day.
In her spare time, Fatima uses YouTube to learn how to prepare different types of coffee and improve her professional skills.
“I tried many different jobs, including tailoring and hairdressing. But when I started working at a café, I realised that this was exactly the right path for me. I genuinely enjoy my work and the place where I work,” she said.
Fatima is passionate about her job and is working to become a professional barista. “Perhaps I am not yet a fully professional barista, but I can sit alongside other baristas and call myself one,” she said.
Fatima is not the only woman employed at the café. According to her, two other women also work there.
She said the presence of female staff had encouraged more women and girls to visit the café, as they felt more comfortable in a place where women were among those serving them.
According to Fatima, the café’s management is committed to supporting girls and providing them with opportunities to showcase their talents and artistic abilities.
She said an art exhibition had been held at the café a few days earlier, attracting a large number of girls.
Part of the café has also been set aside for reading, allowing customers to read books while visiting the establishment, she added.
Alongside her work at the café, Fatima is learning Turkish online. She said her busy work schedule left her with little time to attend in-person classes.
Family support and future aspirations
Fatima also spoke about the support she had received from her family, saying her parents had stood by her in every path she had chosen.
She said their support had grown stronger after they saw that she was capable of managing her work at the café.
Sayed Mohammad Reza Jafari, Fatima’s brother, said his family had always supported his sister’s choices.
He praised her efforts and said that, as a brother, he wished success for Fatima and all the girls of his country.
Fatima Jafari: Girls should not give up on their dreams
Like many people, Jafari dreams of one day owning her own business and premises. For now, however, she is more interested in travelling and visiting cafés in different countries around the world.
She said that, contrary to the common perception that working in a café is difficult, she enjoys her job. The more customers there are, she added, the more motivated and enthusiastic she feels about her work.
Fatima concluded with a message for the girls of Afghanistan:
“Do not give up on your dreams. Take the first step towards achieving them, and trust that if you begin with faith in God, you will reach your goals.”
Café manager: Our goal is to support women’s talents and abilities
Sayed Sarwar Alizada, the café’s manager, told Pajhwok that the decision to employ women had been made to provide them with job opportunities in an independent working environment, with separate sections for women and men.
He said the women’s section operated independently, with female staff handling all its activities, from preparing coffee to providing waitressing services.
Alizada added that three women currently worked at the café, two as waitresses and one as a coffee maker.
He said women had responded positively to the café, with female customers expressing satisfaction with an environment where all services in the women’s section were provided by women.
He added that their goal was not limited to creating employment opportunities for women. They also hoped to expand their activities and open more branches to support women’s talents and abilities, particularly those living in provinces where access to facilities and online platforms was limited.
Through these efforts, he said, they wanted to help women showcase their abilities and find suitable opportunities to pursue their interests.
Fatima Jafari’s story is that of a young woman who has not allowed migration, interrupted education or changes in her life to deter her from building a new future. After returning to Afghanistan, she acquired new skills and entered the workforce, choosing a new path while continuing to pursue her goals and aspirations.
Her journey shows that changing direction in life does not mean reaching a dead end; with effort and hope, it is possible to begin a new chapter.
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