“WOMEN MUST BE SUPPORTED SO THAT THEY CAN STAND UP. IF PEOPLE’S FINANCES IMPROVE, THE COUNTRY'S ECONOMY WILL IMPROVE, AND PEOPLE WILL BE SAVED FROM MISERY”

Sheela heads a women's trade center and a women’s handicrafts union and helped create a women’s market seven years ago. Since the Taliban takeover, one of the only reasons women are allowed to leave the home is to shop, and women-only markets are the only place where women are still allowed to work. She recounts the challenges in reopening the market, and her hopes for future changes.

“Back in 2015, we started with five women and within six months we had reached 85 women by encouraging women to work in business. We attracted many women, including working women, widows and breadwinners who had jobs. We gave them a shop. We coordinated with donor institutions that provided machines and tools. In the beginning, we were active in personal markets for a year and a half.

After the [Taliban takeover], I was at home for a while until one day I met with one of the heads of the municipality and asked him to talk to the mayor about opening the market. He agreed and asked me to meet with him. I went, despite all my fears. During the meeting, the mayor said we should first check the condition of the market with the governor. Two days later I was called to go to the market, and there I saw that the governor and the mayor were with a large number of Taliban. They checked the market and when they saw that it was a safe and covered place and that men were not allowed to enter, they were convinced that it would be a good place for women to shop.

Later, the mayor asked me what I wanted from them. I said we needed a night guard and a woman to clean the place, and the government's support for security and coordination of financial assistance to women. They accepted. A security guard was hired and the market is cleaned by municipal cleaning agents. Later, I called the women shopkeepers to come and start their work. They were crying with joy.

But when the women shopkeepers arrived, their shops were empty. During the war, all their goods had been stolen… By borrowing from families and relatives, they brought some supplies and slowly, the market was reactivated. One day, two international organizations visited the market with a large number of officials. They surveyed the vendors to identify problems and later signed a USD $100,000 contract to renovate the women’s market. The renovation is underway and expected to be completed by April.

We also established a women's handicraft’s union, which has 1,200 women members so far. I hope that through this union we can obtain more projects and work for the women of districts and villages.