Tailoring: A Small Business Skill for Afghan Women

AIL has 33 centers in the Herat area and these have 1,205 students studying sewing. There are 23 teachers and 57 sewing classes. The students are all female with 626 being adolescent age – 10 to 19 years.Knowing how to sew can be life changing for women and gaining this skill can make them open to taking other courses and improving their education. 

Comments from a former student, “I am a sewing class student and grateful for this center because we are poor and could not pay fees for educational and handicraft courses at other places. AIL’s center does not take fees. When I came to this center I did not know anything about sewing but after a few months I was able to sew clothes for myself and my family. After graduating from the class I was able to sew clothing for my neighbors too. I earn money doing this and that helps my family. This center has changed my life.”

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AIL is working towards: SDG Goal 4 – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

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Here is a snapshot of sewing skills classes at one of our centers. The Herat area has one of our largest Learning Centers which has 1,943 students (1,183 female). 270 of the females are learning some sort of sewing skill. There are 40 studying weaving, 22 roman dozy and 23 embroidery as well as 184 taking sewing. The latter course takes 12 months and students learn all aspects of tailoring and topics related to setting up a small sewing business.

"My name is Sharbano and I am twenty. For some time I had family problems and could not continue my education. We lived in a mountainous area and the girls stayed at home and were not allowed to go to school. There were no learning centers and if a girl was interested in school, she soon gave up the idea due to the insecurity.

We are an 8 person family. I have 6 siblings and my father is the only breadwinner in the family. I asked him to move to the city. He ignored this at first but I insisted. We did move and settled in Herat City, my neighbor introduced me to the AIL center in the area. I registered in the tailoring class. After attending the course, surprisingly, I became a talented tailor. I can sew every type of clothing for people and earn money. Then I joined the literacy class and now I am able to read and write and I am in grade 3 literacy class. Thanks to AIL for providing this type of center in remote areas."

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News

Recently, the Professor Sakena Yacoobi High School, Herat won an International School Award from the British Council. The awards go to schools that demonstrate a commitment to developing global citizens by embedding internationalism throughout the ethos and curriculum of the school. The Director of the British Council, Afghanistan said: “This globally recognized accreditation helps enrich learning & improve teaching by guiding international learning activities, from introducing international education into the curriculum to embedding it within school culture.”