Poverty was evident from her face and cloths, she started to tell the story of her life;” after my husband became addicted and lost his job in Afghan National Army, life was very difficult for us. It is five years that our neighbors help us and they give food and some amount to buy bread. We are living in my brother in-law’s house and it has two rooms. We are living in one room and the other room is rented for AFN 1,000. With this money I buy food for our family.”
Marzia is 30 years old and has two children a 7 years old daughter and 3 years old son.
She joined Hand in Hand Afghanistan organization one and half year ago, when the project staff went to her village for community awareness.
After joining the project, she received training on SHG management, business development services and basic financial training. She says,” the training program was very effective however I am an illiterate woman, I learned a lot, especially about business and loan. The training programs motivated me and I decided to build a shop in the yard, I could build a shop with AFN 4,000 which I received as advance rent for the room, following that I received equipment and items from Hand in Hand Afghanistan. In my shop I sell items like; milk, cream, biscuits, gum, chips and other required items for home.”
It is now nine months since she opened the shop and has made a profit of AFN 6,000 monthly. From her income she buys food, flour to bake bread for her family and also repaid the loan she had received from the SHG.
She says, “I am now very happy that I opened the shop and I made a good profit. Next year I will be able to enroll my daughter in school. I thank to Hand in Hand and the donors for their
Support, which gives people like us and our children an opportunity to live happily.
