More than 500 woman and men graduated from a six-month vocational training course in Herat.
“Most of our students that graduated from this training course now can make some small work for themselves,” said Asif Folad, head of Germany’s help office in Afghanistan.
“They have been trained with the support of the German Help Office and the United Nations Children’s Fund. Most of these women and girls are the breadwinners for their families,” said Freshta Yaqobi, an organizer.
Students in the course who have obtained certificates called on the Islamic Emirate to help facilitate work for them.
Women learned sewing and knitting and men received training in carpentry, blacksmithing, mobile phone repair, and motorcycle repair. They said that after graduation they hope to find work.
“I hope to open a big workshop and get financial support through this,” said Sadaf, a student.
“We graduated from this training course and want to find a good job,” said Farzad, a student.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in Herat said that efforts are ongoing to create work opportunities for these students.
“Currently, 2,000 to 2,500 students are studying in this course,” said Merza Mohammad Abu Mansoor.
These men and women enter the labor market at a time when unemployment has increased in the country for more than a year due to the economic crisis. Many of the country’s youth have gone to neighboring countries due to unemployment and poverty.
