Kabul, Wed 29 Apr, 2009

Another of our literacy students realized that she could use her tailoring skills and the classmates she had newly acquired to build up a business together and each earn money for the winter. Her name is Nadia and she used some money she had available to buy fabric and thread. Then she allocated work to five fellow students who each made the embroidered fronts of dresses.

Nadia paid them for their embroidery work and used the pieces to insert into items of clothing which she sold to the shops in the bazaar. Gradually not only did Nadia’s profits grow, but also the accumulated wages of her fellow classmates grew too. Then all six began to make and sell products individually. All of them are tutored, mentored, encouraged and supported by being able to discuss their business problems and difficulties before and after their literacy classes, with their class teacher. So now there are six families benefiting from the earnings made possible by the synergy of increased literacy skills and meeting other ladies to learn and share business ideas and knowledge. When I asked if this could have happened without the catalyst of the literacy classes, there was a definite and unanimous ‘NO!’