TİKA Supports Employment of Women in Afghanistan

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) commissioned restoration of the physical conditions of the building serving as the Center for Empowering Women and Vocational Development, which is located in Herat province in Afghanistan. The goal is to employ around 100 women in the Center for Empowering Women and Vocational Development.

TİKA commissioned the restoration of the building serving as the Center for Empowering Women and Vocational Development, which is located in Herat province in Afghanistan. The Center for Empowering Women and Vocational Development, which operates under Herat Provincial Directorate of Social Welfare and Labor, serves by providing vocational development courses intended for women such as tailoring, hairdressing, cooking, calligraphy, ornamentation, pottery, and needlecraft in addition to providing courses to help develop language and computer skills.

Handcrafted products for sale

Within the scope of the project, interior and exterior physical conditions of the building were restored in addition to landscaping. In addition, products handcrafted by the women of Herat will be put up for sale in the crafts office located in the yard of the center.

Among the participants of the opening ceremony of the center whose restoration was completed were Nur Ahmad İslamcar, the Governor of Herat, Ali Özgün Öztürk, TİKA Central Asia and Caucasus Head of Department, Murat Erköl, Republic of Türkiye Herat Vice Consul General, Ebu Muhammed Mensur, Herat Provincial Director of Social Welfare and Labor, Arafat Deniz, TİKA Herat Coordinator, and İnal Çelikçi, the Afghan-Turkish Education School Principal.

Special thanks to TİKA

Muhammed İslamcar, the Governor of Herat, thanked TİKA for its support during his speech in the ceremony. Having emphasized that there are strong ties between Afghanistan and the Republic of Türkiye, İslamcar expressed his wish that relationships between these two friendly and fellow countries would become even stronger.

Ali Özgün Öztürk, TİKA Central Asia and Caucasus Head of Department, explained that TİKA operates in 62 countries around the world and that TİKA holds one office in each such country; however, it operates through a total 3 offices located in Kabil, Mazar-i Sharif, and Herat provinces in Afghanistan. Having emphasized that this was a sign of importance placed upon Afghanistan, Öztürk also added that these offices would continue to implement further projects and activities.

Around 100 women will be employed

Having stated that around 100 women will be provided with opportunities for employment, receiving vocational training as well as providing educational opportunities for their children in the Center for Empowering Women and Vocational Development, Arafat Deniz, TİKA Herat Coordinator, said that women would be able to sell their handcrafted products in the marketplace established in the yard of the center and that they aimed to provide women of Herat with both economic and social opportunities as a result.