Turning tradition into income
19-year-old Ruqia was banned from finishing secondary school, but through a UNICEF vocational training course she is learning new skills to help her earn a living
“This training gave me a second chance to still have a dream and work for it.”
In a crowded but lively, colourful room, a UNICEF-supported vocational training course has brought 19-year-old Ruqia back together with her school friends. Here, she attends classes each day with 100 other young women, learning carpet weaving and wool spinning as part of a six-month course, with the goal of starting her own business one day.
“When I came to this centre, I was reunited with so many of my school classmates and friends,” says Ruqia.
“I still like to think of this as our classroom. It helps me cope with the sadness of not being allowed to go to secondary school.”
Carpets hold deep cultural significance in Afghanistan, where the craft of carpet-making has been a cherished tradition for centuries. They are ubiquitous furnishings in Afghan homes, and are treasured worldwide for their intricate patterns, natural dyes and symbolic designs.
In western Herat, where Ruqia grew up, the carpet-making tradition is especially renowned. Now, Ruqia has the chance to be a part of it.
UNICEF vocational training courses target boys, girls and young women across Afghanistan who face extreme poverty or are at risk of harmful coping mechanisms, such as early marriage or dangerous unaccompanied migration. The courses equip participants with practical skills, empowering them to earn an income, support their families and achieve financial independence.
For girls and young women, the courses are particularly valuable, helping them overcome educational and economic obstancles, especially amid ongoing restrictions to secondary and higher education and employment opportunities. Selection is based on economic need, prioritizing girls and women from families who face the greatest financial challenges in their communities.
Courses are supplemented with life skills training, helping girls and young women to better understand their health and make decisions about their well-being, such as seeking health care as soon as possible and getting the right vaccines.
When the de-facto authorities announced that girls were banned from attending secondary schools, Ruqia was shocked – along with 1 million other girls in Afghanistan. She was presented with an uncertain future.
Ruqia reflects on the years she spent at home after the ban, feeling anxious and despondent sitting at home with little to occupy her.
“After the ban on secondary education, I stayed at home for two or three years, doing nothing but being worried and thinking a lot about my future,” Ruqia reflects.
“I was a frustrated girl because I had nothing to do.”
Today, Ruqia is not only busy, but she is also brimming with hope. Her hands skillfully guide wool onto the loom as she weaves together the beginnings of a new carpet, and, perhaps, a new life. She smiles, cultivating thoughts of her new future as a businesswoman in Herat, her hometown in western Afghanistan.
Supported through funding from the Government and People of Japan, as well as flexible thematic funds, this six-month vocational training programme is designed to provide a lifeline for girls and young women like Ruqia. UNICEF supports 200 students like them in Herat, where they learn carpet weaving, spinning and tailoring. All participants are between the ages of 15 and 25, shut out of secondary school and most formal employment pathways. These vocational skills offer the girls an opportunity for self-employment and the ability to earn an income.
With the help of her classmate, Ruqia measures a length of carpet, soon to be completed.
Ruqia recalls with a smile, “The thing I like the most about this training is that it is social, not individual. We all work together like a team and share our knowledge.”
For Ruqia, the training has been more than just a new opportunity.
“If this vocational training did not exist, I would have nothing to do. This training means a second chance and a comeback from a distressed and frustrated life.”
