A Life Changing Opportunity: Maisara's Story
A Life Changing Opportunity: Maisara's Story
Maisara, 40, is a widow with 12 children. She has been working with Afghanaid since July 2010. Before Afghanaid met her, she had not source of income primarily because she did not have practical skills she could use to make a living.
Maisara received food preservation training from Afghanaid and is now able to make tomato sauce and dried vegetables and fruits which she sells to other women and at the local market.
“My most successful product is tomato sauce which I sell for 50 Afs ($1) a bottle and to-date have made 2500 Afs ($50) selling it” she says.
In total Maisara earned 4500 Afs ($90) and after covering her living expenses she made a net profit of 800 Afs ($16). Maisara works 2 days a week and is very happy with her return for this period of work. This enables her to work but also allows her ample time to spend with her children.
Maisara is not able to sell her products in the market because she is a woman. However, Mairsara has found two ways around this. First, she says that her dried vegetables and fruits like tomatoes, cabbages, cauliflowers, black peppers, garlic, green peppers, onions, carrots, apples, apricots and cherries are very much sought after, so she has no problem in finding customers. She also uses a room in her house to store all her end products.
Secondly, her son sells her goods at the local bazaar.
"Once the product is ready to be sold, I and my son tow the products to another village. There my son goes to the market to sell and I go to the houses of my female customers. I usually have to spend the night in a friend’s house, because my only way of transportation is by foot and it takes a couple of hours to reach my destination”.
Maisara continues, “The reason I like working is, because it gives me a sense of worth and through it I am able to support my children and provide for their needs”. She also stresses the importance for woman and especially widowed woman to work, because it gives them a way to sustain their livelihoods. That is why she is very thankful to Afghanaid and says this opportunity has changed her life.
Please support Afghanaid's work with in horticulture and food preservation. Make a donation and help train rural Afghan women in food preservation and processing giving them an invaluable source of income and sense of worth.