By Tamana Taban
Habiba Halimi earns less than five dollars for a day’s work, but it’s more than her husband’s wage and it goes a long way for her young family’s needs.
Her work involves dyeing silk for the Herat Women’s Silk Production Company, which started up eight years ago and today boasts a massive 750 women in its workforce.
“If this company didn’t exist, our lives would be paralyzed. I am a mother of three children, two of whom go to school. The school expenses and their daily needs are my responsibility,” Ms Halimi said.
The only caveat is the work is not always regular.
“My husband also works, but his income is low. On days when there is work, I earn up to 300 Afghanis ($4.2), and if we weave shawls, we are paid 200 Afghanis ($2.8) for each shawl.
“However, because our income is not stable, I cannot say exactly how much I earn in a month.”
Ms Halimi has been with the company for seven years and also represents at least 50 other women in company meetings.
“Our company has an annual accounting process to assess profits and losses. Additionally, we have monthly meetings where we share company decisions with the other 50 women,” she said.
“It’s my responsibility to convey the opinions of these 50 women [to the company].”
Enthusiastic beginnings
In 2016, a group of women in Herat province’s remote district of Zinda Jan banded together to form a co-operative.
Each of the 750 women bought in with 300 afghanis (around US$4), bringing their combined capital to more than 220,000 afghanis (US$3000).
The dream was for all the women involved to be able make ends meet.
Today, Herat Women’s Silk Production Company chiefs said the company value has ballooned to about about five million afghanis (US$71,500) and it’s become a reputable name in the silk production industry.
Company president Maryam Shaikh said the secret to their success is it’s not just about earning money for the women.
“The secret to the company’s success is that the members work with heart and soul,” Ms Shaikh said.
Herat’s long history of silk artistry
Silk weaving has been a popular art in the western Herat province for more than 600 years.
Persistent war and insecurity almost pushed the industry to the brink of collapse in the decades of unrest, but the art has survived, helped in part by foreign investment.
Statistics from the Agricultural Development Association under the previous Afghan government reported around 5,000 women across Afghanistan were engaged in the silk industry. It’s unclear if the number is still this high.
Ms Shaikh said that the women have perfected the craft of silk making by trial and error.
“For example, we did not know how to dye silk threads with natural colors at all. However, thanks to educational resources available to us, all of our products are now dyed with natural colors,” she said.
“These colors come from saffron flowers, saffron itself, pomegranate peel, onion skins, walnut shells, and other natural materials.”
The silk is also sourced organically.
“The silk production process is very complex, starting from raising silkworms to their transformation into cocoons, then turning those into fine silk threads, and subsequently converting raw silk into processed silk,” Ms Shaikh said.
“The next steps involve dyeing the silk threads, weaving them, and transforming the threads into shawls and other silk pieces.
“We independently manage all these stages ourselves, and members of our company are experts in each of these areas. Overall, producing silk shawls involves seven stages.”
Women-owned and led
Currently, 750 women are considered shareholders of the company, with management carried out by 50 women who represent these shareholders.
It’s a success story of women’s management in a country where their abilities have long been underestimated.
The greatest success of the company was before the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 when foreign exports were more feasible with support from external organizations.
“Now we mostly sell our silk products at exhibitions for foreign tourists. Some of our previous international customers still place orders, and we ship products to them, however, our rates of foreign sales have significantly decreased,” Ms Shaikh said.
Nevertheless, the company is still able to provide employment opportunities for hundreds of families.
“Those who work in weaving and other production sections receive wages. For example, we pay weavers 200 afghanis (around $3) for each silk shawl they produce,” Ms Shaikh said.
Shawls, silk garments, tents, and rugs are some of the main silk products. It’s noted for the quality of its silk threads and for fabrics resembling prisms that display different colors when viewed from different angles.
Supporting women means some work for free
Many women also work with the company voluntarily.
Company CEO Ruqia Mohammadi said she doesn’t receive a salary, and the 15 women who make up the board of directors also work voluntarily.
“Our main goal is the growth of the company,” Ms Mohammadi said.
The 24-year-old said that a company that started with three simple machines now has ten silk-weaving machines, one of which is very advanced.
“There is only one such machine in all of Afghanistan, and it is with us,” she said.
The machine worth three million afghanis (US$43,000) was thanks to a donation from the European Union, but the EU is no longer a donor.
“Since the previous government fell, the European Union has not supported us anymore,” Ms Mohammadi said.
“To operate this machine, we need a skilled person who knows how to use it, but unfortunately, such a person cannot be found within the country. As a result, this machine is currently inactive.”
One of the few avenues for income permitted to women
After Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, they began immediately dismantling women’s freedom to the point that there’s almost no education, work, or income available to women.
Scores of restrictions imposed as rules on threat of prison, physical punishment or death have been implemented to force women and their families to comply.
Handicrafts and small-scale entrepreneurship are among the few opportunities that the Taliban allows women to engage with, however, there is no support available—neither from the Taliban administration nor from foreign donors.
In the previous Afghan government, support for women’s work and financial independence was primarily provided by foreign organizations.
This support has now diminished to a minimum.
Nevertheless, Ms Shaikh and Ms Mohammadi said Herat Women’s Silk Production Company remains steadfast and determined to steer its members and workforce through this storm and continue to grow while enduring countless hardships.
