{"id":37089,"date":"2025-07-16T17:10:53","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T13:40:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/?p=37089"},"modified":"2025-07-16T17:10:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T13:40:54","slug":"how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/","title":{"rendered":"How a young Afghan entrepreneur set up a thriving food business in the world\u2019s worst country to be female"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Tamana Taban<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the three years since setting up her produce shop, 24-year-old Mahroo* has developed a loyal customer base, won a reputation for selling quality goods, and supported dozens of local food producers who would otherwise struggle to find a market. It would be an impressive feat anywhere, but what makes Mahroo\u2019s story truly remarkable is that it takes place in Afghanistan, under a regime that has made it difficult for women even to leave their homes, and all but impossible for them to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three years ago, as the Taliban regime set about imposing ever tighter restrictions on women\u2019s freedoms, Mahroo decided to throw everything she had at a new business. She was a second-year agriculture student when the Taliban barred women from attending university, and could see her career plans disappearing before her eyes. If she couldn\u2019t get a job, she decided, she would set up on her own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With her savings of 30,000 Afghanis ($430), Mahroo rented a small shop in Bamyan, the central Afghan city where she lives, and got to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEach day was a new opportunity for me,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to make the most of every moment, work extremely hard. While so many others were confined to their homes under Taliban restrictions, I was fighting for a goal I had set for myself.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the two decades before the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in 2021, female entrepreneurship steadily grew. Today, it is one of the only ways women can earn a living. Research by the Women and Children Research and Advocacy Network indicates more than 90% of women in Afghanistan have lost both their jobs since the Taliban returned to power. But restrictions imposed by the Taliban — from requiring women to be accompanied by a male relative at all times in public to making the hijab compulsory \u2013 make it ever more challenging for women to run their own businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took Mahroo two years to establish her business. \u201cIn the beginning, Taliban forces would often come to my shop and harass me for no reason. Sometimes I felt afraid and hopeless,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut I kept telling myself that I shouldn\u2019t give in. I reminded myself that anyone can work when the conditions are good, true success belongs to those who keep going even at the worst of times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, loyal customers flock to her shop to buy yoghurt and local dairy products like qurut<\/em> \u2013 balls of dried, fermented milk used in cooking across Central Asia \u2013 and doogh<\/em>, a fermented yoghurt drink. She manages the shop herself, starting early in the morning and working through until sunset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Role Model \u2013 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With her initial investment of just a few hundred dollars, she\u2019s built a business worth over 400,000 Afghanis ($5,700) that supports dozens of female producers and has a reputation for selling high-quality goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Mahroo is not satisfied with the independence that commercial success has brought her \u2013 she also wants to use that success to help create opportunities for other women in Bamyan too. Last year, she began organizing small dairy cooperatives for local women farmers in her area who were already producing food for their own families and wanted to sell the excess for extra income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She provides basic training and equipment, and buys their produce for a set price, with the proceeds distributed among the cooperative members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWomen in the villages work very hard, and get very little in return,\u201d she said. \u201cImagine a woman who takes care of a cow all year round, but cannot earn even a single Afghani from it. Many don\u2019t even know they can sell their milk, yogurt, and cheese, and in many places, the infrastructure to do that just doesn\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lack of infrastructure is not the only barrier. When Mahroo first approached women in the high-altitude summer pastures where livestock are taken for grazing during the warmer months, many were reluctant to sell, fearing it would be viewed as a sign of poverty and bring shame to their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahroo worked to change their minds, convincing them that far from being a source of shame, making produce to sell could help their families, and make them role models for others like them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe gathered them all together and formed a group. Then, over four sessions, we worked to shift their mindset, explaining that their dairy products are assets and should be brought to market at the right time,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOtherwise, their year-round hard work amounts to nothing. That group is now one of our most active and successful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About once a month, Mahroo leaves the city and heads into the countryside to meet with her producers and hold workshops. From the start, she felt that women needed not only opportunities to sell their produce, but also knowledge and practical support. She provides training on nutrition and livestock care and helps them access vaccinations and veterinary services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahroo\u2019s youth and rapid success mark her out, and she is seen as a role model for girls and women in Bamyan. But she\u2019s far from unique \u2013 many Afghan women are setting up small businesses, often out of necessity as the sole breadwinners for their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They face growing pressures, particularly in the wake of legislation introduced last year that severely restricted women\u2019s rights and freedoms. Half the business-owners surveyed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for a study published this year<\/a> said they\u2019d encountered challenges arising from the restrictions, including a reluctance to lend money to women-led businesses and women being unable to travel to their place of work. Some said they\u2019d had to shut down or operate in secret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Mahroom, the satisfaction that comes from seeing women in the villages working together to improve their own lives and those of their children makes it all worthwhile. Although the future is uncertain, she looks ahead with hope as she plans more programmes and an expansion of the work she\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll the achievements were the result of months of hard work, but I never felt tired,\u201d she said. \u201cAlthough it\u2019s too soon to say I\u2019ve achieved something truly great, I can say that I\u2019m satisfied with the progress I\u2019ve made.\u201d
Note*: Name changed to protect her identity<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three years ago, as the Taliban regime set about imposing ever tighter restrictions on women\u2019s freedoms, Mahroo decided to throw everything she had at a new business. She was a second-year agriculture student when the Taliban barred women from attending university, and could see her career plans disappearing before her eyes. If she couldn\u2019t get a job, she decided, she would set up on her own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":37090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[966,9581,902],"tags":[5847,11440,11441],"class_list":["post-37089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-en","category-our-work-en","category-reports-en","tag-bamyan-province","tag-business","tag-worlds-worst-country"],"yoast_head":"\nHow a young Afghan entrepreneur set up a thriving food business in the world\u2019s worst country to be female - Rukhshana Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With her savings of 30,000 Afghanis ($430), Mahroo rented a small shop in Bamyan, the central Afghan city where she lives, and got to work.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a young Afghan entrepreneur set up a thriving food business in the world\u2019s worst country to be female - Rukhshana Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With her savings of 30,000 Afghanis ($430), Mahroo rented a small shop in Bamyan, the central Afghan city where she lives, and got to work.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rukhshana Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-16T13:40:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-16T13:40:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/8.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"527\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"379\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zahra Joya\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zahra Joya\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zahra Joya\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/81fe74a0084915bd77a41d3a03821a91\"},\"headline\":\"How a young Afghan entrepreneur set up a thriving food business in the world\u2019s worst country to be female\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-16T13:40:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-16T13:40:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1072,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/8.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Bamyan province\",\"business\",\"world\u2019s worst country\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Featured\",\"Our work\",\"Reports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\\\/\",\"name\":\"How a young Afghan entrepreneur set up a thriving food business in the world\u2019s worst country to be female - Rukhshana Media\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/8.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-16T13:40:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-16T13:40:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/81fe74a0084915bd77a41d3a03821a91\"},\"description\":\"With her savings of 30,000 Afghanis ($430), Mahroo rented a small shop in Bamyan, the central Afghan city where she lives, and got to work.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/8.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/8.webp\",\"width\":527,\"height\":379,\"caption\":\"Image: supplied\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How a young Afghan entrepreneur set up a thriving food business in the world\u2019s worst country to be female\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Rukhshana Media\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/81fe74a0084915bd77a41d3a03821a91\",\"name\":\"Zahra Joya\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2618b45940cda0a4a1669f2c4a24d277ff324f7742a35914e5c2ede4b711fdcb?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=za\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2618b45940cda0a4a1669f2c4a24d277ff324f7742a35914e5c2ede4b711fdcb?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=za\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2618b45940cda0a4a1669f2c4a24d277ff324f7742a35914e5c2ede4b711fdcb?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=za\",\"caption\":\"Zahra Joya\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rukhshana.com\\\/en\\\/author\\\/zahrajoya\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How a young Afghan entrepreneur set up a thriving food business in the world\u2019s worst country to be female - Rukhshana Media","description":"With her savings of 30,000 Afghanis ($430), Mahroo rented a small shop in Bamyan, the central Afghan city where she lives, and got to work.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How a young Afghan entrepreneur set up a thriving food business in the world\u2019s worst country to be female - Rukhshana Media","og_description":"With her savings of 30,000 Afghanis ($430), Mahroo rented a small shop in Bamyan, the central Afghan city where she lives, and got to work.","og_url":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/","og_site_name":"Rukhshana Media","article_published_time":"2025-07-16T13:40:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-16T13:40:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":527,"height":379,"url":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/8.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Zahra Joya","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Zahra Joya","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/"},"author":{"name":"Zahra Joya","@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/81fe74a0084915bd77a41d3a03821a91"},"headline":"How a young Afghan entrepreneur set up a thriving food business in the world\u2019s worst country to be female","datePublished":"2025-07-16T13:40:53+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-16T13:40:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/"},"wordCount":1072,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/8.webp","keywords":["Bamyan province","business","world\u2019s worst country"],"articleSection":["Featured","Our work","Reports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/","url":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/","name":"How a young Afghan entrepreneur set up a thriving food business in the world\u2019s worst country to be female - Rukhshana Media","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/8.webp","datePublished":"2025-07-16T13:40:53+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-16T13:40:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/81fe74a0084915bd77a41d3a03821a91"},"description":"With her savings of 30,000 Afghanis ($430), Mahroo rented a small shop in Bamyan, the central Afghan city where she lives, and got to work.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/8.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/8.webp","width":527,"height":379,"caption":"Image: supplied"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/how-a-young-afghan-entrepreneur-set-up-a-thriving-food-business-in-the-worlds-worst-country-to-be-female\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How a young Afghan entrepreneur set up a thriving food business in the world\u2019s worst country to be female"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/","name":"Rukhshana Media","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/81fe74a0084915bd77a41d3a03821a91","name":"Zahra Joya","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2618b45940cda0a4a1669f2c4a24d277ff324f7742a35914e5c2ede4b711fdcb?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=za","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2618b45940cda0a4a1669f2c4a24d277ff324f7742a35914e5c2ede4b711fdcb?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=za","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2618b45940cda0a4a1669f2c4a24d277ff324f7742a35914e5c2ede4b711fdcb?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=za","caption":"Zahra Joya"},"url":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/author\/zahrajoya\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/8.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37089"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37091,"href":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37089\/revisions\/37091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}