The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Women have announced a joint investment of $1.7 million to support women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan.
In a statement, the organizations said the initiative, titled the Afghanistan Women’s Resilience Enterprise Fund (AWFRE), will support around 1,500 women entrepreneurs over the next year.
The statement said the initiative is expected to indirectly benefit more than 14,000 people by strengthening businesses and increasing household incomes.
UNDP said the fund will provide Sharia-compliant financing without requiring collateral, along with financial and digital literacy training, mentoring, business planning support, and help accessing markets.
Under the initiative, more than 10,000 women in Afghanistan currently hold business licenses—a figure that has increased tenfold over the past five years.
The two organizations are also seeking to raise an additional $10 million to expand the program. If the funding is secured, around 10,000 more women entrepreneurs will receive financing and business support.
Since taking control of Afghanistan, the de facto authorities have barred women and girls from education. Most recently, they closed medical institutes to women and girls, even as the country’s health sector faces a shortage of personnel.
These measures have left millions of girls unable to continue their education.
Women have also been prohibited from going to gyms, restaurants, and public bathhouses; being examined by male doctors; traveling without a male guardian; and working for domestic and international nongovernmental organizations or even United Nations offices in Afghanistan.
