Photo By Maj. Stacie Shafran | Fruit juices produced at Panjshir's first food processing center, located in Bazarak...... read more read more
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BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Panjshir Valley's fruit and vegetable bounty may someday make its way to grocery stores around the world.
A new food processing program recently introduced into the valley is bringing economic prosperity, education, leadership and hope to Panjshir's women. As they learn to process the produce into profitable jars of preserves and bottles of juice, their livelihood and social importance in Afghan society is expanding.
During the May 12 opening ceremony at Panjshir's first food processing center, located in Bazarak district, the women's freshly-made jams and fruit juices were on display and available for purchase. Their products are already being sold in local markets, and eventually the goal is to fill the shelves of Kabul's larger grocery stores.
The food processing program came to fruition through a coordinated effort between the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team, U.S. Agency for International Development and the Welfare and Development Organization of Afghanistan.
The program is designed to empower women, increase their social status, and above all, provide them with sustainable incomes.
Panjshir Valley is renowned for its agriculture-based society, and depending on the season, is filled with apples, apricots, grapes, mulberries, tomatoes, cucumbers and potatoes.
Since the area is still without consistent electricity and cold storage facilities, most of the food goes to waste each year.
"There is a clear market opportunity in food processing and there will be a strong demand for these products. The best part is that they process a lot of the produce that normally goes to waste," said Jeremy Lewis, the PRT's USAID representative.
The women are capitalizing on this by turning the perishable items into preserved commodities, allowing healthy food options to be available after harvest.
Through the help of Mr. Abdul Jalil Seddequi, the WDOA director and driving force behind this program, 20 women are half-way through a six-month course that's teaching them how to select produce from the bazaar, process, market, and sell it.
Mr. Saddequi spends his days travelling around Afghanistan and creating employment and training programs for the women. He is also one of their strongest advocates.
"This project is designed to provide opportunities for women to play a greater role in the socio-economic uplift of the societies," said Mr. Seddequi. "The activity will be a milestone in restoring the lost status of women in the Afghan societies."
For many women, this is also their first opportunity to work. Lialima, a 37-year-old enrolled in the program, said, "My family is supportive of what I'm learning to do. Before this, I was a housewife, and now I can provide some of our income."
In time, four more districts in Panjshir will receive food processing centers. Each will train 20 women, with priority going to widows, extremely poor women, and women who are the heads of their households. Only women between the ages of 18 and 45 are selected. They are also taught the basics in Dari and mathematics, which allows them to read recipes and perform simple business skills.
During the training program, the women are not paid. All money earned is collectively saved for future operating costs. The intent is for each food processing center to be self-sustaining once donor support ends.
Besides furthering the cause of progress among Panjshir women, Mr. Seddequi believes this program will also unite communities.
After the jams and juices are produced, they'll need to be moved to the markets. Some markets may be nearby and easily reached, others may only be accessible by road. Therefore, the community will be called upon to assist the women in transporting their products.
"This is a critical aspect of community support as it will help in the sustainability of the project and the ownership that the community feels over the project," said Mr. Seddequi.
For the energetic and optimistic Mr. Seddequi, transforming his country and helping the women achieve success is his mission. Grand opening ceremonies, like the one in Bazarak, are a reminder to him of the hard work and barriers he's overcome.
Projects like this will continue to remain a top priority for the Panjshir PRT. As the team works with the provincial government to develop the "Road to Badakshan" — a 40-mile primary road that runs through the province, Panjshir will hopefully be transformed, spurring a generation of private investment and hope along its path.
Eventually "rib roads" will also be designed and paved, connecting the remote villages in the side valleys to this new main road. Once completed in the summer of 2011, these road projects will improve the provincial government's ability to reach its nearly 300,000 citizens and link major commerce and government centers. In addition to developing the infrastructure, the road projects also put local people to work, boosting the local economies.
It's also one step closer to having the many tastes of Panjshir delighting palates around the world.
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2009 08:19 |
| Story ID: | 34776 |
| Location: | BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF |
| Web Views: | 384 |
| Downloads: | 253 |
This work, Panjshir Women Harvest Entrepreneurship Fruits, by Maj. Stacie Shafran, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
