StayIN is working on various projects that aim to improve the educational and living situation of Afghan women in Afghanistan. ZAN (www.zanev.de) has very similar goals, although unlike StayIN, the focus is on Afghan women living in Germany. Due to these parallels, we asked Stefanie Then from ZAN for an interview, which she kindly agreed to.
Hello Stefanie, since probably not everyone is familiar with ZAN, could you briefly describe who ZAN is and what ZAN stands for?
ZAN is an Afghan women’s association that offers education and advice to Afghan women in Germany. Our target group is Afghan women who were denied access to education in their country of origin. The goal is integration into the labor market. We are currently active in Hesse, Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition, we are committed to the interests of Afghan women in Germany at state and federal level.
Can you briefly describe the background of the ZAN members and employees?
Nadia Qani-Schwarz is the founding director and has been active for almost 25 years. She fled Afghanistan in 1980 – without any luggage. Today she is a successful social entrepreneur who has been a role model entrepreneur for many years on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and has been mentoring new entrepreneurs and those who want to become entrepreneurs when setting up their own businesses. In 2009 she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for her voluntary work. The association mainly employs Afghan and Iranian-born employees who themselves had to experience fleeing.
And what exactly is your role at ZAN?
As the executive director, I have overall responsibility for the association’s business activities.
As I understand it, ZAN’s focus is on Afghan women who live outside Afghanistan – especially in Germany. What are the reasons for this focus?
On the one hand, it is the personal experiences of Nadia Qani-Schwarz that set the focus. The need is great. Among refugee women, it is usually the Afghan women who have the most difficulty gaining a foothold in Germany. Just 8% of all refugee Afghan women manage to gain access to the German labor market after five years of residence.
How is ZAN financed?
We finance ourselves through funds from the Frankfurt labor market program, the Federal Chancellery and the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the ESF+ and the GIZ.
What do you see as ZAN’s greatest successes so far?
In the last seven years, we have been able to teach over 500 Afghan women to read and write, thereby laying a good foundation for life in Germany.
And what are the biggest difficulties in ZAN’s work?
Financing our activities poses major challenges. At the federal level, savings are being made on voluntary services due to the budget situation. There is no legal basis for our activities, in contrast to the welfare associations. Donations tend to be raised for Afghan women in Afghanistan.
What goals has ZAN set for itself for the next few years?
One of our founder’s heartfelt wishes is to become active for Afghan women in Afghanistan.
What opportunities are there for people interested in ZAN to find out more about the organization?
Further information about our activities can be found on our website www.zanev.de and in our brochure that is available for download there: https://zanev.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2023_ZAN_Broschuere_Digital.pdf
Thank you, Stefanie!
Originally posted 2024-10-11 19:24:54.
