Business Management for Women
Project: Business Management for Women in Afghanistan
The project is a six-month course for Afghan women with the aim of developing the entrepreneurial skills of Afghan women. The course imparts the essential knowledge and skills to run businesses effectively and thus also strengthens the position of women in Afghanistan in general.
Initial situation
One of the biggest challenges Afghan women face is limited access to education. Cultural norms have restricted Afghan girls' access to education, leading to a significant gender gap in literacy rates. This lack of educational opportunities hinders their ability to acquire the necessary business management skills. Equally important is the availability of special training programs tailored specifically for Afghan women interested in business management. This lack of training opportunities prevents them from acquiring essential skills such as financial management, marketing strategies, leadership development and entrepreneurial skills.
Here is a video describing the project in more detail.
Goals and solution
The basic idea of the project “Business Management for Women in Afghanistan” is to enable Afghan women to successfully start and run companies in Afghanistan. The project thus recognizes the potential of Afghan women as catalysts for economic growth and social development and aims to strengthen their skills in business management. The course is specifically tailored to the needs of women who are already running businesses or planning to start a new business in the near future. By teaching the women attending the course essential business and managerial skills, the women taking part in the course can overcome obstacles in their work as managers and achieve sustainable growth.
Successful business management by Afghan women has further positive consequences. On the one hand, the management of one’s own company strengthens the position of the female manager in Afghan society and thus improves the role of women in general and specifically through the higher employment rate of women – female entrepreneurs tend to employ women, which helps to combat poverty. In addition, it also serves Afghan society as a whole, as a functioning economy is essential for better living conditions in Afghanistan.
By qualifying women in the business world, our course actively contributes to the empowerment of women in Afghan society. Through extensive training, networking opportunities and ongoing support, we aim to break down barriers and create a more inclusive society where women can thrive in business. This initiative not only benefits individual participants, but also has far-reaching implications for economic growth and societal change.
Partners and duration
StayIN runs the project together with the Afghan NGO Mission Mind Organization (MMO).
StayIN and MMO have been cooperating for more than a year. The highlight of the cooperation so far was the jointly organized “Afghanistan First National and International Industrial Symposium”, which was held in Kabul in spring 2023. This symposium was attended by 500 factory owners and workers, both men and women. In addition, the government and all industry-related sectors and organizations participated.
In addition to the symposium, the previous cooperation extends to joint participation in exhibitions, the establishment of networks and the implementation of a needs analysis for the field of industrial training.
For the “Business Management for Women in Afghanistan” project, MMO takes on the local project management, for example selecting the local trainers, organizing the premises, addressing and selecting the participants, etc. MMO was also very involved in the development of the project concept and the teaching content involved – this is important in order to be able to offer training that is relevant for the participants.
The course itself lasts 6 months for the participants, with the StayIN and MMO project participants adding a few months for preparation and follow-up work.
It is planned to offer the course annually in the future, whereby we will adapt the course content if necessary and optimize it on the basis of experience.
