KABUL - A three-day exhibition showcasing women’s handicrafts commenced in capital Kabul on Sunday.
Syeda Mujgan Mustafawi, deputy information and culture minister, addressing the opening ceremony of the show, said the exhibition was part of several upcoming programs to celebrate the country’s 100th Independence Day.
“We want to celebrate this day by arranging many programs and one of them is women’s handicrafts exhibition.”
Besides the celebration of independence, the expo was also aimed at empowering women and finding markets for their products, she said.
She said women from the capital and provinces had put on display their products such as handicrafts, edibles, jewelries and others at 50 stalls.
She asked people to use domestic products as it would encourage women to work and improve the country’s industry.
Mustafawi said the Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC) planned to create special places for finding markets for women’s products so foreign tourists were encouraged to purchase Afghanistan goods.
Spozhmai Wardak, deputy women’s affairs minister, who was present at the expo, said organizing such programs was the best way to empower women in the country.
She said Afghan women were skillful and they could be a good income source for their families.
“Women should be encouraged to make international standard products. Besides Afghans, foreigners should be also encouraged to purchase Afghan handicrafts,” she said.
Women who displayed their products at the event demanded permanent places for selling their goods.
Marjan Mohammadi, 23, who displayed some jewelries and dresses sewed by women, at the show, told Pajhwok Afghan News her factory produced domestic products and she had hired one hundred women.
“I want the government to open a permanent market for women-made products to find permanent customers,” she said. (Pajhwok)