Afghan girls learn handicrafts

KABUL (Tolo News): Following the closing of girls’ schools about six grade, a number of female students above sixth grade in Herat province have turned to sewing and other handicrafts instead of staying at home.
They say that after being turned away from schools they were forced to leave home and learn a new profession to escape stress and anxiety. They asked the officials to reopen girls’ school above sixth grade.
Aziza, a 10th-grade student who has just learned to sew, teaches the skill to other students. “When the schools closed, we got bored at home and even had mental health problems, so we came here to at least learn something and have fun,” said Aziza Mohammadi, a student in 10th grade.
Eighty women and girls are trained in the “Elhambakhsh Association” in handicrafts, computers, the Holy Quran and first aid. More than eighty percent of the participants in these courses are school-aged students. “Currently, eighty students are studying here in English, literacy, the Holy Quran, tailoring, weaving, and so on,” said Shukria Ahmadi, head of the Elhambakhsh Association.
In addition to female students, a number of former government employees and housewives also learn different skills in this association. “Here we learn how to make kitchen utensils, shirts, etc,” said Nadia Hashemi, a teacher. “Most of them are school students and they are very interested because they are teenagers and they want to learn these jobs,” said Somaya Azimi, another teacher.
It has been over eight months since the closing of schools for girls over 6th grade. Many of these students, like Aziza, did not stay home and turned to learning foreign languages, computers, and handicrafts. They are counting the days until their schools repopen.