Women without male breadwinners work as street vendors in Herat

HERAT (TOLOnews): Dozens of older women sell clothes and other items on the street as they are faced with economic challenges from losing family members in conflicts in the past 20 years. Many of them are selling secondhand clothes on the streets.
Taj, 60, is a breadwinner of a family of 10 members.
Taj said that her husband and son in law lost their lives in the recent war. Taj said that she makes 100 Afs on a daily basis, which is too little to provide for her family’s needs.
“We have nothing to eat. We come and sit here. No one makes purchases and we are exhausted,” she said.
The women said that they are obliged to work to make ends meet for their families.
“The fabric which cost 50 Afs, they (customers) ask to pay 10 Afs. There is no business. I earned 200 Afs within the past two weeks,” said Ziba, a vendor. “We wake up at 06:00 am and then come here, so I can make about 100 or 150 Afs by 3:00pm,” said Ruqia, a vendor.
The business of these vendors dropped as Afghanistan faces severe economic conditions that has made more than 28 million of the population need humanitarian assistance.
“We have eight people (in the family). Many of them are underage. I come and work here until sunset,” said Aziza, a vendor.
Thousands of families lost their members in the war of the past two decades.