Tahira* used to worry about feeding her sons. Today, she runs a business that feeds not just her family, but her whole community.

In the rural province of Samangan, situated in Northern Afghanistan, communities are still acutely feeling the impacts of the country’s humanitarian crisis. In 2025, over half of the Afghan population requires humanitarian assistance. 48% of the country currently face unemployment, underemployment, household debt and poverty.

Tahira’s community is no exception. Unemployment has left many families in dire positions, unable to earn an income or afford basic necessities. For women in Afghanistan, finding a secure route to earning an income is marked with even greater difficulties. Banned from secondary and tertiary education, and restricted from working in many industries, women across the country are being pushed deeper into poverty due to the barriers they face, despite the potential they hold to build more prosperous futures. 

When Tahira’s husband passed away, she worried every day how she was going to put food on the table for her children. So, when she heard of a new Afghanaid programme coming to her area, she understood the potential this support had to change her life. After speaking to the Afghanaid team and informing them of her current situation, she was enrolled in a programme assisting women through self-help groups to learn new skills and build resilient livelihoods. Alongside 20 others, the group received 15,000 Afghanis in seed capital, a small investment that sparked lasting change. Through the self-help group model, female members had the ability to choose what livelihoods to build, and how best to spark change in their communities. Tahira’s group decided to earn a living through animal husbandry.

First, Tahira bought chickens to earn an income selling eggs, and also learnt the skills she needed to make this a success. When she had earned an income from this, she decided to increase the size of her operation: “A portion of the money we had saved, I used to buy a goat, and another person also bought a goat. We kept these animals at home. The day we sold them again, we repaid the loans. This is a help for us. The eggs we sell also assist us.”

Any funds that were utilised by members were then reinvested into the group, ensuring sustainability. "The money we received is divided among the households”, Tahira explained. “Each person receives 5,500 Afghanis. We use this money to buy livestock, keep them for one or two months, and then sell them. We repay the money and keep the profit for ourselves. Among them, 21 women take turns receiving money so that our funds don’t run out.”

Now, Tahira is able to afford food for her family, and no longer worries about how to make ends meet or keep her children healthy. She has also gained a newfound sense of purpose in life, along with the other women in her self-help group, who have grown in confidence and skill.

The women have become very smart. I earn money myself and cover household expenses.

“Thank God, our situation has improved a lot from the past until now. I used to be a housewife, and my only job was to eat bread and sleep until evening... But now, I work with my own money.”

*Name changed to protect her privacy

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