UNDP announces Support for 80,000+ Small Women-Led Businesses in Afghanistan

Recently, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has made an announcement regarding its assistance for more than 80,000 small women-led businesses in Afghanistan. It will also contribute significantly towards the local families’ growth.

The UNDP office head in Afghanistan Stephen Rodrigues shared a video message on the platform X stating that their initiatives hadn’t assisted such businesses. However, it provided 900,000 people with employment opportunities within the country. In addition, he mentioned that these programs have profited 4.5 million people.

Moreover, Stephen underscored that the efforts of UNDP for women entrepreneur’s empowerment have played a crucial role, specifically after the imposition of the restrictions on education of women and girls following the August 2021 events. Numerous females have turned to small businesses as a result to support themselves and their families.

UNDP has also reported that a total of 73 percent of the females is not able to travel to local markets without a male guardian (mahram). The report says, “When asked about the limitations of running a business as a woman, 32% of women-led small and medium enterprises believed that gender discrimination created barriers to accessing markets for their businesses, 28% cited difficulties in procuring supplies, and 19% referred to challenges in securing formal loans.”