Story of Nafas Gul Nafas Gul, 41, along with her husband and four children, live in the Qarabagh district of Kabul province.  Nafas Gul has effectively been the head of household and breadwinner since her husband got shot and lost his leg as a soldier in the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). Nafas Gul also suffered through her eldest daughter’s struggle with domestic violence in the hands of an abusive husband, which led to divorce and

Story of Mauladad Mauladad, a resident of Kabul province, is a metal smith, who puts his creativity into making electric appliances, such as cooler, boiler, fans, heater and many other metal products. Mauladad’s business is growing steadily now, thanks to the help of Mutahid DFI, a development financing institution. "The loans have helped me a lot, I have taken loans to expand my business and manufacture the products according to orders we get,"

THE STORY OF SALEHA With eight children, Saleha, 34, and her husband were struggling to make ends meet with his meager daily wage income. “My husband worked as a farm hand and his income was simply not enough; we couldn’t even afford to buy milk,” said Saleha. To read full story, click here

Story of Mohammad Ali - A Microfinance Client Since returning from Iran after the Taliban regime collapsed, Mohammad Ali has been trying his hand at various businesses to support his family. As a migrant in Iran for 20 years, Ali gained skills and knowledge in various forms of trade and farming. After quitting his trade business last year, Mohammad Ali started a poultry and farming business on a piece of land he leased for AFN 170,000 per year in

The Story Of Zeba When Zeba was in her early 30s, she had her hands full taking care of her five children, while her husband earned a living as a daily wage worker. Although they were among the poor in Takhar Province, they were not in a desperate situation. Zeba would know because she had experienced desperation when her husband was arrested and later found guilty for murder of his cousin following a family dispute. To read full story click hereTo

The Story of Shamayel With four school-aged children, the eldest being 15 years old and the youngest at three years, Shamayel is determined to use her sewing and embroidery skills to support her husband in giving their children a good education and a bright future. Shamayel, who lives with her family in Takhar province, says her husband alone could not fulfill the needs of their children and daily household expenses if she did not work to supplement

The Story Of Saleha Saleha and her family had already been living in poverty in Balkh province, but life took a turn for the worst when her husband got badly injured in a traffic accident in Mazar City. The accident crippled Saleha’s husband, who was a daily wage laborer in the market. Not only did the family lose its main source of income, Saleha had to borrow a lot of money from relatives for medical expenses. Her husband survived but was permanently

Story of Sayed Mohammad Sayed Mohammad and his wife, a school-teacher, were making ends meet as a couple, living in the third istrict of Badakhshan province: Guzar Mohmmad Rahim-bay village. But as the family expanded to having three children, with two of them now of school-age, the household income became insufficient. Sayed had to think of a steady source of income that would cover his family’s daily consumption needs, plus some extra to save

THE STORY OF MASOOMA Masooma, a 55-year old widow, used to rely completely on the earnings sent by her husband, who worked as a daily wage laborer in Iran. But after he fell ill, the family resorted to borrowing money from relatives for his treatment and the daily consumption needs of her six children. When her husband died of his illness, Masooma was forced to become the breadwinner for her children: five daughters and one son. Unable to provide

The Story of Arefa Arefa, 55, is a widow from Shinwari village in the Sayed Khail district of Parwan province. Since the death of her husband and the marriage of her three sons, who now have families of their own, Arefa had struggled, being the primary caretaker of her old mother, plus a nephew who had lost both of his parents. To Read the Full Document Click here