Widowed Women finding their Lives Transformed by Mothernomics
“Joining this programme was a turning point in my life”
“By participating in the Mothernomics programme, my life is being transformed with the passage of each day as I am experiencing huge changes in my livelihood, personal, psychological, and social conditions,” says Latifa, a 40-year-old widowed woman who participated in the LFT-supported “Mothernomics programme” in Dasht-e-Barchi, Kabul, Afghanistan. As a mother of two (a daughter and a son work no regular work), she has been heading her family for almost 15 years amidst tough challenges, suffering, and unimaginable agony. Latifa is a woman who has extremely bitter stories in her life. She lost his mother and two brothers during the civil wars in Kabul.
Latifa got married at the age of eighteen. But, after seven years, her husband gets addicted after which she unexpectedly finds her life in immense trouble. Knowing about this situation, she shares the story with her family but they insist on her continuing to live with her addicted husband. Latifa’s family situation was aggravating each day under such difficult circumstances until her husband went missing.
Since then, she has been in charge of her family and dependents while undergoing severe economic and mental pressures. This situation affected both her family environment and her ability to emerge from that condition. Amid these hardships, she, fortunately, got informed of LFT’s landmark programme for widowed mothers and vulnerable single women. Then, she joined the Mothernomics tailoring workshop in August 2022.
“This opportunity has been transformative for me as a dependent woman and I am happy to be on a path to becoming an empowered and financially independent woman,” she says. “After embarking on this journey, I have not only built great tailoring and sewing skills but have managed to transform my despair into hope and my dependency into autonomy with the help of the money I earn and being involved in an empowering women-tailored work sphere.”
“I am so happy that this programme has significantly enabled me to move toward self-empowerment, self-sufficiency, and a dignified life,” Latifa added. “Now, I kind of feel I have got my voice and the confidence to overcome barriers such as domestic violence with the skills and abilities I have acquired,” she described. Looking at the programme impact, she says: “Working outside with dozens of women has helped me enhance my social interactions, improve the family atmosphere, and bolster my resilience to shape my destiny at the hand of myself.” “The mental health support under LFT’s project has particularly reinforced me,” she further commented.
It has been almost six months that Latifa has been learning, training, and practicing tailoring and sewing at MoM workshop. She believes that the Mothernomics programme has been a lifeline to developing a sustainable livelihood and self-reliance, helping her to make an income through her work and live a deserving life.
“Joining the Mothernomics has been a life-changing experience for me as a widowed mother, changing my life in a way that would’ve been impossible without it” she stipulated confidently. Latifa has also established her home-based tailoring shop where she puts her skills into practice to make clothes for her relatives and other women in the community. By this, she gets $30-40 a month to support her family. She thanks the LFT for supporting women who otherwise wouldn’t avail such a chance.