Training program for jewelry makers
The job situation in Afghanistan is currently catastrophic: unemployment has almost doubled since the Taliban came to power. The chances of finding an apprenticeship are low – especially for people with physical disabilities. Added to this is the de facto government’s ban on education for girls from the 7th grade onwards and the ban on women working, who are no longer allowed to work in some professions.
Despite the continuing uncertain situation in Afghanistan, we are launching a brand new project: a training program for men with war injuries and congenital physical disabilities in Kabul to become jewelry makers, who have fewer opportunities in the already difficult job market due to their physical limitations. Caused by the current bans on women in Afghanistan, the target group for the first test phase of the program is men. Because of the very few employment opportunities that women are still allowed to pursue, it is all the more important that at least the men can generate income for the family. The training program therefore not only affects the participants directly, but also their families – indirectly including women and children.
Thanks to your donations, we were able to secure important cornerstones of the program in a doubling campaign with the Aurora Borealis 2022 endowment fund. Firstly, the technical equipment for the training center in Kabul, and secondly, the salaries of the master goldsmith trainers, the project manager and the training salaries of the 15 program participants.
ABOUT THE TRAINING PROJECT
The jewelry blacksmith training program creates realistic and, above all, diverse work opportunities in the art of blacksmithing for men with war injuries and congenital physical disabilities. The nine-month training program includes extensive practical training in which the participants learn the various skills of the craft. Theoretical knowledge is also taught, covering various disciplines from English lessons to marketing, design and accounting. In addition to theoretical and practical training phases, the aim of the training program is to enable participants to work independently or as employees and to build up a network with other blacksmiths.
INITIAL SITUATION
The Taliban have ruled Afghanistan since August 2021. The takeover marks a dramatic break in the country’s political and economic progress. Exacerbated by global inflation and foreign sanctions, the humanitarian situation in the country is worse than ever. With an unemployment rate of 18.5% in 2022, almost one in five people in Afghanistan are not in work – in comparison: in 2020, the unemployment rate was 11.71%. The high unemployment rate also means that there are too few training places available and job opportunities for school leavers are rather limited.
As a result of the bans on girls and women that have been in place since the Taliban came to power, which massively restrict access to education, the training program in the first test phase is aimed at men with war injuries and congenital physical disabilities. Due to their physical disabilities, they also form a volatile population group and have fewer opportunities to earn an income in an already difficult labor market. Because of the very few employment opportunities that women are currently still allowed to pursue, it is all the more important that at least the men can generate income for the family. The training program therefore not only has a direct impact on the participants, but also on their families – and indirectly on women and children.
SOLUTION
The training program for jewellers comprises 15 places for men aged 18-40. The age range of participants is deliberately broad. This means that both school leavers and men who have less chance of finding suitable employment on the “normal” job market due to their physical disabilities can take part in the training program. Training offers them the opportunity to improve their family’s financial situation in the long term.
During the nine-month training program, participants receive theoretical training in addition to practical training as a jeweller. The practical part of the training consists of three phases: teaching the basics, consolidating what they have learned and specializing in the craft, as well as making their own pieces of jewelry. Knowledge of English and marketing is particularly valuable in materials purchasing and sales and is therefore also included in the training plan. A broad program of different workshops is also part of the training. They impart basic knowledge in the areas of health, accounting, design and self-employment.
The aim of the program is to enable participants to become self-employed or take up employment in a workshop on successful completion of the training program. In order to strengthen them for the start on the job market, the participants receive an individual training program.
WHY TRAIN AS A JEWELER?
PROJECT PARTNER: DAART
DAARTT – Danish Assistance to Afghan Rehabilitation and Technical Training – was founded in 2003 by Danish People’s Aid (DPA) with the aim of promoting education in Afghanistan through the construction of educational facilities and the provision of technical training. Since then, DAARTT has built more than 200 buildings and provided training for various courses for employees of Afghan ministries as well as for the various target groups of the educational centers. The core staff consists of highly experienced Afghan employees. In addition, DAARTT can draw on a network of international experts.
About the Aurora Borealis Endowment Fund
The Aurora Borealis endowment fund, which is financed by an IT company, was established at the beginning of the 2000s via the GLS Treuhand umbrella foundation. To date, the focus of the endowment fund has been on the targeted promotion of projects in Nepal. Support for Visions for Children e.V. has expanded the endowment fund portfolio to include Afghanistan as a project country since 2019.
WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED SO FAR
OFFICIAL START OF TRAINING
The training program has started.
The English lessons and the introductory courses on jewelry making have already taken place.
