LSTE | SHG Members | Gosfandi District |Sarepul Province HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTH

The highlights of activities taken place during April 2017 in Balkh and Sarepul Provinces under below mentioned projects:

1. Reducing Poverty and Gender Inequality in Sarepul province of Afghanistan by Improving Household Income and Financial Resilience for Rural Women through Enterprise and Job Creation. The project is implemented in Sancharak, Gosfandi and Balkhab districts of Sarepul province and funded by DFID and Hand in Hand International. 2. Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women and Men in Chimtal District of Balkh Province. The project is funded by CAFOD and Hand in Hand International.

STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGEMENT AND FEEDBACK

A committee assigned by the Sarepul Province The committee was very impressed by observing Governor consisting representatives from project progress, they encouraged beneficiaries Provincial Economy Department, Labor, Social and provided feedback and also expressed their Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (DoLSAMD ) and commitments and promised their continuous Women Affairs department monitored HiH Af support towards the project. project in this province. They visited Self-Help HiH Af is currently implementing “Reducing Group, existing enterprises and on-going training in Sancharak, Gosfandi and Balkhab districts. Poverty and Gender Inequality by Improving HiH Af continuously engages with stakeholders Household Income and Financial Resilience for Rural Women through Enterprise and Job throughout projects implementation and government officials regularly monitor HiH Af’s Creation” project in Sancharak, Gosfandi and Balkhab districts of Sarepul province funded by projects. DFID and HIHI.

Government Officials | Monitoring Visit | Sarepul Province

HiH Af supported Efaf Handicraft Association to participate in Balkh Second Exhibition, which was held in Mazar-e-Sharif. In this exhibition members show cased their products, interacted with other entrepreneurs, customers and raw material suppliers in other to better understand the market demand and competitors. Frozan | Efaf Handicraft Association | Balkh Exhibition 26 – 30 April 17|Mazar-e-Sharif 1,000 SHG MEMBERS COMPLETE LSTE TRAINING ENTREPRENEURS EXCHANGE KNOWLEDGE Under DFID funded project in Sarepul province 1,000 As part of capacity building, Hand in Hand (70% female) members in 37 separate classes Afghanistan facilitated exposure visit for Self-Help successfully completed six months of Life Skills Group members at district level. Beekeeping

Training for Entrepreneurs (LSTE) in Balkhab, entrepreneurs from Gosfandi district visited Sancharak and Gosfandi districts as follow: successful Beekeeping entrepreneurs at Char Ruh Village in Sancharak district and Poultry  Balkhab district 653 (467 female ) entrepreneurs of Sancharak district visited the same  Gosfandi district 260 (200 female) sector entrepreneurs of Malikan Village in Gosfandi  Sancharak district 87 (32 female) district. During these exposure visits members interacted and learnt about each other’s success and In these training, members learned basic writing, challenges. They also discussed about markets and reading and numeracy skills which helps them record asked questions from each other. their income, expenses and calculate their profitability. Also in these training members learnt These members will share learning from the visit different types of enterprises and increased their with other members of their SHGs in their respective awareness about hygiene, health, environment and communities. social responsibilities.

LSTE Class | Gosfandi District Exposure Visit | Sancharak District

INTERNAL SAVINGS AND LOANS MEMBERS RECEIVE SKILLS TRAINING

In this reporting period total of AFN 1,098,725 have During this reporting period 415 (342 female) been saved by SHG members and AFN 1,119,900 have members successfully completed vocational skills been internally lent to SHG members. training in Balkhab, Sancharak and Gosfandi districts of Sarepul province in Tailoring, Beekeeping, Livestock, The internal loans and enterprise startup kits have Agriculture, Carpentry, Blacksmith, Motorbike resulted in establishment of 141 microenterprises and Repairing and Poultry sectors. enhancement of 104. Additionally 112 members received enterprise start- Both the formation and enhancement of up kits following the completion of their training in microenterprises have resulted in creation of 347 jobs order to establish or enhance their micro-enterprises. for the community members.

SHG Group Meeting | Chimtal District Vocational Skills Training | Balkhab District

SOMAYA CONTRIBUTES IN FAMILY EXPENSES

Somaya is married and lives in Khalar village of local shop where she sells eggs on daily basis. Balkhab district, her husband is agricultural She says “I have invested my own income in to farmer and his earnings were never enough for tailoring business and now I stitch clothes for the family. Somaya had basic tailoring skills but women, I didn’t have the confidence and due to lack of business information and assets resources to start this business before attending she never had the courage to start a business. BDS training”.

She joined “Portalash (Hardworking)” Self-Help Somaya earns around AFN 2,000 from tailoring Group and attended regular bi-weekly group and around AFN 2,500 from poultry business per meetings, and received group management, month. She says “My poultry business has microfinance, business development services encouraged other women in my neighborhood to and poultry vocational skills training. She also think of having their own business”. She added received enterprise startup kit and established “Now I have the knowledge and resources to her poultry micro-enterprise. She says “I was expand my business, but the weather is not always interested to have my own source of suitable so I am waiting until next month to income and help my husband by contributing in expand my poultry business”. family expenses rather than asking him for Somaya has been supporting her husband in money”. family expanses and plans to take a loan from Now Somaya collects around 15 eggs from her the SHG and buy agro-chemicals for her husband poultry farm every day, she has a contract with a in order to increase harvest.

Somaya | Portalash SHG | Balkhab District |Sarepul Province CUMULATIVE RESULTS AS OF APRIL 2017

3 7,130 2,291 37,130 35,525 +0 +0 +0 +0 Members Mobilized SHGs Created Members Trained in Members Trained in Microfinance (64 % female) (63% female) Group Management (63 % female) (65% female)

30,346 24,451 5,928 19,592 +0 +415 +98 +112 Members Trained in Members Trained in BDS Members Trained in Members Received Life Skills (67 % female) Vocational Trainings Enterprise Startup Kits (57% female) (73% female) (79% female)

70,304 ,869 AFN 48,097,010 AFN 27,484 32,389 +1,098,725 AFN +1,119,900 AFN +257 +347 Internally Saved by SHG Internally Lent by Micro-Enterprises Jobs Created Members SHG Members Created/ Enhanced (71% female) (67 % female) (68% female) (71% female)

PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS

HAND IN HAND AFGHANISTAN

Head Office: Regional Office: House P-860, Street 10, Guzar Marmul, Behind Sultan Razia High School, Taimani, Kabul Afghanistan Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan Tel: +93 202 230 791 Tel: +93 799 108 196 Mob: +93 780 059 891 Mob: +93 795 225 141

Email: [email protected] Website: www.handinhand.org.af