Afghan women keep food on table by selling ice cream on streets

By Bilal Guler and Sayed Khodaiberdi Sadat

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) – A group of Afghan women earn a living by selling ice cream on the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, and encourage others to fight poverty by taking part in activities in the country, which has faced numerous financial and other woes since the Taliban took power last August.

Since the Taliban retook control of the country, most Afghan women have lost their jobs in both the public and private sectors, and their visibility on the streets has also been greatly reduced, owing to the strict Taliban laws that encourage women to fully cover themselves, normally in a burqa, an all-covering garment.

In Kabul, however, six women wearing veils, sunglasses, and gloves are challenging the status quo. They serve ice cream at various locations throughout the day to keep food on the table, proving that women can still work and contribute to their families.

On July 26, an international conference on Afghanistan was held in neighboring Uzbekistan demanding that the US unfreeze some $9.5 billion for the poverty-stricken country, which had recently been shaken by earthquakes that killed over 1,000 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

According to the UN, more than half of the Afghan population – approximately 22 million people – is suffering from acute hunger, while 5.7 million displaced Afghans in five neighboring countries require immediate assistance this year.

The Taliban have also frequently urged the international community to provide funding and assist in averting a humanitarian disaster.

However, since last October the US has committed nearly $782 million in aid for Afghanistan and Afghan refugees in the region.

- 10 hours a day work

Mr Kulfi, an Afghan ice cream company, uses women to sell their products.

Only six of the 150 employees of the company, which is active in Kabul, Kunduz, Jalalabad, and Mazar-i-Sharif, serve ice cream on the streets, but the company hopes to employ a few more in the future.

These women, who live in various neighborhoods of the capital, leave after morning prayers to meet at their workplace and begin preparing to sell ice cream.

Each of them cleans their three-wheeler sales bicycles first, then puts cooling ice and finally ice cream into a large box attached to it. Then they all move out into their own sales areas.

The women, who need to make a living, work for a total of 10 hours a day, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and get a monthly wage of 9,500 Afghani (about $105).

- Women can stand on their own

One of Mr Kulfi's women employees told Anadolu Agency about their jobs, which they started about a month-and-a-half ago.

After losing her father to illness last year, Senem Enveri is preparing for a university exam while living with her mother and two siblings.

The 21-year-old said she wants to study medicine at Kabul University and eventually become a doctor, but for that she needs first to save money.

Enveri said she loves her job, adding that they have never been mistreated by the Taliban or society for her work.

"Besides the economic issues, another motive for starting this work was to show everyone, especially the women of Afghanistan, that we women can work and stand on our own," she said.

Semsiye Kerimi, 35, was forced to relocate to Kabul after her home in the country's central Maidan Wardak province was destroyed by fire.

The mother of four explained that her husband is ill and unable to work, so she must provide for the family.

Kerimi said her children are unable to go to school owing to financial constraints, but that she sells about 100 ice creams each day and is satisfied with her job.

According to Abdulhabib Mubariz, the company manager, the situation in the country has had a severe influence on many women. "Women were seeking positions with us, and we tried to accommodate them while keeping the company's sales and expenses in mind."

He said that the company has been hiring them because at least they would get some benefits.

"We haven’t had any problems with the Taliban so far," he added, adding that one reason could be that "we’re selling the product while following the regulations about veiling."

* Writing by Seda Sevencan