Afghan women-led businesses hit hard by aid cuts

Suspension of international funding cripples female-run workshops in Herat, undermining fragile economic gains

KABUL, Afghanistan (MNTV) — The suspension of international aid and cancellation of key humanitarian projects have dealt a devastating blow to women-led businesses in western Afghanistan, forcing many to scale back operations or shut down entirely.

Women entrepreneurs in Herat province say the withdrawal of support from international organizations — particularly those focused on female economic empowerment — has sharply impacted industries such as handicrafts, garment production, and small-scale manufacturing.

Lailuma Jahangiri, a 48-year-old carpet weaver, said she launched a weaving workshop with help from an international NGO two years ago, employing over 40 women. 

“Now, with that support gone, I can only afford to keep 16 of them,” she told Pajhwok Afghan News, citing the collapse in aid as the primary reason for downsizing.

Muslima Hajizada, who runs a women’s clothing production workshop, said the suspension of US-funded aid led to the withdrawal of several organizations from Afghanistan, causing ripple effects across the region. 

“In a country where women have limited rights to work and study, halting aid worsens their already fragile situation,” she said.

Her workshop once employed young women who had been denied education, as well as widows. Now, she fears it may not survive without renewed funding.

Fatema Noori, another carpet weaver, recently opened a small business after years of perfecting her craft. Without access to financial support, however, she said maintaining the workshop is becoming impossible. 

“With international support, we could become self-reliant,” she said. 

“Now we are being pushed back into silence.”

According to Behnaz Saljooqi, head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries for Women in western Afghanistan, the number of working women in the region had increased by 80 percent over the last three years, despite growing restrictions. 

That progress, she warned, is now under threat.

“Most of these women began with very little,” Saljooqi said. “They have built their businesses from the ground up, but without institutional support, many of them will not survive.

The broader decline in international engagement was partly triggered by a 90-day funding suspension for global aid organizations issued by US President Donald Trump, a policy that led to the immediate halt of multiple US-funded initiatives, including in Afghanistan.

Local authorities in Herat say they are attempting to fill the gap. Mohammad Basheer Seerat, director of the Department of Commerce and Industry, said the government is promoting domestic production and encouraging investment to create jobs. 

“We are trying to reduce reliance on imports and support local factories,” he said.

Still, for many women who have only recently entered Afghanistan’s formal economy, such efforts may come too late.