Program Overview:

Sew-Zan: Empowering Afghan Women Through Entrepreneurship

Many Afghan women possess invaluable skills that can greatly benefit their marginalized community. Recognizing and utilizing these talents is essential to empower these women to progress and thrive. The additional income they can generate helps keep their older children in school, instead of seeking low paying jobs. From sewing and alterations to hand embroidery, crochet, art, and crafts with leather, these women demonstrate a rich array of abilities.

Sew-Zan (needle in Dari) stands as a transformative initiative committed to empowering these talented Afghan refugee women through tailored entrepreneurship and business setup workshops. The program also showcases Afghan culture and handicrafts in the United States. Sew-Zan provides comprehensive support, guidance, and resources to help these women successfully launch and manage their sewing businesses, fostering economic independence and sustainable income generation.

Program Features:

Accessibility: Understanding the unique challenges faced by Afghan women, including cultural differences, childcare, and transportation, Sew-Zan prioritizes accessibility. We offer weekly workshops at our office in the Clarkston Community Center with onsite childcare and transportation services, ensuring all participants can fully engage in the program.

Workshop Structure: Each weekly session focuses on technical skills for one hour, followed by an hour with an experienced speaker who shares their knowledge on specific topics. Over the course of 23 weeks, each cohort ensures that participants are fully equipped to run their businesses independently. The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including:

- Business registration

- Designing business cards

- Identifying business names

- Setting up online Etsy shops

- Using payment methods

- Packaging and pricing goods

- Professional photography

- Writing descriptions

- Connecting to local markets

- Handling social media

Income and Rights: 100% of the income from the items goes directly to the women without any exceptions. We ensure they are not taken advantage of and that they understand their rights as business owners.

Sew-Zan serves 50 women annually through structured weekly workshops focused on entrepreneurship and business essentials. By the year’s end, AAAGA aims for each woman to confidently navigate both physical and online markets, increase their income, develop business plans, identify their target audience, and refine their products. Through Sew-Zan, AAAGA strives to empower Afghan refugee women to not only thrive economically but also to enrich their communities and achieve lasting success, boosting their self-confidence.

Achievements:

Employment Opportunities: Successful collaboration with One Up Innovation, a manufacturing company specializing in custom-made furniture, offering employment opportunities that address childcare needs and allow for work-from-home arrangements.

Technology Access: Collaboration with ICNA Relief to provide laptops for qualifying families, including participants in the Sew-Zan project, along with offering computer literacy classes to ensure effective utilization of provided technology.

Entrepreneurial Support: Partnership with the International Rescue Committee’s Digital Essential Series for small business support, enhancing participants’ entrepreneurial skills and knowledge.

Financial Literacy: Collaboration with the Refugee Women’s Network (RWN) for the Lending Circle program, providing financial support and literacy about credit building.

Market Exposure: Partnership with Innovation Academy to showcase the Sew-Zan program and participants’ journey, exhibit Sew-Zan women’s products, and generously print business cards for women.

Event Participation: Participation in local and international markets such as International Women’s Day events, Spring markets, and the International Night Market in Atlanta.

Business Setup: Developing business plans, designing business cards, and establishing Etsy shops for participants, facilitating their entry into the market and online sales.

Inspirational Speakers: Hosting successful business owners like Marjan Nadir, Razia Aziz, Ria Mushfiq, and Mary Born to share their invaluable experiences.

Cohort Enrollment: AAAGA hosts two cohorts yearly which starts in January and July. Looking ahead, Sew-Zan is committed to expanding its impact and empowering more Afghan refugee women in the upcoming cohort. AAAGA aims to continue offering comprehensive training workshops, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for business setup essentials and entrepreneurship. Building on our successful partnerships, we will explore new opportunities for collaboration and resource-sharing to enhance the program’s effectiveness.