2006 Widow's Garden Pilot Program

PARSA continues to pilot an innovative economic program called the Widow's Garden for widows in a poor area of Kabul. Zarguna Hashimi, PARSA’s former Director of Economic Programs, was widowed during the war and was left with a son to support. One day when she was out of money, she took some of the radishes she had grown to the bazaar to trade for onions and potatoes. The idea of helping other widows to do this sparked the idea for the Widow's Garden Program.

The Widow's Garden was begun with 10 women selected to participate in this training program for one year. They have learned to garden and are now starting the literacy and marketing component of the program. To participate in the program the widow must be willing to find a landowner with a garden plot to garden in exchange for produce for the year or to have a family plot of land that they can use. PARSA’s orientation and initial training will assist them as they develop their plans for their garden’s and secure an agreement to be able to use land in exchange for fresh produce. An additional 10 women are now in the beginning of gardening training and other widows will be added to the program as funding is received.

The training for this program is expected to take twelve months. Additional skills will be taught and program monitoring will continue by PARSA during the second year.

The implications of this program for women and their children are numerous. As the ability to garden is transferable and teachable they will have a skill that can be used throughout their lives to feed their families. For women in Afghanistan to have a skill to produce food that may be used for resale will give them an economic self-sufficiency that they previously did not have. The literacy component of the program will also give the widows or a female family member a skill they previously did not have. The gardening component of the program is expected to be self-sustaining after one year as long as the women continue to use the gardening, marketing, literacy, health and other skills that they learned in the program.