by Abdul Haleem, Chen Xin

KABUL, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- "I am very satisfied with the outcome of my work that has enabled me to provide job opportunities for 50 women today and export my products to Iran," Aqela Anwari, a lady from western Nimroz province, told Xinhua.

At a three-day handicraft exhibition concluded here on Saturday, the ambitious lady whispered that her firm produces traditional clothes, shoes, pillows and curtains mainly exported to Iran.

Backed by Strengthening Rural Economy, a government-run project, villagers, mostly women, were encouraged to use their talents to provide self-employed schemes, according to the lady.

Expressing satisfaction over her income, Anwari murmured that projects like Strengthening Rural Economy launched by the government and non-government entities can create job opportunities on the one hand, and help to alleviate poverty in the conflict-torn country on the other.

Although there is no official statistics about the unemployment in Afghanistan, more than 50 percent of the country's some 32 million population, according to officials, are living under poverty line.

"At the moment, 50 women are working in my company to earn livelihood and I am hopeful the number would increase as my business flourishes," the entrepreneur predicted.

Sitting in her stall at the exhibition on Saturday, Anwari observed that she had faced challenges in the first days of launching her business years ago, but gradually she has been appreciated by villagers after providing jobs for women in their villages.

"About 200 women have been working in my company and they are involved in embroidery and tailoring, to earn their livelihood and support their families," entrepreneur Nazia Haidari from the northern Balkh province told Xinhua in her stall.

Haidari, who has been running her business over the past nine years and sells her products at home and abroad, told Xinhua that the government support to small businesses in the countryside would help villagers to contribute in stabilizing the country's economy.

"The aim of Strengthening Rural Economy is to provide job opportunities for villagers, mostly for women to contribute to stabilizing rural areas economy," said Abdul Wafi Naibzai, the in-charge of Supporting Rural Economy project with the Ministry for Rural Development and Rehabilitation.

Designed for five years, the project would cover more than 500,000 villagers with 80 percent of them women in the country's 34 provinces, the official said, adding that about 140,000 people in rural area are benefiting from the national scheme.

The government, he said, provided fund for the project and marketing service for the products of the villagers.

Villagers with majority of them women put on display their products including handicrafts, ornaments, precious and semi-precious stones as well as food items in 200 stalls held in the recently reconstructed ancient castle - the Chihilsitoon Palace - in Kabul ahead of the country's 100th Independence Day which falls on Aug. 19.