Empowering Women is a Support for the Economic and Social Development

Damascus,(ST)-Within the framework of empowering and supporting rural women economically and socially, Wadi Al-Nadara area, in the western countryside of Homs, hosted last Saturday the second workshop on the “Production of Agricultural Mushrooms”, which was held by the Homs Business Women Committee in cooperation with Homs Chamber of Commerce.

The Syria times e-newspaper attended the workshop and met Mrs. Afaf Al-Hassan, head of Homs Business Women Committee, who said: “Enabling women and supporting their activities is a priority and the primary objective of all the activities that the Committee has been working on since its establishment as women are essential partners in the process of the economic and social development.

Women are the heart in the process of setting up a healthy society based on solid basis and sound principles. They have proved to be active and influential at all times and places, especially after the unjust war that our country, has experienced that produced so many tragedies and tribulations that requires us to stand together to confront them by supporting and encouraging any constructive activity and highlighting the different skills to support and boost the national economy in all its aspects.

In this sense, our workshop today is part of a productive work that can be carried out by the woman in her home. We adopt such community-driven development approach because we consider that women themselves  should take part in formulating solutions to their financial problems in accordance with the famous saying “Do not give me a fish but teach me how to fish.” Mrs. Al-Hassan concluded.

Homs Chamber of Commerce Supports Women’s Activities

Highlighting the importance of holding such workshops, Mr. Tony Dawood, member of the Board of Directors of Homs Chamber of Commerce said that this workshop is a great and important opportunity for setting up cooperation relations between Homs Business Women Committee and the Business Women of Al-Wadi, stressing the keenness of the Chamber of Commerce to be, at all times, exist and even supportive of such meetings, whether with traders or with businesswomen at the level of the whole province. He hoped that such workshops would be held in all rural villages of Homs.

Deputy Governor of Homs, Mr. Elias Khoury said: “This meeting is one of the many development activities held by Homs businesswomen to support women in the governorate and to make them able to play a constructive and effective role in rebuilding their country now as they were the real soldiers in Syria’s war against terrorism.

Agricultural Engineer, Ayman Akkari, said: “The production of domestic mushrooms is a very profitable project for several reasons, the most important of which is that it can be planted anywhere in the house and does not require large funding or equipment. The lady can carry out this project with simple means from home and in little cost. The profits of this project will improve the income of the family as a whole,” Mr. Akkari concluded.

One of the best I have read about the importance of empowering women is the most famous saying said by Jawaharlal Nehru, which is: “To awaken the people, it is the women who must be awakened. Once she is on the move, the family moves, the village moves, the nation moves”.

Interviewed by: Amal Farhat