• Ayesha is an Afghan entrepreneur, who designs and exports jewellery inspired by Afghan women, nature and materials.
• Ayesha started designing jewellery in 2022 after her university studies were interrupted.
• Ayesha took part in the UNITAR Great Ideas Space entrepreneurship training programme for Afghanistan in 2023.
• The UNITAR programme helped Ayesha gain the knowledge and skills she needed to be an entrepreneur and built her confidence as a businesswoman.

Since the 2021 regime change, girls in Afghanistan have been banned from secondary education and women from tertiary education, leaving an estimated 1.1 million girls and more than 100,000 women out of schools and universities. Women are also banned from running businesses and limited from interacting regularly with other women.

With her studies interrupted, Ayesha decided to start a jewellery business. Why not create unique jewellery pieces, she thought, using local materials from Afghanistan instead of using imported gemstones and metals from other countries? Government restrictions meant Ayesha could not open a physical store in the country, but instead of making her give up her business dreams, the limitations motivated her to expand her business globally using online spaces.

From mid-2023 to February 2024, Ayesha joined the Great Ideas Space 2023 Programme for Afghanistan: Food Security and Job Creation through Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which sought to equip young entrepreneurs in Afghanistan with the skills to identify and develop innovative entrepreneurial solutions to address issues such as food insecurity, unemployment and social problems.

The programme, offered for free to learners thanks to the support of the Government and People of Japan, included two online learning phases on the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and innovation, and leadership, strategy and innovation. It culminated in an in-person workshop, where top participants collaborated to create launch-ready business plans for their ventures.

Although she already had experience running her business, Ayesha says that the UNITAR programme taught her many things that she needed to know as an entrepreneur and businesswoman. In particular, developing a business plan for her venture gave her a strong foundation – one that she was missing – for going forth.

Calling the in-person workshop “a dream”, Ayesha says the support and feedback she received from her coaches and fellow entrepreneurs was inspiring. The experience gave her confidence in her skills in running a business.

I learned many things that I needed to know as an entrepreneur and businesswoman. The main thing I gained was the confidence I needed.”—Ayesha (Afghanistan), UNITAR alumna

Ayesha is excited to adopt the ideas, advice and knowledge to enhance her business. She is currently working on a new jewellery collection in collaboration with other designers, harmonizing their talent and style to push existing boundaries.

Ayesha is working hard to support herself, her family and others. She dreams of becoming the best women entrepreneur in the world but also of using her work to widely share Afghan culture. Her jewellery designs are often inspired by women and the nature of Afghanistan, and she hopes to use the jewellery to represent her country’s and women’s talent across the globe.

Despite the difficulties of living as a woman in Afghanistan, Ayesha is thriving. She strongly believes that women have the talent to create new ideas and wants to get more women involved. 

I want women to work in … gemstone and jewellery designing because I believe that women have the talent to create new ideas.”—Ayesha (Afghanistan), UNITAR alumna

She hopes one day to study abroad and join jewellery shows in Italy, Thailand and the United States to meet other talented colleagues.

Ayesha calls on aspiring entrepreneurs to stay focused on their vision and to keep on working. She reminds them that there will be times where it’s necessary to step back – but that is also a way to learn and embrace change.