Speeches Shim
![Matiullah, a mechanic in western Kandahar Matiullah, a mechanic in western Kandahar](https://2017-2020.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/styles/square_150x150/public/success_story/Matiullah.jpg?itok=ZM23rmjk)
Matiullah, who lives in western Kandahar, started his life with what many deem a severe strike against any chance of success: a congenitally disabled left leg. Matiullah’s youth was dogged by poverty at a very young age, he began working in the poppy fields as lancer to help his family earn enough to survive. The money he earned was never enough but he had no other choice because of his leg.
![Tala Dairy Production Company in Kabul, Afghanistan Tala Dairy Production Company in Kabul, Afghanistan](https://2017-2020.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/styles/square_150x150/public/success_story/Tala_Dairy.jpg?itok=2Fi1Qx1v)
Their yogurt is tangy, their buttermilk is thick, and their cream is the perfect addition to an early morning caffeine fix. Tala Dairy Production Company, founded in 2012 by a group of ambitious and experienced entrepreneurs, aimed to offer home delivery service of dairy products to Kabul residents. But acheiving the globally-respected standards they aimed for - which required obtaining modern machinery and meeting international production requirements - proved difficult.
![Ahmad Tamim Mohebzada is an E-Commerce and Online Marketing Officer at Tolo Travel Ahmad Tamim Mohebzada is an E-Commerce and Online Marketing Officer at Tolo Travel](https://2017-2020.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/styles/square_150x150/public/success_story/Ahmad_Tamim.jpg?itok=bPOvJ-Vm)
In the past 14 years, the field of Information and Communications Technology has reconnected Afghanistan to the world. In 2001, there were no phone lines, let alone internet providers. Today, over a million people are using the internet and over 18 million people own cell phones according to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. 44 local internet providers and four local GSM phone operators supply ready information to a youthful population with a thirst for knowledge and a private sector anxious to build relationships with the international business community.
![Sayed Abdul Karim, a farmer from Zhari district of Kandahar Province Sayed Abdul Karim, a farmer from Zhari district of Kandahar Province](https://2017-2020.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/styles/square_150x150/public/success_story/Abdul_Karim.png?itok=crN7K7el)
In many rural areas of Kandahar Province, farmers grow fruits and vegetables which have to be sold in the market immediately after harvesting. An oversupply during the harvest season equals lower profits for the farmers. Drying fruit and vegetables is one common solution.
![Frozan Haidari is a finance manager at Mubtakar Women’s Social Organization Frozan Haidari is a finance manager at Mubtakar Women’s Social Organization](https://2017-2020.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/styles/square_150x150/public/success_story/Frozan_Haidari.jpg?itok=wtx2cj23)
Ms. Frozan Haidari, like many other female university graduates, struggled to nail down a job after graduation. “I learned a great deal during my time at university but employers are looking for tangible experience,” Haidari asserted in a recent interview.
Comment
Make a general inquiry or suggest an improvement.