Two Kiwis keep Afghan factory running for 34 women despite Taliban rule
Emma Conyngham and Rahila Sayed operate Waste Free Celebrations in Kabul. They employ 34 women despite power cuts and water shortages.
A New Zealand businesswoman and an Afghan refugee are running a gift-wrap factory in Kabul. The factory employs 34 women who would otherwise have no income.
Conyngham started Waste Free Celebrations from her Wānaka home in 2020, making reusable Christmas crackers and fabric gift bags. As orders grew, she partnered with Sayed.
Sayed suggested moving to Kabul to help Afghan widows and wives of disabled men. They've won sustainability awards but face huge barriers.
Power runs only a few hours daily. Water is scarce.
Internet cuts out regularly. A Pakistani fabric supplier once falsely reported them to the Taliban as ISIS operatives over a trade dispute.
They cleared their names by showing the Taliban angry messages from the supplier. Yet both say the Taliban itself hasn't been the main obstacle.
The real barriers are how other countries see Afghanistan, not how it actually works.
- 34
- Women employed
- 2020
- Business launched
- Kabul
- Current location
- 2026
- Award year
Why it mattersThe story shows how ordinary businesses can create dignified work in places most companies abandon. It also shows how two determined people deal with extreme constraints to keep it going.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect, but illustrates both the entrepreneurial reach of Kiwis and the reality of life under Taliban rule for ordinary Afghan women trying to earn a living.
