After graduating from Herat University, Elham Waiezi attended numerous interviews, but potential employers were hesitant to make her an offer with no previous work experience. Elham was the only woman in her family to pursue higher education. Most of her relatives were married, settled down, and had children right after school. Like many young women graduating school, she was under pressure to follow the same path. Elham has always been a hard worker and fiercely determined to obtain her Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Unfortunately, having no income, she had to put her dreams of getting a Master’s Degree aside and look for a job.

Like many young educated women in Afghanistan, Elham struggled to find full-time employment. But, all of her efforts to get a job were in vain, until she learned about USAID’s Strong Hubs for Afghan Hope and Resilience Internship Program in Herat. She applied to an intern position with Herat Municipality, was accepted, and upon completion of her one-year internship, Elham landed a job as a full-time Social Worker with an international organization based in Herat province. As a social worker, Elham is now serving her community and helping children in need across all of Herat. Most importantly, while witnessing her professional development, Elham’s relatives changed their negative perception of working women. Having secured a job, Elham has become more financially independent and is already planning on earning a Master’s Degree in the near future. She is also providing for her siblings, who were able to resume their studies after dropping out of school due to their inability to pay for their education. Elham also helped her biggest fan and supporter, her father, to reach his long lasting dream of getting his Bachelor’s Degree.

“The internship helped me to become more open-minded, proactive, and confident. Most importantly, it helped me understand that anyone can make a difference in this world. My internship experience made it possible for me to land my dream job,” said Ms. Elham Waiezi.

USAID launched an internship program in 2016 to provide Afghan youth, especially young women, with technical knowledge and professional experience, in order to increase their access to job opportunities. While these internships provided the interns with valuable work experience and professional relationships, they also introduced a cadre of talented young Afghans, the overwhelming majority being university-educated young women, to municipal governance and a possible career in local government.