A Canadian program aims to give Afghan women vocational skills so they can earn better incomes and improve the lives of their families.

The Vocational Training for Afghan Women project is an initiative of World University Service of Canada and supported by the Canadian International Development Agency.

Ottawa-based program director Mirwais Nahzat said that the program, which is currently set to run from 2007 to 2011, teaches women to sew handbags or repair cellphones so they can make money to provide for their families.

"We have to assess, first of all, what is it that will bring in, generate, income," said Nahzat. "And then we provide the training for that."

There are as many as 50,000 widows now living in Kabul, he said. The program aims to have nearly 2,000 of them running their own businesses by 2010.

Nahzat has been working with non-governmental organizations to find prospective students, but he says there are challenges in convincing Afghan women to sign up.

"For families, it's very important that women are safe, that they are secure and that they are in a learning environment that's culturally appropriate to their traditions and values," he said.

After years under Taliban rule, Nahzat said, the hope is that women will soon realize that they have the power to change their lives themselves.