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CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Representatives from Arzu Studio Hope visited Helmand province June 8-12 to survey several potential sites to expand their operations.
Since 2003, Arzu, a public-private partnership, has worked with women weavers in Afghanistan to create high-end woven rugs. The one-of-a-kind, hand-knit rugs have caught worldwide attention including the Smithsonian in Washington.
Arzu recently cut the ribbon on a Women's Center in Dragon Valley, Bamyan, Afghanistan, and now hope to develop the same success here in Helmand province.
The employment empowers the women with income, education, healthcare and helps develop their skills. To work for Arzu, women sign a contract agreeing to send all of their children to school until age 15 and take literacy classes themselves. Also, pregnant women and mothers of newborns are to accept transportation to medical care.
Afghan native, Razia Jan and entrepreneur Connie Duckworth, president of Arzu ("hope" in the Afghan language Dari), visited several sites within the province including Nawa, LashKar Gah and Gereshk. The ladies evaluated the possible sites on factors such as potential economic growth, security and local participation.
The project is being developed with full cooperation and engagement of local women's and men's shuras. ARZU aims to help in the reconstruction of the war-torn country by empowering women, their families and communities.
"This is our first time in Helmand province," says Duckworth. "The biggest empowerment for women is a job and the ability to earn income. The idea was to help these women produce the highest quality product that we can export to the proper market."
Jan and Duckworth realized some challenges that would go into kick starting the project including overcoming afghan cultural sensitivity.
"We have to start somewhere," said Jan, who will supervise the project. "It makes a lot of difference when a woman has a little money in her pocket. The problem we encounter is communication. Here in Afghanistan, the husband speaks on the woman's behalf."
Eager and willing to provide Afghan women a voice in the decision-making process, Jan and Duckworth follow a cultural practice by deferring and involving the Afghan males, typically head of the households with final say.
Jan and Duckworth will use the information gathered during the trip to develop business opportunities to help Afghan women in the future.
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2010 19:20 |
| Story ID: | 51148 |
| Location: | CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF |
| Web Views: | 426 |
| Downloads: | 319 |
This work, Arzu Studio Hope seek to improve quality of life for Afghan women, by SSgt Heidi Agostini, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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