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Afghan Women Learn Traditional Carpet Weaving

Develop women jobs in Afghanistan

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Afghan Women Learn Traditional Carpet Weaving

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Summary

Women learn to weave beautiful carpets, preserving their ancient Persian traditions. Carpet sales earn women income to support themselves and their families. read updates from the field

How You Can Help

Make a donation

$33 - 10 family members have food for 2 weeks because of a weaver’s income.
$58 - One carpet weaver’s child can go to school for a year because of a weaver’s income.
$66 - 20 people have a place to live for one month because of a weaver’s income.

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Received $4,555 from 88 donations from people like:

claudine

francis

Kriloff

lidman

+

YOU!

Give now to become donor #89!

More Information About this Project

Project Needs and Beneficiaries

Herat, Afghanistan, has been a center of fine carpet weaving for thousands of years. However, this ancient art is in danger of extinction because of the last quarter-century of civil strife in Afghanistan, which claimed the lives of thousands of skilled people and destroyed infrastructure, homes, and necessary resources. This project seeks to revitalize this ancient art by supporting women to be carpet weavers with training, supervision, equipment, and supplies.

Activities

A dozen women will learn a skill and earn a living wage. Carpet sale income provides funding for health care and education, literacy, computer classes, and teacher training for about 350 people in Herat per month through project partner, AIL.

Funding Information

Total Funding Received to Date: $4,555
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $6,812
Total Funding Goal: $11,367

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).

Resources

Project's External Homepage (http://www.creatinghope.org)

Why this Project is Important

Potential Long Term Impact

Many Afghan women today experience cultural barriers to employment. But carpet weaving is a traditional income-earning occupation for women in Afghanistan. Therefore, women can easily use this skill to support themselves and their families.

Project Message

With AIL’s help, I learned carpet weaving and now have a frame in my home. I weave and sell carpets. My wage improves my children’s lives. I pray for AIL’s success in helping our poor homeland people.
- Fawzia, former carpet-weaving student

Who is Running This Project

Contact

Toc Dunlap
Executive Director
Creating Hope International
PO Box 1058
Dearborn, Michigan 48121
United States
(313) 278-5806
Email:

Project Sponsor

Marketplace 2005

Organization

Afghan Institute of Learning
Afghan Institute of Learning c/o Creating Hope International, PO Box 1058
Dearborn, Michigan 48121
United States
(313) 278-5806
http://www.creatinghope.org/ail

Learn more about Afghan Institute of Learning and the project team.

Afghan Institute of Learning's Current Projects on GlobalGiving

Bringing Green to Afghanistan	Help Ellsworth Bands, Help the World	Our Doctors Need an X-Ray Machine	Help Afghan Communities Help Themselves
Train Effective Afghan Teachers	Give Afghan Refugees the Gift of Education	Jump-Start Learning for Afghan Children	Give Afghans a University Degree
See all 19 projects

Afghan Institute of Learning's Funded Projects on GlobalGiving

Build a Rural Community Center in Herat	Saving Lives by Training Women Health Workers	Women's Learning Center in Mir Bacha Kot	Women's Learning Center in Herat, Afghanistan
Training of Afghan Women Health Professionals	Afghan Women Earning Income through Tailoring	Building a Nutrition Clinic in Rural Afghanistan	Computer Training Scholarships for Afghans
See all 13 projects

Where this Project is Located

Country

This project is located in Afghanistan and can also be found under Economic Development.

For more information about Afghanistan, read the Human Development Report on Afghanistan or the Wikipedia entry for Afghanistan.

When this Project was Updated

Last Updated

This project was last updated on March 12, 2010.

Date Added to GlobalGiving

This project was added to the GlobalGiving project catalog on July 26, 2004

Latest Update from the Field

Spring Update

By Sondra Johnson - Project Administrator, March 12, 2010 10:35 AM

Most of the AIL carpet weavers are poor widows that have very limited ways to earn a living. Widows in Afghanistan live with their extended family and are given a limited amount of space in which to live (one room of their own). Since one room is not enough space for women to set up a loom and begin their own carpet weaving business, AIL has set up looms in an AIL center for women to use. The center has a master carpet weaver who works with the less advanced weavers in an apprenticeship program. When a hand-woven carpet has been completed, AIL sells the piece and pays the weavers a living wage. In 2009 over ten carpets were completed with several more in process.
Reminder: On March 16, 2010, GlobalGiving will be matching all donations made to any project on www.globalgiving.org by 30% (up to $1,000 per person)! If you could like to donate again to our project, your donation will go further on March 16th!!!

Want to support this project's continued work?

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