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Tuesday, May 29, 2007
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“The past four years in Kandahar have taught me that the best way for a woman in this region to get a taste of liberation is through economic empowerment. I’ve dedicated my service to this field, so that we can together fight for bigger causes in the near future.”
Her Story
Rangina was 3 years old when the Soviet invasion took place, and her family escaped for Pakistan. (Her father was working in the Ministry of Finance.) In Pakistan, Rangina and her sisters were forced out of school by the predecessors of the Taliban. When her father tried to reason with them, the men threatened to burn Rangina and her sisters’ faces with acid. Needless to say, her parents kept them home--and looked for a way out. They left for America shortly thereafter, settling in Arlington, VA. Rangina graduated from high school with the highest honors, and went on to the University of Virginia, where she majored in Women’s Studies and Religious Studies. She promised herself that she would work for women in Afghanistan, who could not raise their voices on their own behalves. When the Taliban fell, she decided to move back to her native country to make an impact.
Her Business
Owner: Kandahar Treasure (Clothing and home accessories embellished with rare Khamak, one of the oldest and purest forms of embroidery art in the world.)
Employees: 400
Bpeace Associate since: April 2005
Rangina returned to Kandahar in 2003, where she launched a business--Kandahar Treasure. She is the leader of the Women’s Income Generation Project within Afghans for Civil Society, a development organization in southern Afghanistan. Kandahar Treasure has grown out of the ACS project. It is positioned to transition, over the next three years, from a non-profit project to a viable business in the private sector. In the two and a half years since Rangina has run the program, it has grown from employing 25 to more than 400 women who work from home. They make embroidered pillows and tableclothes, as well as clothing and accessories embellished with the unique Khamak embroidery. The business has a central location for measuring,cleaning and packaging; currently, there is no storefront.
Her Story
Rangina was 3 years old when the Soviet invasion took place, and her family escaped for Pakistan. (Her father was working in the Ministry of Finance.) In Pakistan, Rangina and her sisters were forced out of school by the predecessors of the Taliban. When her father tried to reason with them, the men threatened to burn Rangina and her sisters’ faces with acid. Needless to say, her parents kept them home--and looked for a way out. They left for America shortly thereafter, settling in Arlington, VA. Rangina graduated from high school with the highest honors, and went on to the University of Virginia, where she majored in Women’s Studies and Religious Studies. She promised herself that she would work for women in Afghanistan, who could not raise their voices on their own behalves. When the Taliban fell, she decided to move back to her native country to make an impact.
Her Business
Owner: Kandahar Treasure (Clothing and home accessories embellished with rare Khamak, one of the oldest and purest forms of embroidery art in the world.)
Employees: 400
Bpeace Associate since: April 2005
Rangina returned to Kandahar in 2003, where she launched a business--Kandahar Treasure. She is the leader of the Women’s Income Generation Project within Afghans for Civil Society, a development organization in southern Afghanistan. Kandahar Treasure has grown out of the ACS project. It is positioned to transition, over the next three years, from a non-profit project to a viable business in the private sector. In the two and a half years since Rangina has run the program, it has grown from employing 25 to more than 400 women who work from home. They make embroidered pillows and tableclothes, as well as clothing and accessories embellished with the unique Khamak embroidery. The business has a central location for measuring,cleaning and packaging; currently, there is no storefront.
