Chris Beales Progress Update February 2008

February 01, 2008

As we hear daily in the news, life there is very tough on Afghanistan. It goes without saying that the stakes are high - and if things in Afghanistan don’t improve or more territory falls to the Taliban, we will all be affected. Aid is essential, but not enough. Military engagement can only hold back the Taliban forces. Security will never be secure enough. So the only really beneficial and effective way forward is helping people into jobs and businesses. Our work is small and still at an early stage, making handmade carpets for sale here in the UK (and soon in Europe also). But our intention is to stick in and focus on our goal - to support local economic development through creating sustainable jobs in our carpet factory and training school in Karte Se, Kabul. We are encouraged both by the commitment and expertise of our staff in Kabul - we have 80 people employed there at present and 15 trainees - and by the doors now opening for us with department stores and independent retailers. The recent event we held at Goodenough College in London was a real highlight for us - that week in mid January we raised nearly £10,000 through sales, sponsorships of trainees and donations. This was most encouraging and we are so grateful. Since then, a number of things have started to develop:

IN AFGHANISTAN
1. We’re in discussion with the Ministry of Education about developing a comprehensive weavers’ training programme - also involving literacy & numeracy, IT, English, business and other skills etc - in technical schools. there are 17 in Kabul, 42 across the country. This could be a significant expansion of opportunities and we would like to find schools and colleges in the UK to twin with Afghan technical schools. If we can move training in Kabul into a technical school, it would free up space in our own premises for more weavers - necessary to fulfil orders (see below).

2. We are in discussion with a distinguised eye doctor, a Westerner with Afghan nationality who has been involved since the 1960s with Afghanistan and has a house near our factory in Kabul, about opening another site to expand our production capacity. His premises are in a deprived area nearby, Dasht e Barchi. Some of our own trainees and staff travel daily from this area to our factory.

3. We are also aware of opportunities to develop work in Herat (in the west), Mazar e Sharif (in the north) and elsewhere - but it’s one step at a time!

IN THE UK
4. We are now making two carpets for Habitat!- a runner and a carpet for suppky to four stores in UK and Europe. And we’re also just starting!to weave carpets for wholesalers Hill & Co, who supply John Lewis.

5. We have a month-long exhibition/sale in the Nomads’ Tent, Edinburgh (http://www.nomadstent.co.uk), from 13 March to 13 April. Staff from our London office will be up there for the opening evening and speaking about the work.

6. We currently have carpets in Swindon (at GH Frith), Bridgewater (at Carleton Lord), Dorset (with Red Fox Gallery, who hold sales in stately homes and at antiques fairs etc) and Nottingham (at Iguazu Fair Trade Shop).

OUR OWN EVENTS
7. Our next event in central London will be in!the second half of April - the date is still being finalised and we’ll let you know when. We are also planning events in the coming months in Lichfield, Hereford, Salisbury and elsewhere.

8. We are trying to fix an evening up in late May/early June 2008 with Rory Stewart, of recent Desert Island Discs fame! He’s doing remarkable work in Kabul through the Turquoise Mountain Foundation and has written a brilliant description of his journey on foot from Herat to Kabul, The Places In Between.

9. In March 2009, the Royal Geographical Society has been booked for a lecture by a prominent person engaged with Afghanistan - watch out for more details shortly.

HELP!
10. We are a small but hardworking group in London, greatly reliant on the voluntary help of many people of great heart and good will! If you would like to become involved, please let me know. We also welcome anyone who would like to support our work financially. If you’d like to donate to the Afghan Training Foundation (reg charity no 1111897), we’d love to hear from you!