January 2010

January 18, 2010

A LETTER FROM CHRIS BEALES, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE AFGHAN TRAINING FOUNDATION

Dear friends

I am writing to wish you a very happy 2010 and to ask you to pause for a moment and remember Afghanistan - a country of great beauty, incredible resilience and wonderful people, but deeply scarred by long conflict, endemic poverty and so many other problems. Unemployment and poverty remain widespread in this country of just under 30 million people (60% of whom are under 25). The average lifespan is only 44 and one in five children die before they reach the age of 5. Chronic malnutrition for children under five across Afghanistan is 54%. On a UN scale of human development indicators, Afghanistan has slipped from 117th in the world, to 181st - second from the bottom - since the Taliban were ousted.

Despite the enormous international efforts and expenditure to help rebuild Afghanistan, things are not improving. President Karzai had 17 out of 24 of his Cabinet nominees rejected by the Afghan Parliament – though some commentators think this may prove to be a blessing, as some extremely suspect people have been vetoed - and conflict and corruption remain desperate problems.

I don’t believe the Taliban will be defeated or the instability and corruption overcome without taking local economic development much more seriously. Jobs, businesses (especially small businesses) and markets are essential ingredients in the rebuilding of Afghanistan – in fact, good jobs, honest businesses and fair markets.

That is exactly what Afghan Action has been trying to achieve since we started working in Kabul in 2005. Our original - and continuing - vision is to support local economic development in simple, practical ways. We train young men and women to weave beautiful, handmade Afghan carpets - and they also learn to read and write, benefit from on-site healthcare and receive a free midday meal.

And we bring these carpets to sell in Britain. Many of you have bought carpets from us. I hope these bring beauty and warmth to your homes – and remind you of the impact of your purchase on the lives of young people on the other side of the world.

We had a rough time last winter and nearly went under. But we have steadily rebuilt and one of our Board members, Samad Samadi, is currently in Kabul managing our work there. We now have over 50 people on site. Our 21 current trainees are kindly sponsored by individuals, companies and charitable trusts. Equitable Charitable Trust, the Vandervell Foundation and individual sponsors are helping to support training and Ashram International and Control Risks are going to sponsor 10 women, all “graduate” trainees, into business. One company operating in Kabul, G4S, sponsors trainees and provides medical help. Our midday meals are provided by the Supreme Foundation, who also provided a free 20 ft container to transport clothing and other goods from Southampton to Kabul, acquired through collections and generous donations from individuals, local groups, schools and others, (including 10 pallets of new safety clothing from Hull-based company Arco and medical equipment from BUPA). With more companies becoming involved, we believe we are

After three weeks in Peshawar and another fortnight in Dubai, our latest batch of carpets has arrived in the UK. We have photographed them and they will be shortly available to view and purchase on the website of our good friends, Edinburgh-based carpet retailers Nomads’ Tent - see www.nomadstent.co.uk.

We’re delighted to be working with Nomads’ Tent, who are taking responsibility for promoting and marketing our carpets, which can be purchased over the internet or directly from their shop.

There’s lots more to tell you, but it will have to wait! Our schools’ work is developing very well with more and more schools becoming involved, in East Yorkshire, Harpenden, Hammersmith, Reading, Newham, Wanstead and elsewhere. We are developing work in the field of ICT, linking with a company working at the cutting edge of “virtualisation”, Tribune Business Systems, and Afghanistan’s largest internet provider, Neda Holding.

We’ve just heard that, after a long and anxious wait, we have been granted funding by the Department for International Development to run a national programme to raise awareness about Afghanistan - targeting in particular faith groups, businesses and the media. This will build on the excellent outreach work over the past two years with Afghan groups in London, led by Yusof Mirzazada.

And finally… we have a number of sales and events coming up in the next few weeks. Please check our website for details. On Tuesday 23 March 2010 at 7pm is a lecture at the Royal Geographical Society. Last year was a sellout and this year we have journalist Humphrey Hawksley speaking on the theme of his latest book, “Democracy Kills” - with special reference to Afghanistan.

I would like to conclude by thanking you for your interest and support – so many people and such good will fill us with hope. Our trustees, volunteer staff and so many others have given so much to support us and make our work effective and, without them, we would have disappeared long ago.

Thank you,

Chris Beales