Abdullah Haiwads visit to Afghan Action

February 01, 2008

Today is the third time I have visited Afghan Action since arriving in Kabul. Everyone is perfectly well and happy to see me.

Food: The food is as it was the last time I visited – very good. I ate there the second time I visited. Rice with minced meat was served, which was nice.

Stock: The stock room (containing wool dyes etc) and the system in place are perfectly in order as I saw it last time.

Trainees: As we are getting towards the end of the project we do not have many trainees, but those we have are happy and enthusiastic in learning carpet weaving.

Literacy and numeracy classes: These are going well and I am very pleased to see all those who couldn’t read or write are now literate. The teachers from the Government aren’t coming now but our nurse is doing a double shift, teaching two classes and doing her own job as a nurse.

General: Yama (Manager) is happy and so is his new assistant, Hasibullah. Everyone else is happy with the working environment. I saw some of the carpets they have made and they really looked much nicer than those we got in our initial shipments. The halls are warm with two wood burner heaters in each of the large rooms (it has been bitterly cold in Kabul this winter). And the workers and trainees offered me tea when I visited them.

Some of my Turkish friends visited Afghan Action today with me and they invited Yama to visit their schools. They were very happy to see our work. Last week, I visited General Khudaidad, Acting Minister for Anti Narcotics. He promised to visit Afghan Action and bring along presents to our trainees. This will happen when he is appointed as Minister for Anti Narcotics in a few days’ time. I called Faqihi, he was pleased to hear from me and asked about you, but now he is appointed as trade attaché in the Afghan Embassy in Iran (Mr Faqihi has been a good friend to Afghan Action – he has been working as Deputy President for International Trade in the Ministry of Commerce).

I also met a man called Ghaws Muhammad, who is from Ubi, a district in Herat (in Western Afghanistan). I showed him around Afghan Action Kabul and he said he can get the wool from Ghor (a Province in Central Afghanistan, very remote and needy) and make it in to thread for weaving, as he has 12 orphans left from his 4 brothers killed in the war aged from 10 to 19 years old. If he gets a contract to supply Afghan Action, he will be able to charge the same price as we buy now from the shops, whereas he will be making 6 pence per kilogram; this will enable his family to survive the harsh life and unemployment in his district. This means we will be creating 12 jobs and a connection with Herat.

I also met Engineer Abdullah (Deputy Governor of Wardak Province, south of Kabul) and he asked me about support for the Kuchis (nomads – 600 families living on barren land in Wardak, unable to be nomadic because they have no animals. We want to raise the money to help them buy Ghazni sheep). I told him that we have a little money for them and we are raising more.

Suggestions: I would suggest that Hasibullah, the new employee, who speaks good English, along with Nazir the former driver, be appointed to visit NGOs, Embassies and guest houses when they are not required at Afghan Action – and organise, at least twice a week, for the sale of carpets in Kabul. To keep our existing people working for us, there is an urgent need for a raise, due to inflation. A sack of wheat which was 1100Af is now 1600Af and other commodities likewise. It is very hard for people.