Afghanistan was known for its crafts, jewelry, textiles and delicate needlework. The industry first experienced modern disruptions during the Afghan-Russian war of 1979-1989, when supply routes and exports were effectively cut off. All three sectors - silk production, textile production, and garment manufacture - were further eroded by the establishment of the Taleban fundamentalist government. Women, historically the mainstay of the garment and textile industries, were not allowed access to factory work, education, even literacy. Herat is the most important city to Afghanistan economically as it is the gateway to Iran and the city with the highest amount of customs revenue. It is situated favorably on the ancient and historic trade routes of the Middle East, South Asia, Pakistan, China, India and Europe. In Herat, once an important stop on the famous Silk Route, a few families are struggling to keep a once-splendid silk industry alive amid competition from cheaper synthetic silk from China and Pakistan. The Herat region of northern Afghanistan has historically been the center of silk production, textiles, and a burgeoning garment industry. However, this industry like the rest of the country was devastated and dismantled by over two decades of war. Many of the men and women skilled in the traditional arts were forced to migrate and many are still employed at very low wages at factories in Iran and Pakistan. They are unable to return to Afghanistan due to a lack of job opportunities, infrastructure and market chain for these products. Women currently working in this sector inside of Afghanistan face many obstacles. Women in Herat have restricted mobility and are forbidden to work with males. They are often taken advantage of due to lack of direct access or knowledge of the markets. Some of them are paid less than $50 to work at home on pieces that require nearly three to four months to complete. During the last three years, interest in arts and crafts of Afghanistan has been increasing. Today, the bustling Chicken Street (the antiques and crafts market) in Kabul is testimony to continued interest in local art products. However, many of these products are purchased for souvenirs and do not have much enduring practical value. Especially locally produced apparel, which usually displays delicate and time-consuming needlework, is made with outdated designs and cheap fabrics that bleed and shrink. Difficulties such as these issues make it difficult for the artists to price their products accordingly and capture the value of their craft. The US-Afghan Reconstruction Council (US-ARC) has undertaken a business, employment, and local capacity development strategy in Herat to contribute to revitalization of traditional arts of Afghanistan through private sector/economic development, training and jobs creation. With relatively modest capital support, it is believed these industries can be revived. This project proposes to use the assistance of established apparel industry and experts to provide and apply a market-driven strategy to rediscover and enhance the delicate traditional arts of Afghanistan and introduce them to international markets through modern applications, develop a profitable enterprise for women with skills in traditional crafts, facilitate exercise in quality improvement, product development, marketing, and institution building. Also, the project aims to establish a venue for women to improve their skills, gain knowledge of modern application of their arts, produce varying products that can meet both local and international standards, and earn adequate and above subsistence wages. Such a revival will bring infrastructural improvements to Afghanistan, support literacy (and ultimately democratic institution-building), and generate hard-currency industries for export.
