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Following
September 11th, there were many documentaries airing on the life
of Afghan women under the Taliban. In one documentary, the interviewer
spoke with three little girls, sisters, whose father had been
killed by the Taliban. They lived with their mother in their home.
One day, the Taliban came and wanted to use their home as a military
base. Their mother fell at their feet pleading with them to not
take their home as it was all she had left. Their response was
to shoot and kill her on the spot. For the next three days her
body laid in the courtyard of their home and the little girls
were trapped there with these men. When the interviewer asked
the girls what these men did to them in those three days, they
just held their little veils around their faces, with only their
eyes showing, and tears rolled down their faces quietly. My tears
weren’t as quiet. I wept out loud, asking how this injustice
could be. I wanted to scoop these girls up in my arms, bring them
into my house, give them a bath and put them in a warm bed, and
protect them from the evils they had experienced. I felt so helpless
a world away.
Soon I began
to get ideas about how Afghan women and girls could gain skills
that would give them a good chance at sustainable income. I connected
with some women who also had a passion for helping the downtrodden,
spoke at a few venues, raised some funds, started a non profit,
created a web site, and we were off and running.
Now, I'm
delighted to say that we are offering jewelry making training
and purchasing jewelry from Afghan artisans who use the income
they earn to provide the basic necessities for their families
and to pursue their own educational goals.
-Jana
Harp, Founder & Director
Copyright
© 2008 OneMaker
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