More than thirty years of war and destruction have left Afghanistan one of the poorest and most fragile countries in the world. Denied to the rights of basic necessities in life, women have been the primary victims of the past 15 years of war. The worst of those years were during the Taliban Regime (1996 – 2001), when women were forbidden to work, leave the house without a male escort, not allowed to seek medical help from a male doctor, and were denied access to education.
Since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001, it is apparent that the political and cultural position of Afghan women has improved substantially; however, women continue to struggle as the poorest members of society and face numerous challenges at home and within their communities. Currently 87 percent of Afghan women are illiterate. A staggering 70-80 percent of women are subject to forced marriages. In their lifetime, one in every three Afghan women will experience physical, psychological or sexual violence.
In 2003, Rising International and Nadia Hashimi launched the Afghan Dolls Project to empower women of Afghanistan. Focusing efforts around widows in Kabul city, the Afghan Dolls Project looks to expand access to markets and sell the hand-made dolls in the US. Since 2003, Rising has helped over 60 widows in Kabul city. The Project has empowered the widows by providing them with a source of income, regardless of their second class status as women.
Nadera, like so many of our artists, was not only poor, she lived in a treacherous, dangerous part of the world. Along with her two sons, Nadera lived in Kabul, Afghanistan. Kabul is still a hostile area full of famine and hardship. Safety in Kabul is limited. In 2007, as Nadera walked to the market, she was taken from us… killed by a bomb placed in a vegetable cart by a suicide bomber.
Nadera was of one of our artists, and it is with a sad heart that Rising International announces her death.
Shunned by her husband for association with a sister who had spoken of divorce, and in dire need of money to raise her boys, Nadera found hope in making dolls to sell. She was inspired by a teacher in Kabul named Jamila Hashimi. Nadera was one of thirty-five women with whom Jamila works with, teaching literacy and sewing skills. This quiet group of widows and women abandoned by their husbands gathering in Kabul would otherwise be forgotten in this harsh and adverse environment. In a small room, with one sewing machine to share among 35, Nadera could make a living for herself and her boys.
Nadera was one of the poorest people in the world, and consequently her death could have gone unnoticed, like the thousands of other women in her same situation. But we can change this.
In her honor, Rising International will keep the last shipment of thirteen of Nadera’s dolls and reserve a place of honor for them. We will also rename our Afghan Women’s Doll Project "The Nadera Doll - An Afghan Women’s Empowerment Project." When you see one of these beautiful handmade dolls, please join us in remembering Nadera.
Shaemah is one of the Afghan widows who made dolls for Rising. She had two daughters and two sons; she was too young when her husband was taken from the family. When Shaemah joined the Nadera Doll Project, she looked too nice. Unlike the other widows, who look too depressed and sad, Shaemah was a healthy and young woman. It was hard to believe that she was a widow. Shaemah would laugh all the time and talked openly.
Sadly, two weeks after our Rising Team was able to interview Shaemah at her home in Kabul, we learned she unexpectedly died from a heart problem. While Shaemah is no longer with us, we have her story to share, and in her place her eldest daughter has taken on the responsibility to care for the family and sew dolls to sell with Rising International.
She shared her life story like this:
I was in secondary class eight of school when my family engaged me to my husband, Ahmad. After one year, we celebrate our wedding party, and in accordance with Afghani tradition, I stayed at home and I couldn’t continue my studies. But I was too happy in my own family. Our economic situation was good. My husband could afford a home and a lot of property.
Then the Mujahideen government came to power. My husband’s cousins, who left Afghanistan during the communist times, came to Kabul. Because my husband had much land and many properties, the cousins would come from time to time to our home and would talk with my husband. They seemed like very close friends, but after a few months, they threatened my husband and told him, “You were a Communist because you lived in Capital of Afghanistan (Kabul)!”
My husband never told me that his cousins threatened him. Then, one day, when I was busy in the kitchen my husband came and asked me to give him one pot with which to bring some vegetables from our garden. I gave him a pot, and he went away. Five minutes later, I heard our gardener shouting, “Ahmad was killed by a person who had stood above the garden’s wall and shot Ahmad.”
We all ran to the garden. He was laid out on the soil, and his blood filled all the ground, the gunshot ripped through his head. My small children and I shouted a lot, but there wasn’t anyone to help us. All of my husband’s relatives lived in Pakistan, and there wasn’t anyone in Kabul to bury him. My eldest son, who was 14 years old, called our neighbors and they helped us make a grave him… We couldn’t keep his body because there was simply too much blood.
After my husband was killed, our dark life began. My husband’s cousins arrogated our lands. They stole from our home and shops. They took many things. These events made me look for a job, but because I didn’t graduate from school, I couldn’t find a good job. I started taking a typing course, and when I passed my typing courses I found a suitable job in one of the governmental ministries. Unfortunately, my income is too little and it is not enough for us. Because of this I make cotton dolls.
When we asked Shaemah about the benefits the Doll Project has had on her life, she said, “In every round of doll’s I sew, I make about 3000 - 4000 afghani, and it helps me to pay for my children’s course fees. My salary from the government is only 2500 afghani per month. I am thankful for this doll’s project. It has improved my life economic.”
Afghan Gal is one of the Afghan Dolls Project widows. She is 41 years old and supports her 5 children, one grandchild and her sister-in-law. She lost her husband 14 years ago, and has a sadness about her.
This is her story:
When I was married, we had very calm and happy life. We lived in Chal Saton District in our own house. My husband had one taxi and he would work from 6:00 in the morning until the evening, near 6:00pm. Because of this our economic situation was good.
But after the coming of the Mujahideen government, Afghanistan’s security wasn’t safe and fighting was in every district of Kabul. One day, when my husband left home for his work, he didn’t come back home that night. We tried a lot to find him but our effort was negative.
Eventually, after six months, we got his corpse from a collective grave west of Kabul. His hands and legs were tied by wire.
His killers first killed my husband, then they sold his taxi. We hadn’t a person at home to work for us, and my children were small babies. They wanted my milk. My concern for my children’s lives made me to do every kind of work I could.
It is my bad luck that I am illiterate, so I had to find work as a servant of rich people, but my income was too little. I had to borrow money from one of our relatives. With this money I made a one women bakery. After four years I became sick and the doctor ordered me to stop bakery, because from the wood’s smoke I got tuberculosis.
During those times, I made my oldest son go out to sell pens and notebooks in front of schools. I will never forget… one day my son came home and he was crying. He shouted, “I want to study like the other children! I stand near the schools every day, but I can’t go to school.” I told him that you don’t have a father, so you must earn money for supporting life for your younger brothers and sisters.
When we asked Afghan Gal if she is happy with the income she receives from sewing dolls, she said “why not? I am happy, and with dolls income I can pay for my children’s courses fee. Now my oldest son can go to school. I want to be making dolls in every month.”
