Arzu, meaning hope in Dari, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that provides sustainable income to Afghan women by sourcing and selling the rugs they weave. Arzu helps weavers and their families break the cycle of poverty by providing them above market compensation and access to education and health care.<br />

Arzu's Philosophy

== Approach ==
Arzu assists in the reconstruction of Afghanistan by empowering women, their families and their communities. A holistic model of working in Afghanistan both strengthens the role of women in today’s Afghanistan and establishes a framework of success for the country as it moves forward.

The Arzu rug-making project creates opportunities for women to generate consistent income. In addition they invest
in the future by providing literacy and education classes as well as essential healthcare services like pre- and
post-natal care. Meeting these three interdependent needs sets a foundation of stability for the women, who can then assist their families and participate more fully in their communities.

Arzu’s program is designed to become self-sustaining - a progressive economic approach for a non-profit organization engaged in international development activities. At the “break-even point,” proceeds from the sale of Arzu rugs will be sufficient to pay for the costs of all our programs. In the interim, grant funding from foundations and donations from individuals and corporations help cover expenses.

Social Contract

The Arzu approach is a social contract with weaver families where they agree to pay the weavers market rate for their weaving, plus an additional 50% bonus on top-quality carpets.

In return for this higher wage, families must agree to send all of their children under age 15 to school full-time and to have at least one woman from each household attend literacy classes. Where children cannot attend a government school, Arzu partners with education providers and pays for classes to be set up in villages. Since most girls are well behind the education standards for their age group, Arzu funds “Fast Track” classes so they can catch up and join their peers at a government school wherever possible.

Because Afghanistan suffers the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world, we have placed our initial focus on maternal health by partnering with medical providers near weaver villages. Arzu provides transportation for pregnant women to and from clinics for pre- and post-natal checkups, as well as immunizations for newborns.

Fair Labor

Weaving is a centuries-old tradition for many Afghan families, handed down from mother to daughter. Because it is home-based, it was one of the few jobs that women were allowed to continue under the Taliban regime. However, the rug industry suffered great disruption during the 23 years of war, with weavers displaced and the quality of materials and carpets declining.

Arzu serves to reconnect women with the resources they require by reconstructing essential, but missing, industry links. Rugs are inspected on the loom by Afghan rug specialists, washed and sheared by people who work for Arzu and finally shipped to the U.S. for sale. Though crucial in the chain of making a rug, women are traditionally marginalized by men who control the amount they get paid and the number of hours they work. Arzu standardizes the payments and work.

In keeping with the cultural norms of the country, Arzu weavers work from home. This reduces the chance that women are alienated by their communities and keeps them out of the sweatshops so notorious in the rug industry. It also allows the women to care for their children while simultaneously earning wages. As 15% of Arzu weavers are widows, it is beneficial to provide environments that enable their roles as mother, caregiver and breadwinner.

Arzu operates under a code of practice regarding the use of child weavers that is more stringent than that of Afghanistan’s government. Arzu requires all weavers’ children under 15 to attend school full-time. We monitor the children’s attendance and performance to ensure that families comply with this requirement. For example, Arzu staff review the attendance sheets at government schools and discuss unexplained absences with the families.

Since few of the weaving families own a loom when they join Arzu, Arzu has undertaken a systematic cost-sharing program to provide high-quality metal looms on a “rent to own” schedule.

Programs ==
== Education

Arzu requires that women attend education classes that cover literacy, basic numeracy and units on health, hygiene, nutrition and human rights. In 2006 they began offering similar courses to men. Arzu partners with other NGOs (non-governmental organizations) to provide these services, such as Shuhada Organization in Bamyan and VUSAF (Verein zur Unterstützung von Schulen in Afghanistan) in Andkhoi.

In 2006, Arzu offered its first scholarship for a girl to continue her education beyond the Afghan equivalent of high school. Negina from Andkhoi started a two-year midwife training program in fall 2006, thanks to a grant provided by the Beyond the 11th Foundation.

Healthcare

While there are clinics and health facilities in Afghanistan, they are few and far between in the rural areas. Arzu began its healthcare program by providing the critical missing link-- transportation for pregnant weavers and family members. Health monitors in each region visit homes weekly to assess who needs to visit a clinic and to arrange for transport. Arzu tracks immunization visits for newborns, making sure they go to the clinic three times to get a complete set of shots.

As the program has expanded, Arzu has often been able to bring family members with other ailments to the clinics. In 2006, they expanded their healthcare activities to include a visit to the weaver villages by a mobile eye camp, run by the International Assistance Mission. Weavers and their family members received eye examinations to check vision and detect diseases. Hundreds of pairs of prescription glasses, reading glasses and eye medicines have been provided to families.

Additionally, Arzu is researching innovative ways to provide clean drinking water to areas that lack it – a major health problem in a country where 75% of people lack access to clean water. They are currently piloting the construction of a water catchment tank in one arid village.

Community Work

Arzu shared the construction costs of a new school in the Faryab province, where many of our weavers live. Plans are also underway for the development of a sports program for the children in some of our weavers’ villages. The Arzu in-country staff of 15 are all Afghans.

The Founder

Connie Duckworth serves pro bono as President and Chairman of the Board of Arzu, Inc.; and is an active member of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, a bi-partisan public/private partnership established by Presidents Bush and Karzai in 2002. She is a retired Partner and Managing Director of Goldman, Sachs, & Co., where she was named the first woman sales and trading partner in the firm’s history during her 20 year career. Her book, a primer on how to start a business entitled, The Old Girls Network: Insider Advice for Women Building Businesses in a Man’s World (Basic Books 2003), was published in September 2003. Duckworth is the Chairman of the Board of Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, and is the first woman to hold this position. She sits on the Board of Trustees of Northwestern Mutual, the Boards of Directors of Smurfit Stone Container Corporation, DNP Select Income Fund and the Board of Overseers of the Wharton School. She is a past Chair of the Committee of 200, the organization of leading women entrepreneurs and corporate business executives in the U.S. She holds an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from the University of Texas.

References

(1) http://www.arzurugs.org<br />
(2) http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2008-02-07-at-home_n.htm?loc=interstitialskip<br />
(3) http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2006/0417/098.html