The empowerment of women is central to global poverty alleviation. How does ARZU STUDIO HOPE impact the lives of hundreds of women weavers, thousands of their family members and tens of thousands in their communities? The stories behind the statistics say it best.
Basima, 29
Basima, her husband, Ali Zafar, and their children have endured many devastating consequences of war in Afghanistan. “My six-year-old brother died from the cold, and the robbers came and stole my sheep, leaving us in poverty,” Basima says. Hardships such as these have forced Basima and her relatives to abandon their home various times and start anew in unfamiliar towns. When they moved to Dragon Valley two years ago, Basima and her husband had to rent a home, and they accumulated significant debt. Finding food each day was a struggle, and Basima worried about her children’s health. Joining ARZU has helped Basima and her family look forward to a renewed and happy future.
Read How ARZU Has Changed Basima's Life
Now, Basima weaves rugs in ARZU’s program, and she says she feels safer. With steady income, Basima can always afford enough food to feed her family. The bonus money has also helped Basima and her husband build a new house. Most importantly, Basima is grateful that ARZU provides access to medical care and schooling so that she and her family will be healthy and educated. “We wish to live in peace, and to have a better future. With ARZU, this is possible,” Basima says.
Atika, 54
Atika has been a widow for nine years after her husband was murdered in a drive-by shooting while shopping for food in the market. Ever since, Atika has struggled to raise and provide for her six children, on her own. Before she discovered ARZU, Atika worked many jobs simultaneously, simply to put food on the table. And, she was deeply in debt from her husband’s funeral. Before, hunger was a daily experience for Atika and her children. Now, weaving in ARZU’s program has stabilized their lives.
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Atika now says, “We can buy everything that we need and we are starting to pay off our debt.” ARZU is providing the opportunity for education for her family--Atika attends ARZU’s literacy courses and all of her children regularly attend school. “My husband always wished my children to go and study and be literate. I hope my children become good people and become teachers.” One of Atika’s daughters now reads and writes at an advanced level. “She feels happy, and is also teaching us new things that she has learned. We have so much gratitude that ARZU is helping us.
Mubina, 24
Mubina lives with her parents and seven siblings. When militants captured Mubina’s father several years ago, they tortured him for weeks. When they finally set him free, they ransacked and burned the family’s home, destroying everything the family owned. Mubina and her mother wove rugs to generate income. Before they found ARZU, however, the money they earned from this work was insufficient for them to recover. “Our life, day by day, was getting worse. The rug money was never enough for us, since there are many members in our family.” Now, Mubina and her mother weave in ARZU’s program, and their situation improves daily.
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With the bonus money ARZU provides, Mubina’s family can buy necessities and replace items that the Taliban ruined. ARZU also enrolled Mubina’s younger siblings in school and provides literacy courses for Mubina and her mother. “I have learned reading and writing, and my brothers and sisters are feeling very happy.” Mubina’s mother, Alia, expresses deep gratitude; “I have never seen this kind of help in my whole life, no one and no other organization helps like this. I am so happy.”
Shirin, 44
Shirin lives with her husband, their six children and extended family. In the 1990s, the Mujahidin threw Shirin’s father and her husband into jail for months, leaving Shirin alone to raise her children. Although the family was eventually reunited, the Taliban later ransacked and destroyed their home. Shirin and her husband worked tirelessly to rebuild their lives, but they remained very poor. Often, they survived only on bread and had no heat in their home during bitterly cold winters. When Shirin joined ARZU’s program in 2004, life in her household began to improve.
Read How ARZU Has Changed Shirin's Life
ARZU pays Shirin for her work on a regular basis, therefore she and her family never lack food and clothing. ARZU also ensures that Shirin’s younger children are enrolled in school and provides literacy courses for Shirin and her older daughters. Now, Shirin can read the boards in the bazaar and help her grandson with his first grade schoolwork. “ARZU has brought so much happiness to our lives. We can never forget this help from ARZU, therefore day and night we pray for ARZU’s success.”