While structured as a 501(c)(3) in the United States and .an international NGO in Afghanistan, ARZU operates as a “for-benefit” corporation, using private sector practices .to create jobs in desperately poor rural villages where little opportunity exists.
HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS
ARZU believes that change begins with economic empowerment, and for this to be sustainable, an ecosystem of economic opportunity is needed for individuals, families, and ultimately communities to succeed. When people are chronically sick, they can not sustain an income; when people lack access to the basic necessities of life, including clean water, safe homes, and nutritious food, they can not create and participate in civil society. ARZU provides transportation to clinics for pre-natal and post-natal visits, as well as standard children’s immunizations. ARZU health monitors visit each weaver’s home on a weekly basis, and when problems are identified, ARZU staff facilitates the appropriate treatment, providing financial assistance when necessary. Health workshops are conducted annually to inform the community about sanitation, preventive care, and nutrition.
A woman weaver spins yarn in Bamyan Province, Afghanistan
EDUCATION & LITERACY
Central to ARZU’s approach is our Social Contract with weaver families. To be a registered ARZU weaver and receive fair labor wages and bonus payments, families must agree to send all of their children under age 15 to school full-time and to have women in the household attend literacy classes.
When ARZU first began its literacy classes, most attendees could not even sign their name. Seven years later, women have progressed at a remarkable rate. ARZU now teaches grades 1-4 and received approval from the Ministry of Education to include fifth grade, the only NGO in Bamyan to receive this approval. Women can experience a renewed sense of confidence by learning to read. Everyday benefits include understanding electoral ballots and politics, reading medication labels at the pharmacy, and knowing prices to avoid being cheated at the market.
Women read during ARZU literacy class, photo by Sgt. Ken Scar
WOMEN'S COMMUNITY CENTER, BAMYAN
In January of 2010, ARZU opened the doors of this multi-functional complex to the Dragon Valley community. From the initial vision of a small, two-room building where women could wash their clothes and drink a cup of tea, the Women’s Community Center has evolved into a beautiful, multi-purpose complex where women and girls attend literacy classes; share cups of tea and small treats baked in the on-site bakery; wash clothes in warm water; weave rugs in the well-lit two-story loom room; and, perhaps most importantly, establish the solid foundation of friendships to support each other through the trying hardships of Afghan life.
The Women’s Community Center is also the hub-site for ARZU’s newest initiative, the production of the Peace Cord® bracelet, employing 150 new women.
Women’s Community Center before and after completion in Bamyan, 2011
WOMEN’S COMMUNITY CENTER, SHASHPUL
In the summer of 2012, ARZU broke ground on the second Women's Community Center, located in Shashpul, Bamyan. In addition to the same amenities as the original, this will house ARZU's best practices rug finishing center. Current industry-wide carpet finishing techniques can cause environmental harm due to widespread use of toxic chemicals (caustic soda and bleach) and the profligate use of water, a particularly scarce resource in Afghanistan. This prototype center will be a "learning laboratory" to develop, test and codify low-tech, sustainable solutions for all stages of rug production. By working with private sector process engineers and textile scientists, ARZU aims to replace toxic chemicals with eco-friendly alternatives, assessing current water use with an eye to recycle and repurpose this valuable resource. ARZU will share the new protocols with the greater commercial industry in Afghanistan.
Amenities like the laundromat and special loom rooms are featured in both Centers
WOMEN’S COMMUNITY GARDEN
Based on ARZU’s track record of success within community development, Governor of Bamyan, Habiba Sarabi, granted ARZU use of 1-½ acres .of land to create a community garden in 2009. The Women’s Community Garden is now the site of four alternative livelihood projects including: briquette production, bio-sand water filter production, poultry rearing, and best practice horticulture and food dehydration. Last year, in addition to briquettes, some 600 pounds of vegetables were harvested; 300 pounds of produce and herbs were dehydrated for storage as winter nutritional supplements; 50 water filters were fabricated and distributed to public buildings around Bamyan, including schools, orphanages and mosques; 30 chickens were successfully raised to maturation; and 60 women were trained and employed.
Two women working with low-carbon fuel.briquettes (shown below)
SUPERADOBE HOUSING INNOVATION
In 2011, ARZU piloted the Superadobe construction method as an innovative solution to the housing crisis in Bamyan. ARZU identified this low-cost, low-tech method to create sustainable homes and buildings, as well as being the first organization to implement this building method in Afghanistan, with the pilot proving to be a success. Over the course of five months during the 2011 “building season,” ARZU trained 26 male apprentices and built three different variations of Superadobe structures, ranging in size from 300 square feet to 1,200 square feet: a simple one-room dome, a multi- room cloverleaf, and a spacious vault-style building. Given the success of the pilot, Bamyan Provincial Governor Habiba Sarabi has asked ARZU to lead an important new project; constructing a housing project for displaced people in Bamyan using this method.
Superadobe during construction, 2011
ARZU PRESCHOOL
The largest Superadobe structure, the one-room vaulted ceiling model, now houses the ARZU preschool, the first of its kind in Afghanistan. Opened in November of 2011, it features play-based learning guided by two local teachers and feeds these hungry toddlers with two meals and a snack each day. ARZU also provides each child with a uniform, shoes and a winter coat. Large windows and high ceilings let in natural light, where children sit at long tables, and each has a storage cubby to use. Handmade wooden beds are used for daily naptimes. Bamyan Governor Habiba Sarabi attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for this unique resource.
As a result of the deep interest on the part of the community in the pre-school, ARZU vacated a room at the Women’s Community Center to open a second preschool there.
Outside view of ARZU Preschool, with young students shown below during class.
ARZU FAMILY PARK
Based on ARZU’s recent success in implementing both economic and community development projects, Bamyan Governor Habiba Sarabi, has requested that ARZU take the lead in the build-out and operation of this new park. The site for the park directly faces the Governor’s office and fronts other key government buildings, non-profit organizations, and local businesses. This multi-year project will be broken into two phases: Phase 1 will include general construction as well as infrastructure, creating a space that can be used immediately by families and the community, with the completion of fountains, picnic areas, and walking trails. With the completion of Phase 2, this park will be the epicenter for community programs and recreational use.
Children on a playground in Dragon Valley, one of ARZU’s building initiatives in 2010
