IDP women’s handicrafts on display in Herat

HEART CITY (Pajhwok): An exhibition of handicrafts and other handmade goods of internally displaced women and refugee kicked off in western Herat province on Monday.

Organizers of the event say a number of internally displaced and refugee women in Herat were able to produce their own handicrafts after receiving some vocation training.

Abdul Rahman Mulavizada, one of the organizers, said that efforts for finding markets for products of displaced and refugee women abroad were ongoing.

“Our products reach markets in Dubai, Europe, Washington and India and we have orders from there. We have displayed five types of our products in the expo for sale,” he said.

Mulavizada said the exhibition would remain open in Kheyam Hall in Herat city, the provincial capital, for three days.

Refugees and repatriation officials in Herat say it was the fourth exhibition of its kind this year.

Ahmad Javid Nadim, head of Refugee and Repatriation Department, said more than a thousand displaced and refugee women had received vocational training this year.

“We organized this program with support of UNHCR and we trained more than a thousand women in makeup, weaving, tailoring and ribbon embroidery, today more than 50 women have displayed their products, we try to sell the handicrafts of these women in foreign markets,” he said.

The UNHCR has plan to allocate some budget for promoting women handicrafts particularly in tile and glass making for next year in Herat, he added.

Setayesh, one of internally displaced women who has put her products in the show, said, “We have a lot of products of weaving, we need supporters, if we have support, we can make more products.”

Roqia Jaghori, another participant, said she was trying to send her handicrafts to international market.

“I need to be supported and encouraged so we are able to become self-reliant and not to ask others for money,” she said.

Many internally displaced and refugee women are jobless as they have no vocational skills and in need of other family members.

Mds/ma

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