AfghanMark enables rug buyers to help Afghan women

AfghanMark enables rug buyers to help Afghan women
By Stevenson SwansonTribune national correspondentPublished February 18, 2007
NEW YORK -- The beauty of Afghan carpets, with their intricate patterns and vibrant colors, belies the ugly conditions under which many of them are made.The women who weave the rugs in Afghanistan are usually paid less than $1 a day. Many sit or stand hunched over a dimly lit loom, straining their eyes and their backs. Children as young as 12 may labor next to them.

AfghanMark is aimed at reducing those hardships.A new certification program run by the Afghan Women's Business Federation, AfghanMark is intended to guarantee higher wages and better working conditions for the weavers who work for the eight carpet companies or consortiums that have agreed to abide by the labor standards set by the federation.Carpets produced by those manufacturers will carry an AfghanMark label, showing a woman whose head is wrapped in a traditional scarf, and bearing the words, "Made by Afghan Women.""We feel this is a win-win situation for everyone," said business federation spokeswoman Halima Kazem at a press conference here last week announcing the certification system. "Through their purchase options, American consumers have the opportunity to improve the lives of Afghan women."The women's business federation was set up after U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban regime in 2001, following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Funded by the U.S. government's Agency for International Development, the federation seeks to help women become more involved in the Afghan economy, which is struggling to recover from nearly a quarter-century of war and brutal repression under the Taliban.The country's carpet industry is a logical focus for the federation. Carpets traditionally have been made by female weavers, and they are one of Afghanistan's best-known legal exports -- as opposed to opium, its biggest cash crop.Afghan folklore credits the invention of the hand-knotting method of making carpets some 3,500 years ago to a woman named Khali, whose name lives on in the Afghan word for carpet, kaleen.The AfghanMark program represents roughly 27,000 carpet weavers, or about 18 percent of the country's estimated 150,000 weavers. Through the program, manufacturers hope to differentiate themselves from the pack; many of these businesses have women managers or owners who are committed to improving the lot of Afghan women."It's growing," Kazem said after the press conference at the Rubin Museum of Art, which specializes in the art of the Himalayas and adjoining regions. "We hope every carpet company joins us."The AfghanMark program requires manufacturers to pay weavers 50 percent more than the current wage, or about $1.50 a day, and to give a weaver a 10 percent commission on the sale of a carpet she wove.Also, the payments must be made in cash. Weavers are sometimes paid with food, Kazem noted.To qualify for certification, companies must agree to use vertical looms instead of horizontal floor looms, which increase back and eye strain.Companies in the program are subject to random inspections, and if children are found working on the looms, inspectors will stop the work and refer the children and their parents to organizations that provide schooling for working children.Likewise, if inspectors determine that a weaver needs medical care, they will send her to a health clinic.After two violations of the AfghanMark standards, a company will be tossed out of the program, Kazem said.During their visit to America to launch AfghanMark, Kazem and other representatives of the certification program planned to meet with carpet wholesalers to discuss import deals that would bring AfghanMark carpets to this country.Kazem sees the "Made by Afghan Women" labeling effort as an important step in reviving the country's once-thriving carpet industry.In the 1970s, the carpet trade pumped about $40 million into Afghanistan's economy, but after the 1979 Soviet invasion and the war that followed, the industry collapsed. Many weavers fled to Iran and Pakistan.Latifa Abasy was one of those refugee weavers. While in Pakistan, she studied English and worked in an Afghan carpet gallery. Now, she's in charge of trade development for the women's business federation, which estimates that the Afghan carpet industry could grow from a low of $2.5 million in 2002 to $18 million-plus in 2009.Abasy hopes to increase the number of Afghan carpets that are shipped through Dubai. Now, most are shipped through Pakistan, where they are labeled "Made in Pakistan" before being sent to America."To develop a brand name for Afghan carpets, that's the goal that we have to reach," she said.

Rugman.com's donations aid in the ongoing recovery effort put forth by the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund.

Rugman.com's donations aid in the ongoing recovery effort put forth by the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund.
Toronto, ON (PRWeb) March 3, 2007 -- The inner strength of Hurricane Katrina's survivors is the foundation for all the relief efforts in the Gulf. All you have to do is Google the words "Human Resiliency" and stories of the Katrina Survivors come up. The financial support required in such a massive recovery effort is critical and necessary over the long-haul. In celebration of Presidents' Day, during the week of February 19th - 25th Rugman.com donated 5% of all sales to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund (BCKF).

Helvetica, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.rugman.com/" alt="Link to website">What's especially exciting about the BCKF is while the needs (both immediate & future) of the Katrina survivors are being addressed, the incorporation of CCI (Clinton Climate Initiative), 22 cities working together to reverse Global Warming through the reduction of greenhouse gases, gives renewed hope for our future generations

This is not the first time that Rugman.com has donated a percentage of their sales to help support and rebuild communities affected by natural disasters around the world. "What's especially exciting about the BCKF is while the needs (both immediate & future) of the Katrina survivors are being addressed, the incorporation of CCI (Clinton Climate Initiative), 22 cities working together to reverse Global Warming through the reduction of greenhouse gases, gives renewed hope for our future generations" said Farida, Executive Vice President of Rugman.com.Rugman.com is proud to take part in the recovery effort for the Hurricane Katrina Survivors and would like to thank all of the customers who put in motion, through their purchases, the sales that generated $7,500 towards the long-term recovery effort in the Gulf. About Rugman.comRugman.com is a marketplace leader in online Persian and Oriental rugs and has operations in both the United States and Canada. Born of a third generation Persian Rugs import/export business, the rugman.com mission is to provide authentic, high quality, handcrafted area rugs and to provide unsurpassed service and experience. Rugman.com Persian rugs are unique, authentic imported treasures that withstand the test of time. Visit Rugman.com

Germany, U.S. buy 50% of Persian rugs

Qum Rug, Mid 20th century

Germany, U.S. buy 50% of Persian rugs
Sun, 04 Mar 2007 12:51:20
Iran exports its Persian rugs to more than 100 countries, said an Iranian carpet industry official Sunday, adding the German and U.S. markets accounted for 50 percent of Iran's hand-woven carpets for export between March and November 2006. Abdollah Ahrari, who heads the carpet division at the Khorassan Razavi Commercial Organization, said 10 countries purchase some 80 percent of the Persian rugs that Iran exports to international markets. Italy was among the top two target markets for Iran's Persian carpet exports in 2005 but it's been replaced by the U.S. as a major importer of Persian rugs. Islamic countries however import only 15 percent of Iran's Persian carpets. "Among Muslim states, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, Bahrain and Qatar recorded the highest volume of Persian carpet imports from Iran in the eight-month period," Ahrari said. The industry official indicated Iran needs to boost its Persian carpet exports to the Persian Gulf states and Lebanon, adding the Iranian government must play a role in financially supporting the domestic carpet industry. The government currently offers incentives to carpet exporters but Ahrari said individual carpet weavers also need to receive state support in order to improve the quality of their products. Iran's carpet industry has been losing its regional and international markets to competitors like India, Pakistan and China which enjoy cheaper labor and greater state support for the production and export of their carpets. Observers say weavers in these countries often reproduce traditionally Persian designs in their cheaper-made products, damaging Iran's international reputation for its Persian rugs. HRE/MR/BG

Sultanabad Rugs from Nazmiyal

I was looking at www.Nazmiyal.com and found a few rugs I wanted to add to my Notes. Jason Nazmiyal has three stores in New York and New Jersey and they has some beautiful rugs. Since I am expanding my section on Sultanabad Rugs I added these:
Sultanabad Rugs: Floral Spray Sultanabad Rug from Nazmiyal
Sultanabad Rugs: Square Sultanabad Rug from Nazmiyal
Sultanabad Rugs: Antique Sultanabad Rug from Nazmiyal
See my Guide_To_Sultanabad_Rugs
Best wishes,
Barry

New Pages on Persian Gabbeh rugs

I added a few new pages on Persian Gabbeh rugs. I intend to make a much more comprehensive Guide To Gabbeh Rugs.
Please visit:
Gabbeh Rugs Red Qashqai Rug from Sobco
Gabbeh Rugs: Handmade Gabbeh From Zollanvari
Gabbeh Rugs: Amalehbaft Gabbeh Rug
Gabbeh Rugs: Regular Gabbeh Rug From Gabbeh.com
Gabbeh Rugs: Kashkoli Gabbeh Rug From Gabbeh.com
Best wishes,
Barry

Rippon Boswell Wiesbaden March 10, 2007

Rippon Boswell Wiesbaden has major rug sales but it also as minor sales as well. Some of these can be very interesting as well. Auction 680 will be held March 10, 2007. I spotted a few pieces that I found interesting. here are a few I added to the Rug Notes:
Baluch Rugs: Baluch Bagface early 20th C Rippon Boswell Lot 18
Baluch Rugs: Baluch Balisht 1st Quarter 20th C Rippon Boswell Lot 18
Baluch Rugs: Baluch Rug C 1900 Rippon Boswell Lot 64
Birjand Rugs: Birjand Carpet Circa 1920 Rippon Boswell Lot 30
Tabriz Rugs: Tabriz Carpet circa 1920 Rippon Boswell Lot 25
Tabriz Rugs: Tabriz Carpet circa 1930/40 Rippon Boswell Lot 159
Best wishes,
Barry

Persian Rugs the O'Connell Guide

Sometimes the easiest way to fix something is to start over. My main guide to Persian Rugs is a mess so I started a new page and I am cleaning up the old information as the beginning of rewriting it. The first part can be seen at: Persian Rugs the O'Connell Guide

Best wishes,

Barry