Support Afsana: empower women & create change
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Our Story
Behind every creation, a story of positive change.
“There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women” – Kofi Annan.
We strive for the economic empowerment of women in Afghanistan. Our ethically sourced products feature traditional Afghan embroidery, detailed patterns, and handwork transformed into modern, trendy and comfortable clothing.
Afsana’s founder, Rahila Haidary, an Afghan-born-Australian, experienced the atrocities committed by the Taliban and the dire implications that rose from the denial of women’s rights.
Hearing Rahila’s story of courage, determination and survival at a Peace Summit in November 2018, a group of 10 inspired and passionate youth from around the world made a pact to turn Rahila’s vision of female empowerment into reality. Then, Afsana was born.
Rahila's Story
Being a girl in the Oruzgan province of Afghanistan, Rahila was prohibited from going to school under the extremist rules imposed by the Taliban. Unconvinced, she dressed as a boy to fit in and attend school. This was the turning point in Rahila’s life. It placed not only her own life in grave danger, but also subjected her family to torture and abuse. When the Taliban discovered that Rahila was attending school, they threatened to kill her.
In fear of his daughter’s life, Rahila’s father risked his own life to smuggle Rahila across the border into Pakistan where she sought refuge in Quetta with extended family. With frequent target killings, suicidal attacks and child abductions in Quetta, Rahila knew that education was her only hope for survival. After witnessing the horrific living conditions endured by the women and children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Rahila felt that she could not be at peace unless she worked to improve the livelihood of those still living in such conditions.
Her Inspiration
Whilst in Quetta, Rahila met Amina, a refugee and Afghan woman who fled Afghanistan with her husband and three young daughters named Sediqa, Sahar and Bas-bano. Rahila would visit the young girls in their home to teach them what she learned at school. In 2012, Amina’s husband made the treacherous journey to Australia by boat in search of a better life for his family. Tragically, the boat capsized and Amina’s husband drowned at sea. His body is yet to be found. Left to provide for her three daughters and now two sons, Amina struggles to survive in extremely poor living conditions in Quetta. It is with immense resilience and strength that Amina and her daughters earn a modest living through embroidery and sewing.
Inspired by Amina’s story and full of hope to improve the status of Afghan refugee women and children, Rahila is committed to using what she sees as a privileged position as an Afghan-Australian, to advocate for the voiceless and the young girls who are denied the right to education due to extremist rules.
“My intention of helping Amina and her daughters earn income from their labour has led me to create a social enterprise - a journey to help women in Afghanistan and Pakistan use their creative skills to generate income and achieve independence,” says Rahila.
Putting Actions Into Words
From a very early age, women in Afghanistan learn typical household work including traditional and cultural embroidery and tapestry, instead of pursuing education. Building on existing skills sparks a positive change in the lives of these women, providing economic independence and confidence.
These women shipped their carefully crafted garments to Rahila and she began selling them to her friends and small markets in Sydney. Finding that most of the Afghan women felt great pride and joy in making money from their handiwork and many people were keen to support ethical brands, Rahila now wants to see Afsana grow and transform the lives of many more Afghan and refugee women.
As with any enterprise, the ability to expand depends on sustainable resources and financial support. Afsana is currently seeking crowdfunding to:
1. Register our organisation
2. Set up an online website to display and advertise the products for sale
3. Provide Afghan women with fair trade materials (i.e. cloth, threads, needles scissors, thimbles, sewing machines, etc)
4. Cover product shipping and importation costs
5. Provide a studio space for women to make the products
6. Secure generators to produce electricity for the women
7. Insurance
8. Any other costs we may incur
Our Team
The Afsana team is made up of inspired and passionate youth from all corners of the globe including Afghanistan, Australia, Canada and the United States of America. After meeting at a Peace Summit in Bangkok, the team members of Afsana were inspired to ensure that the message of peace continued long after the Peace Summit had ended. To this end, the Afsana team has joined forces to support this worthwhile cause and believe in the importance of the economic empowerment of women to achieve sustainable development and eradication of poverty.
Why We're Different
Afsana aims to positively better the lives of women in Afghanistan by providing them with a sustainable source of income. Using the skills and talents they already have, these women have the opportunity to engage in meaningful and independent work. Each carefully crafted piece allows its creator to put food on the table, support a family, secure financial independence and fulfill their dreams for the future.
What makes Afsana unique is its ethically sourced products and its commitment to ensure that 100% of profit from Afsana would be invested in improving the economic status of women in developing countries.
Each purchase gives you the power to create a bright future for the women of Afghanistan.
How You Can Help
Join us in our journey to make this vision into a reality. Given our small team and the scope of our work, there’s plenty of ways you can help:
1. Donate! Meeting our funding goal would ensure we have everything we need to make our vision a reality.
2. Share! Tell your friends, family, classmates and coworkers about Afsana and encourage them to help, too.
3. Follow! Facebook: Afsana.co ; Instagram: Afsanaco
4. Join! If you can help us with legal services, accountancy, fashion design, sponsorship, collaboration, access to a space to work and store products in Sydney, or in any other way, please contact us at [email redacted]
Rewards
You can simply show us your generous support by donating as little as $1.
Donate AU$ 50 or more
Behind-the-scenes look at our work
Learn about each step in our supply chain - from the women in Kabul to our team around the world!
Donate AU$ 100 or more
Personal thank-you from Rahila
Every week, we'll be thanking individual backers who donate $100 or more. Follow our Facebook and Instagram to see these special shout-outs from Rahila and keep up with our work
Donate AU$ 200 or more
Handcrafted pillow
Not only will you get an inside look at our team and our work, but backers who donate $200 or more will also receive a handcrafted pillow, straight from Kabul. The first six backers to donate this amount will receive this reward with priority shipping. Complete with our unique designs and logo, this is an exclusive pillow designed just for you.
Risks and challenges
We understand there is likely to be competition with similar businesses, yet few are driven by this mission for empowerment. We also admit that we are not professionals. Nevertheless, our passion and motivation to fulfill our goal is incomparable. Our thorough market research suggests a confident demand for our ethical products, leading us to believe that we can overcome these risks and challenges.
Behind every creation, a story of positive change.
“There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women” – Kofi Annan.
We strive for the economic empowerment of women in Afghanistan. Our ethically sourced products feature traditional Afghan embroidery, detailed patterns, and handwork transformed into modern, trendy and comfortable clothing.
Afsana’s founder, Rahila Haidary, an Afghan-born-Australian, experienced the atrocities committed by the Taliban and the dire implications that rose from the denial of women’s rights.
Hearing Rahila’s story of courage, determination and survival at a Peace Summit in November 2018, a group of 10 inspired and passionate youth from around the world made a pact to turn Rahila’s vision of female empowerment into reality. Then, Afsana was born.
Rahila's Story
Being a girl in the Oruzgan province of Afghanistan, Rahila was prohibited from going to school under the extremist rules imposed by the Taliban. Unconvinced, she dressed as a boy to fit in and attend school. This was the turning point in Rahila’s life. It placed not only her own life in grave danger, but also subjected her family to torture and abuse. When the Taliban discovered that Rahila was attending school, they threatened to kill her.
In fear of his daughter’s life, Rahila’s father risked his own life to smuggle Rahila across the border into Pakistan where she sought refuge in Quetta with extended family. With frequent target killings, suicidal attacks and child abductions in Quetta, Rahila knew that education was her only hope for survival. After witnessing the horrific living conditions endured by the women and children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Rahila felt that she could not be at peace unless she worked to improve the livelihood of those still living in such conditions.
Her Inspiration
Whilst in Quetta, Rahila met Amina, a refugee and Afghan woman who fled Afghanistan with her husband and three young daughters named Sediqa, Sahar and Bas-bano. Rahila would visit the young girls in their home to teach them what she learned at school. In 2012, Amina’s husband made the treacherous journey to Australia by boat in search of a better life for his family. Tragically, the boat capsized and Amina’s husband drowned at sea. His body is yet to be found. Left to provide for her three daughters and now two sons, Amina struggles to survive in extremely poor living conditions in Quetta. It is with immense resilience and strength that Amina and her daughters earn a modest living through embroidery and sewing.
Inspired by Amina’s story and full of hope to improve the status of Afghan refugee women and children, Rahila is committed to using what she sees as a privileged position as an Afghan-Australian, to advocate for the voiceless and the young girls who are denied the right to education due to extremist rules.
“My intention of helping Amina and her daughters earn income from their labour has led me to create a social enterprise - a journey to help women in Afghanistan and Pakistan use their creative skills to generate income and achieve independence,” says Rahila.
Putting Actions Into Words
From a very early age, women in Afghanistan learn typical household work including traditional and cultural embroidery and tapestry, instead of pursuing education. Building on existing skills sparks a positive change in the lives of these women, providing economic independence and confidence.
These women shipped their carefully crafted garments to Rahila and she began selling them to her friends and small markets in Sydney. Finding that most of the Afghan women felt great pride and joy in making money from their handiwork and many people were keen to support ethical brands, Rahila now wants to see Afsana grow and transform the lives of many more Afghan and refugee women.
As with any enterprise, the ability to expand depends on sustainable resources and financial support. Afsana is currently seeking crowdfunding to:
1. Register our organisation
2. Set up an online website to display and advertise the products for sale
3. Provide Afghan women with fair trade materials (i.e. cloth, threads, needles scissors, thimbles, sewing machines, etc)
4. Cover product shipping and importation costs
5. Provide a studio space for women to make the products
6. Secure generators to produce electricity for the women
7. Insurance
8. Any other costs we may incur
Our Team
The Afsana team is made up of inspired and passionate youth from all corners of the globe including Afghanistan, Australia, Canada and the United States of America. After meeting at a Peace Summit in Bangkok, the team members of Afsana were inspired to ensure that the message of peace continued long after the Peace Summit had ended. To this end, the Afsana team has joined forces to support this worthwhile cause and believe in the importance of the economic empowerment of women to achieve sustainable development and eradication of poverty.
Why We're Different
Afsana aims to positively better the lives of women in Afghanistan by providing them with a sustainable source of income. Using the skills and talents they already have, these women have the opportunity to engage in meaningful and independent work. Each carefully crafted piece allows its creator to put food on the table, support a family, secure financial independence and fulfill their dreams for the future.
What makes Afsana unique is its ethically sourced products and its commitment to ensure that 100% of profit from Afsana would be invested in improving the economic status of women in developing countries.
Each purchase gives you the power to create a bright future for the women of Afghanistan.
How You Can Help
Join us in our journey to make this vision into a reality. Given our small team and the scope of our work, there’s plenty of ways you can help:
1. Donate! Meeting our funding goal would ensure we have everything we need to make our vision a reality.
2. Share! Tell your friends, family, classmates and coworkers about Afsana and encourage them to help, too.
3. Follow! Facebook: Afsana.co ; Instagram: Afsanaco
4. Join! If you can help us with legal services, accountancy, fashion design, sponsorship, collaboration, access to a space to work and store products in Sydney, or in any other way, please contact us at [email redacted]
Rewards
You can simply show us your generous support by donating as little as $1.
Donate AU$ 50 or more
Behind-the-scenes look at our work
Learn about each step in our supply chain - from the women in Kabul to our team around the world!
Donate AU$ 100 or more
Personal thank-you from Rahila
Every week, we'll be thanking individual backers who donate $100 or more. Follow our Facebook and Instagram to see these special shout-outs from Rahila and keep up with our work
Donate AU$ 200 or more
Handcrafted pillow
Not only will you get an inside look at our team and our work, but backers who donate $200 or more will also receive a handcrafted pillow, straight from Kabul. The first six backers to donate this amount will receive this reward with priority shipping. Complete with our unique designs and logo, this is an exclusive pillow designed just for you.
Risks and challenges
We understand there is likely to be competition with similar businesses, yet few are driven by this mission for empowerment. We also admit that we are not professionals. Nevertheless, our passion and motivation to fulfill our goal is incomparable. Our thorough market research suggests a confident demand for our ethical products, leading us to believe that we can overcome these risks and challenges.
Fundraising team: Afsana (5)
Rahila Haidary
Organizer
Merrylands NSW
Maddison Marriott
Team member
Catherine MacCarthy
Team member
Jenny Huang
Team member
Natalie Durack
Team member
