We are thankful for the many publications, media outlets, podcast hosts, and partner organizations who have helped us share our story!
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LET'S TALK ABOUT SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
APRIL 2024
This interview by Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts explores the life of Rangina Hamidi, including her work to rebuild her native Kandahar through the revival of Khamak embroidery, as well as her efforts for better education and the justice that surrounds it. Rangina shares the full story of the creation of Kandahar Treasure and the growth of the women artisans involved.
Watch the full interview here.
DECEMBER 2023
“A picture tells a thousand words, so they say, and for our artisan partners in Kandahar, the opportunity to learn a storytelling craft is new and exciting. For the past two years, the Ibu Movement has facilitated a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State focused on elevating Afghan women and preserving heritage craft. As a part of this grant, Kandahar Treasure hosted a Photography and Visual Storytelling training session in January led by Jane Bernard—a talented photojournalist who spent time in Afghanistan in the 1980s. In the first of three sessions, Jane emphasized the importance of high-quality images to promote the women’s artwork, tell a story, and connect with an audience.
Ten women, ages 16 – 47, gathered at the KT headquarters for the Zoom session. Some had never before taken a photograph, and Jane focused on the basics like how to hold a camera or phone for stability, as well as more advanced skills like choosing a background that complements the subject, and utilizing “open shade” and light reflectors.”
Read more here.
GLOBAL IFAM COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
FEBRUARY 2024
“Photography Lessons with Jane Bernard & Kandahar Treasure
We’re excited to share a heartwarming success story from a recent initiative aimed at empowering artists with valuable technology and photography skills. Led by the talented Jane Bernard, renowned photographer and educator, this program is equipping artists with the tools they need to thrive in today’s competitive marketplace. In their inaugural session, ten women from Kandahar Treasure, ranging in age from 16 to 47, gathered for an inspiring photography training session.
Through interactive video calls, Jane Bernard guided these talented artists through the fundamentals of photography, covering essential topics such as lighting techniques, camera positioning, and background selection. As Jane Bernard aptly stated, “Photography is not just about capturing images; it’s about telling stories and conveying emotions.” By mastering these essential skills, IFAM artists like Kandahar Treasure are better equipped to showcase their unique creations to the world, connect with customers on a deeper level, and stand out in a crowded marketplace.
We’re incredibly proud to showcase initiatives like these that empower artists and preserve cultural heritage.”
DECEMBER 2023
“It isn’t exactly a smooth supply chain. It is a web of hands and hearts that brought these orbs across the globe like lives depended on it, because each person in that web knows that lives do depend on it. The women in Kandahar, despite their grim circumstance, depend on needle and thread and beads to craft hope, and to do so with ripe, luscious creations, ancient symbols of fecundity, potency, abundance.
…But know that this ornament is more than a fertile fruit. It is the strength and hope of women in Kandahar scattering like seeds of light among us, connecting hands and hearts over and under and through these dark days. It is as beautiful as garnets glistening, or a face brightening. It is potent as a grenade exploding, illuminating even the darkest night.”
Read more here.
EMBROIDERY
FALL 2023
“The goal of Kandahar Treasure is to give life and value to the art of khamak embroidery–carrying with it not only history but tradition and the voice of women in Kandahar. In highly illiterate and politically unstable societies like Afghanistan, this art form substitutes women’s expression that would otherwise be written in poems or stories. Kandahari Khamak is the story of the women of Kandahar creating beauty and peace in the midst of instability. The resistance from these women is to continue to stitch their dreams and legacies while earning a dignified income to support their children and families. The women understand and depend on the transformative power of their needles and threads.”
Read more by purchasing the September/October 2023 edition of this subscription-only magazine published in the UK.
IN HER WORDS: A LETTER FROM STOORAI AYAZI TO IBU ALLIES
AUGUST 2023
“Dear Ibu Allies,
My family left our home country of Afghanistan in 1981, taking refuge in Pakistan and later, America. If not for the courage and good fortune of my parents, my story could have been the same as the women living in Afghanistan today. As one of the fortunate ones, I take it as my full responsibility to help the women of my hometown who could not leave.
My sister, Rangina Hamidi, returned to Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, to pay it forward in our home community of Kandahar. She wanted to create an opportunity for local women to earn wages instead of relying solely on donations for their livelihoods. The right to earn an income was the one thing Afghan women could pursue without being curtailed by community leaders. Financial independence was an incredible tool for Afghan women and Rangina dreamed of elevating their voices via their earnings. I pledged my full support; working alongside her in this mission has been an honor and my volunteer career for almost 20 years…”
Read more here.
THE LONG THREAD PODCAST
This interview of Kandahar Treasure’s founder Rangina Hamidi explores the inner workings of KT, the intricacies of khamak embroidery, Rangina’s impressive and courageous career path, and the raw, unique perspective of a powerful Afghan-born woman watching the world respond to the varied crises in Afghanistan.
Brought to you by Treenway Silks, this episode can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and the Piecework Magazine website.
BOOK REVIEWS
“Rangina Hamidi is a world-class problem solver. This becomes abundantly clear as you read her personal story in Embroidering Within Boundaries: Afghan Women Creating a Future, co-authored with Mary Littrell. When the problem was women in Kandahar, often widowed with no means of support and always sequestered, she founded Kandahar Treasure. This allowed women to work at home doing culturally-approved work and thus gain a degree of autonomy. Kandahar Treasure has supported hundreds of women and their dependents while sharing the splendor of their traditional needlework with the world.”
– Linda Ligon, Publisher
“I’ve watched Rangina Hamidi change hundreds of women’s lives with nothing more than embroidery thread and stubborn persistence. Confronting a problem that seemed insurmountable, she has harnessed the old-world decorative skills of khamak with the new-world power of social business to bring hope and respect to the women of Kandahar. I’m thankful that this story is being told. We should all be inspired by what Rangina has accomplished. The world is better because of her resolve.”
– Kellie Kreiser, Executive Director, Thunderbird School of Global Management
“Reading the book opened a new world to me. From the first pages of acknowledgements and introduction of the authors and photographer, right through to the last sentence I was mesmerised by the inner strength and resourcefulness of the women portrayed in this book. Rangina Hamidi is a force of nature. Her philosophy of working within the confines of Pashtun traditions, respecting the order of society, gaining and keeping the trust of the men, elders and other authority figures, ensures not only the safety of the women she works with but ironically enables them to have more freedom and decision-making power in their own lives and those of their families.”
– Anise van der Walt, “Khamak embroidery from Kandahar,” The Fabric Thread
“Embroidering Within Boundaries chronicles the development of this remarkable and inspiring business run solely by Afghan women. Throughout the narrative, intimate and moving profiles of Kandahar Treasure artisans illustrate how they have gained confidence, education, and the will to lead their families into a more stable and prosperous future.”
– Thrums Books, “Handwork is saving women’s lives. Embroidery from behind the veil…”
“This book is more than a treasure. It is a gem.”
– Anise van der Walt, “Khamak embroidery from Kandahar,” The Fabric Thread
