You'll be amazed to learn that this elegant bag is made from a re-purposed burqa. In Afghanistan, burqas are widely available, as fabric, unassembled or assembled. In Islamic countries, the burqa is not only worn as a matter of practicality, but as a symbol of religious belief: The burqa is interpreted by many Islamic scholars as a necessity to preserve a woman's modesty.

There will be nothing modest about you as you hit the town with this elegant bag on your shoulder!

Zardozi. Every stitch of every Zardozi product is made by hand. Zardozi connects highly skilled, rural Afghan women with the global market. Their trading operations are unfunded, and not for profit: all of their trading income is reinvested to create employment and livelihoods. Women with income are effective agents of development.

Zardozi - Markets for Afghan Artisans grew from the DACAAR Sewing Center. From 1984, the Sewing Center worked with over 3000 Afghan families in refugee camps along the Pakistani border. The Sewing Center marketed women's embroidered accessories and gift items, so that refugee families could afford schooling and basic health care.

In 2005, Zardozi registered as an independent Afghan NGO, and assumed the Sewing Center's proud tradition. But the refugee camps are scheduled to close. By the end of 2008, a majority of Zardozi's embroiderers will have returned to eastern Afghanistan. Zardozi is helping to bring their livelihoods home as well, by working in eastern Afghan villages and in the camps for landless returnees.

Zardozi employs over 60 people in camp outreach, sales and manufacturing. In 2008, Zardozi also launched a programming wing to carry out domestic market linkage projects for home producers in Kabul and the eastern provinces.