Good news in the area of socially-conscious design: GoodWeave has expanded its work to end child labor in weaving communities to include Afghanistan. This marks the first country GoodWeave will monitor outside of South Asia, where the non-profit has been making strides against child labor for 15 years.
GoodWeave points to the Afghan carpet industry -- the country's largest legal employer -- as "a major opportunity for private sector growth in Afghanistan." The organization intends to follow the method that has proven successful for its operations in Nepal and India, namely implementing locally managed inspection and monitoring programs as well as social initiatives that place focus on children's education.
"The rug industry has the untapped potential to improve living conditions and stimulate economic development," said Fazel M. Wasit, GoodWeave Afghanistan's Country Director. "However, we must ensure that it does not negatively impact our country's future by exploiting children in weaving communities, where the loss will be far greater than the expected benefits."
GoodWeave plans to work with local partners in Afghanistan to ensure a sustainable, comprehensive approach to supporting the weaving communities. Estimates are for the first child-labor-free GoodWeave-certified rugs produced in Afghanistan to be available by early 2012.
Read more about GoodWeave and traditional rug weaving:
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