Carrés brodés - embroidered squares from Afghanistan.

"Deutsch-Afghanische Initiative e.V." started this project together with the organisation "Madeira" to help women in Afghanistan.
( Every square is 8 * 8 cm.)

In the village of Laghmani (situated about 70 km north of Kabul) you will find female embroiderers between twelve and the mid fifties. The older women have learnt to embroider in their childhood, but the majority of them have not done embroidering for nearly 20 years, and the young ones learn within the scope of the project. The squares are systimatically paid for.

The hand ebmbroidery of the Afghan women is a completed but not a finished product.
The European people, buying the squares, must set to work and employ their own ewperiences with textiles, their choice of colours and their skills so that a finished product can be created. In this way,symbolically expressive object emerge. These do not only combine 2 techniques but also 2 cultures.

The objects range from small bags with maybe just one square to beadspreads with dozens of them. Other objects include cushion covers, runners and wall hangings.

I bought some squares a couple of weeks ago and made them into birds to decorate my kitchen.

Great project from women to women.

To get more information or maybe to order some squares for your own project, you are welcome to contacct Pascale Goldenberg. ( goldenberg-freiburg@t-online.de )