CARPETS MADE BY AFGHANI WOMEN WAIT FOR SPONSORS IN PRAGUE

Global News Wire - Europe Intelligence Wire
March 18, 2005

PRAGUE, March 18 (CTK) - The Berkat civic association, helping people in war-afflicted areas, has displayed two carpets made by Afghani war widows within the "Happy Flying Carpets" project in the Nahrin shop in Prague centre where they wait for sponsors, project coordinator Lenka Weberova told CTK today.

Women participating in this project make carpets, as well as traditional embroidery and sew clothes which Berkat then offers to sponsors, Weberova added.

The carpets will be given to people who donate the sum, equalling the carpet's estimated value, for Berkat humanitarian projects in Afghanistan.

A Berkat member, actress Eva Holubova, said that those are unique, hand-made Persian carpets. The work on the larger ten- square metre carpet took over one year. Its price is put at 150,000 crowns.

The "Happy Flying Carpets" project was launched in 2003.

Weberova informed that the association has so far collected 73,000 crowns in public fund-raisings, offering various small items made by Afghani women. The finances should help build wells, kindergartens and schools for girls in Afghanistan.

Berkat is trying to persuade women that their products are not only the source of money for humanitarian purposes, but they can thereby develop their own skills, which give them a change to support their families in the long run.

Berkat was established to continue in the work of the organisation of the same name in Ingushetia, founded by Czech journalist Petra Prochazkova in support of children's daily centre in Grozny, Chechnya, in 2000.

($ 1=22.403 crowns)