Having transformed the lives of lakhs of women artisans in the country, The Sewa Trade Facilitation Centre (STFC) is all set to hold hands with the war-affected women of Afghanistan to rebuild their lives. An initiative undertaken by STFC and Ministry of Commerce, MEA and Women and Child, Govt. of India to train Afghan women has reached the next level with Afghani women showcasing their creations at the India International Trade fair (IITF) 2008, Pragati Maidan.

SEWA along with the MEA, Government of India trained the Afghan women at their Ahmedabad facility and set up Baagay Khazana, a vocational training centre at Baagay-e-Zanana in Kabul. Currently more than 300 women have already been trained.

Ms Reema Nanavaty, Chairperson, STFC, said, "The sole objective of the project addressed for the Afghani women is to build their skills & equip them with the tools to fight poverty leading to economic stability, inclusive growth and development in Afghanistan We are working towards improving the quality of life and creating livelihood opportunities for them The women will lead the process of economic reconstruction."

32 Afghani war victims who were given special training in garment making, eco regeneration, food and fruits processing and packaging and accounting by SEWA have participated in the trade fair this year with the soul objective of taking the Afghani economy a step ahead. These women are the master trainers and train other women at Baagay-e-Zanana with direct co-ordination and facilitation from SEWA. The women have now set up their own microenterprises.

Speaking on the occasion one of the Afghani trainers Amena Hashme said, "The major advantage of this program is market led skill building in textiles and garment and food processing which ensures livelihood security. This is a demonstration of 'Inclusive' trade which SEWA has undertaken to address poverty in my country."

Over a period of one year SEWA will impart training to 1,000 selected women from amongst the neediest and destitute groups in areas of Garment making, Eco Regeneration, Fruit processing and packaging. In addition, all the trainees will be provided general management, accounting and marketing training for creating long-term financial, marketing and technological linkages. The participation in this fair is giving us practical training in marketing, especially exports. We learnt procurement, packaging, quality control, pricing- in short what is a supply chain and its implementation.

The stall at IITF brings variety of items produced by the women trained by STFC at Bagh E Zanana in food processing, and garmenting. It includes the range of spices, Afghan dry fruits, nuts, pickles and traditional afghan embroidery garments. All the items are hande made using organic products. This is a major support from the Government of India, especially Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Women and Child, Ministry of External Affairs. We are very grateful for this support and cooperation.

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SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre

STFC (SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre) is the marketing arm of SEWA in the textiles and handicrafts sector. It provides design, production and marketing facilities for apparel, accessories and soft furnishings, with embroideries provided by more than 15,000 rural craftswomen. STFC was established in 1998 with the mission of "empowering women through traditional skills".

STFC is a non-profit organization, where the artisans (over 3,200) hold stake in the ownership and consequently in the decision making processes. The company boasts of professional management, a modern garment manufacturing and packaging plant, a fully equipped design studio, latest IT and reporting systems, all designed to support product innovation, commitment to quality and business growth. STFC has partnered with top design specialists and institutes like NIFT and NID to address the need for continuous skill up gradation for its artisans.

STFC operates in India with two retail stores and also has large garment brands as its B2B clients. Currently it exports to 6 countries, to both premium brand retailers and specialized high fashion boutiques.