Amadi Carpets has brought its line of fine handwoven floor coverings to The Halles again this spring, giving conscious shoppers an opportunity not only to own a fine floorcovering, but also to help the company empower women in battle-weary Afghanistan. 

The founders of Amadi Carpets understand the situation in Afghanistan better than most, having fled the country on foot during the Soviet War. They came to America to build their dream. In more recent years, they have shifted their focus to creating generational change by providing Afghanistan’s women with training and compensation for skilled labor. 

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Amadi Carpets’ Kuba Collection Rug

Amadi Carpets returned to Kabul in 2003 to open its first weaving workshop, employing 20 women from outside Kabul. Today they employ 120 local women. Employees are shuttled to and from work via bus each day to help ensure their safety. 

“The cultural hurdles to make this happen were monumental,” the company states. “The brothers behind Amadi Carpets went from family to family, attempting to persuade husbands, fathers and brothers to allow their wives, mothers and sisters the opportunity to work and learn.”

The second generation of Amadi Carpets is taking the mission to the next level. When Samer Ahmadi envisaged an educational center for women, her father and founder of Amadi Carpets Inc. made her vision a reality by turning their grandfather’s house in Afghanistan into the Sakhi Women’s Weaving & Education Center. Since its inception in 2017, women aged 18 to 70 have been taught weaving skills and provided with an education at the center. 

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Amadi Carpets’ Fiji Collection Rug

These women now provide income for their household, which means that their children are able to attend school rather than working to provide for the family.

“You help empower one woman and you have empowered a whole family,” Amadi Carpets co-founder Zubair Ahamadi said in a release. “You empower more than one woman and you have empowered a whole community.” 

Despite the current political climate in Afghanistan, the Amadi weavers are currently able to continue their work. The company is diligently monitoring the situation abroad and prioritizes the safety of all its weavers, especially the women. 

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Amadi Carpets Congo Collection Rug.

You can find Amadi Carpets inside Halle 3 at The Halles venue this spring show. To view their full collection of carpets and to learn more, visit their website.