Message From the Founders of Kabul Dolls

"Weeda and I started Kabul Dolls about 5 years ago by the help of a lady, Ms. Felicity and her husband Noel Cossins. Mr.Noel was my boss in UNDP Afghanistan New Beginning Program. Ms.Felicity had a friend in Australia who was a doll maker/designer specialist. They brought a sample from Australia, and asked us to start the business with Mr. Noel of making a small enterprise where needy women can find job. The first cost was paid by Mr and Mrs. Noel's money; later we received about $4000USD from Canadian ISAF for the set up of our business. Later we received from another fund $2000USD from International Organization for Migration (IOM) and hired ten more women. For Weeda and I, the main aim was to help other women who need really help, and also to let Weeda to get out of home and play her role in the society.

Kabul Dolls had a lot of ups and downs during almost five years. Sometimes we got disappointed because of slow marketing and we remembered the times that we could not sell even a single doll for seven months. I paid most of the time from my salary and also we limited the number of working days. But we never quit, as all the women who work with us not only work to earn their lives but Kabul Dolls is also like a home for them. They share all their good and bad memories. Weeda gives them advice on how to deal with some problems. Apart from salary, when some of the ladies get sick or face a terrible financial problem we pay them from our own because I get a good salary as UN memeber, also by the help of God we do not have alot of financial problems.

Since the fall of Taliban, a large number of such charity and enterprises have been established by the help of International Community grants, but unfortunately most of them failed because people used these opportunities for their personal benefit. We can dare to say that Kabul Dolls is the best example of an enterprise with international marketing. When any guest comes to IOM they bring them to Kabul Dolls to reflect the success. It is not only becuse of me or Weeda it is because of people with good ideas and feeling like you and people like Noel and Felicty, Lisa, and others.

Our suggestion for all those who listen to your presentation is that they can help Kabul Dolls by different ways apart from buying dolls. They can spread our news to others, they can send us their donations, they can encourage those people who come to Afghanistan to vist Kabul Dolls, even they can send a postcard with a letter to Kabul Dolls ladies admiring their work. Based on our experience, only helping someone by giving money can not help or solve the problem; the best way is to show and make a way that they can work. Most of the ladies who came first to Kabul Dolls lacked positive personality, but now they have changed a lot." - Qais Mehri