Common Threads : Steelcase and ARZU's Market-Led Approach to Create Employment Opportunities for Women Weavers in Afghanistan
ARZU, a Chicago-based Non-governmental Organization (NGO), was founded on the goal to apply a market-led approach for sustainable poverty alleviation achieved through artisan-based employment that empowers women. Focusing on Afghan women, the organ...
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/912491468180891188/Common-threads-steel-case-and-ARZUs-market-led-approach-to-create-employment-opportunities-for-women-weavers-in-Afghanistan http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27448 |
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okr-10986-274482021-04-23T14:04:34Z Common Threads : Steelcase and ARZU's Market-Led Approach to Create Employment Opportunities for Women Weavers in Afghanistan World Bank ARTISAN BEST PRACTICE BRAND BUSINESS OPERATIONS BUSINESS STRATEGIES COMPETITIVENESS CUSTOMER DEMAND CUSTOMER SEGMENT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPING COUNTRY DIGITAL PHOTOS DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS END CUSTOMER END CUSTOMERS FAIR FINISHED PRODUCTS INFORMATION ASYMMETRIES INNOVATION INNOVATIONS NGOS PORTFOLIO POVERTY ALLEVIATION PRIVATE SECTOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PUBLICITY RETAILING SALES SHAREHOLDERS SOCIAL ENTERPRISES SUPPLY CHAIN USES WEB ARZU, a Chicago-based Non-governmental Organization (NGO), was founded on the goal to apply a market-led approach for sustainable poverty alleviation achieved through artisan-based employment that empowers women. Focusing on Afghan women, the organization identified rug weaving as an employment opportunity that fit within the cultural framework and limitations for women that exist in the country. To begin the initiative in 2004, ARZU hired local staff based in Kabul, and they began to meet with village elders and explain what they wanted to do and ask for permission, taking into account the cultural norms of Afghan society. ARZU uses a combination of donations and the proceeds from sales to fund its social programs and pay the weavers fair market wages. It also covers the cost of local staff to ensure quality control, train weavers to improve techniques, and manage the distribution channels. Currently, ARZU's sales fund 50 percent of its social programs, and the organization hopes to be fully financially sustainable in the next several years. Steelcase and ARZU's partnership illustrates the realized potential of what can happen when an NGO and a corporation overlap in their strategic vision and goals and work together to create job opportunities for the poor. In this partnership, Steelcase accepted a product development cycle that was nearly six months longer to support employment in Afghanistan. As ARZU continues to forge new corporate clients and steelcase continues to seek new partnerships that employ workers in developing countries, a key lesson learned from this private sector-NGO partnership is that it is feasible for a corporation to contract out to social enterprises without lowering quality standard or significantly affecting profitability. 2017-06-28T18:26:56Z 2017-06-28T18:26:56Z 2012-08 Brief http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/912491468180891188/Common-threads-steel-case-and-ARZUs-market-led-approach-to-create-employment-opportunities-for-women-weavers-in-Afghanistan http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27448 English en_US Company Innovations to Help the Poor;No. 1 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Brief Publications & Research South Asia Afghanistan |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English en_US |
| topic |
ARTISAN BEST PRACTICE BRAND BUSINESS OPERATIONS BUSINESS STRATEGIES COMPETITIVENESS CUSTOMER DEMAND CUSTOMER SEGMENT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPING COUNTRY DIGITAL PHOTOS DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS END CUSTOMER END CUSTOMERS FAIR FINISHED PRODUCTS INFORMATION ASYMMETRIES INNOVATION INNOVATIONS NGOS PORTFOLIO POVERTY ALLEVIATION PRIVATE SECTOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PUBLICITY RETAILING SALES SHAREHOLDERS SOCIAL ENTERPRISES SUPPLY CHAIN USES WEB |
| spellingShingle |
ARTISAN BEST PRACTICE BRAND BUSINESS OPERATIONS BUSINESS STRATEGIES COMPETITIVENESS CUSTOMER DEMAND CUSTOMER SEGMENT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPING COUNTRY DIGITAL PHOTOS DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS END CUSTOMER END CUSTOMERS FAIR FINISHED PRODUCTS INFORMATION ASYMMETRIES INNOVATION INNOVATIONS NGOS PORTFOLIO POVERTY ALLEVIATION PRIVATE SECTOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PUBLICITY RETAILING SALES SHAREHOLDERS SOCIAL ENTERPRISES SUPPLY CHAIN USES WEB World Bank Common Threads : Steelcase and ARZU's Market-Led Approach to Create Employment Opportunities for Women Weavers in Afghanistan |
| geographic_facet |
South Asia Afghanistan |
| relation |
Company Innovations to Help the Poor;No. 1 |
| description |
ARZU, a Chicago-based Non-governmental
Organization (NGO), was founded on the goal to apply a
market-led approach for sustainable poverty alleviation
achieved through artisan-based employment that empowers
women. Focusing on Afghan women, the organization identified
rug weaving as an employment opportunity that fit within the
cultural framework and limitations for women that exist in
the country. To begin the initiative in 2004, ARZU hired
local staff based in Kabul, and they began to meet with
village elders and explain what they wanted to do and ask
for permission, taking into account the cultural norms of
Afghan society. ARZU uses a combination of donations and the
proceeds from sales to fund its social programs and pay the
weavers fair market wages. It also covers the cost of local
staff to ensure quality control, train weavers to improve
techniques, and manage the distribution channels. Currently,
ARZU's sales fund 50 percent of its social programs,
and the organization hopes to be fully financially
sustainable in the next several years. Steelcase and
ARZU's partnership illustrates the realized potential
of what can happen when an NGO and a corporation overlap in
their strategic vision and goals and work together to create
job opportunities for the poor. In this partnership,
Steelcase accepted a product development cycle that was
nearly six months longer to support employment in
Afghanistan. As ARZU continues to forge new corporate
clients and steelcase continues to seek new partnerships
that employ workers in developing countries, a key lesson
learned from this private sector-NGO partnership is that it
is feasible for a corporation to contract out to social
enterprises without lowering quality standard or
significantly affecting profitability. |
| format |
Brief |
| author |
World Bank |
| author_facet |
World Bank |
| author_sort |
World Bank |
| title |
Common Threads : Steelcase and ARZU's Market-Led Approach to Create Employment Opportunities for Women Weavers in Afghanistan |
| title_short |
Common Threads : Steelcase and ARZU's Market-Led Approach to Create Employment Opportunities for Women Weavers in Afghanistan |
| title_full |
Common Threads : Steelcase and ARZU's Market-Led Approach to Create Employment Opportunities for Women Weavers in Afghanistan |
| title_fullStr |
Common Threads : Steelcase and ARZU's Market-Led Approach to Create Employment Opportunities for Women Weavers in Afghanistan |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Common Threads : Steelcase and ARZU's Market-Led Approach to Create Employment Opportunities for Women Weavers in Afghanistan |
| title_sort |
common threads : steelcase and arzu's market-led approach to create employment opportunities for women weavers in afghanistan |
| publisher |
Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2017 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/912491468180891188/Common-threads-steel-case-and-ARZUs-market-led-approach-to-create-employment-opportunities-for-women-weavers-in-Afghanistan http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27448 |
| _version_ |
1764461442274164736 |