#Istalefi Pottery

[neolithicsheep]

So yesterday I told you about http://aseelapp.com where you can go to donate aid for Afghan people who are hungry or need heat for winter, or buy directly from Afghan artisans.

My main platform has been twitter for years but, well, you know. Anyway my routine is that on weekends I boost a campaign to my followers so here's a link to help people in Herat Province:

Herat is the large province highlighted in red. The population is about 3 million, and around 80% of those people live in rural areas raising saffron or sheep, weaving carpets, or quarrying marble. Only about a quarter of households have access to clean water.

Also while I have you here, let me wreck your budget. It takes about a month for things to get from Afghanistan to me here in North Carolina so if you want to order for Christmas your deadline is RIGHT NOW. Let me make some suggestions!

https://aseelapp.com/en_us/lapis%20ring%20for%20men4.html

Afghanistan has enormous amounts of lapis lazuli deposits and you can find a lot of gorgeous things made from it ranging from jewelry to candlesticks. The Dari word for lapis is lajaward (لاجورد) which probably derives from the place in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, where it has historically been mined.

Nematullah and Brotheran has your gorgeous lapis bowls, picture frames, etc

Mr Haneif at Nuristan Fashion has wool waistcoats, long coats, and patu!! A patu is a large 100% wool shawl worn by Afghan men. Buying one was the best decision I ever made as there's nothing better than wrapping up in a big length of wool.

Do you drink tea? Let me introduce you to Mr Wakil at the Istalefi Pottery Shop! Among other things he makes absolutely amazing teapots. I have a few things from him and another on the way. Here is the small bowl I eat my snacks from!

For merchants, Aseel is a platform like Etsy. You are buying from an Afghan artisan and helping them keep their family fed and clothed and warm. I recommend using the "Shop by Brand" option as it will show you only Afghan shops.

I volunteer my time with the Aseel team doing... Basically this. I'm also constantly trying to convince them to tell sellers to raise prices because they're criminally low but no dice so far.

[rootandrock]

The gorgeous pieces in the Istalefi Pottery Shop are god tier, and everyone should absolutely go and take a peek.

Hey it occurred to me that some of you here possibly do not follow me on Twitter and thus do not yet know about

http://aseelapp.com

So OK in 2021 the US abruptly withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban promptly seized the capital of Kabul. The US responded by freezing the assets of the national bank at which point the Afghan economy collapsed. There are no jobs to be had, people can't afford to buy food or heat their homes, over 10,000 children under 5 years old have died from starvation and malnutrition this year. Things are incredibly bad.

Foreign aid orgs withdrew when the US government did out of fear they couldn't keep their foreign national staff safe from the Taliban. The UN has classified what is happening in Afghanistan as the largest humanitarian disaster in the world right now.

Enter Nasrat Khalid and Aseel. Aseel is an Afghan company run by Afghan people who live in places from DC to Egypt to remote provinces in Afghanistan. When they provide food, it is food purchased in Afghanistan that people will want to eat, not what westerners think people should have. When Aseel provides clothing, it is Afghan clothing purchased from Afghan shops made by Afghan tailors, not worn out castoffs from westerners. Beneficiaries are not required to do any work for Aseel and are helped regardless of religion or ethnicity. Aseel also provides Afghan artisans access to international customers, helping them not need to become beneficiaries in the first place.

So you can help a couple ways - you can buy an emergency package/donate to a campaign, or you can literally go shopping for any number of beautiful things. It will take about a month for things to get to you from Afghanistan but it's absolutely worth it.