Amber Chand Creates Opportunities For Women

Businesswoman Creates Opportunities for Women in Conflict Zones

Amber Chand believes that trade creates conditions for peace: An American woman who was uprooted by conflict during her childhood is focusing her business acumen on marketing gifts made by women in war zones in the Middle East, Central America, Asia and Africa.

Born in Uganda to Indian parents, Amber Chand fled her birth country with her family in the 1970s to escape atrocities committed by the dictator Idi Amin, who died in 2003. She settled first in Great Britain, then in the United States.

"Barely 21 years old, I was suddenly left without the foundations of a secure home. We lost everything -- our assets, our beautiful home on the hill overlooking the city, and a sense of meaning and purpose. Father died within nine months of a broken heart," Chand said. "I was at a crossroads now and could either choose the path of bitterness, revenge and anger or the path of healing, forgiveness and love. Ultimately, I knew that it was my responsibility to find meaning within this tragic circumstance and [an] anchor for my life."

With personal knowledge of war's ravaging effects, particularly on women, she founded a company designed to alleviate the plight of women artisans affected by conflict. Chand works closely with a number of nongovernmental organizations, such as Women for Women International and CHF International, which have ties to the U.S. Agency for International Development and other U.S. agencies.

Products Celebrate The Resilience And Power Of Women

Her company, the Amber Chand Collection, offers gifts such as the Kabul "remember me" bracelet, made by Afghan war widows, the Darfur "basket of strength," made by women in refugee camps in Sudan's violence-torn Darfur region and the Jerusalem "candle of hope," produced jointly by Russian-Jewish women immigrants in Israel and Palestinian women on the West Bank. Other gifts made by female artisans are the Burmese "doll of compassion," the Cambodian "peace bell," the Ethiopian "scarf of dreams," the Mayan "harmony bracelet" and "harmony necklace," the Nepali "basket of kindness" and the Rwandan "scarf of peace."

"My vision for this company is to highlight and celebrate the resilience, the strength, the beauty and the power of women who are the victims of war," Chand said.

"When a woman goes to a party and she is wearing a beautiful bracelet made by an Afghan war widow, guess what? The woman says, 'Oh yes, this was made in Afghanistan,' and suddenly the story becomes so compelling," she said.

The story behind the Kabul "remember me" bracelets is that 10 Afghan war widows, who are skilled stonecutters and jewelry makers, come to their workshop every day in their burqas and transform blocks of fluorite, a semi-precious stone mined in northern Afghanistan, into translucent beads, which they string into bracelets. To each bracelet, they attach a metal charm of Arabic calligraphy, which reads "remember me." The charms are made in Jordan and flown to Kabul. The bracelets are wrapped in embroidered bags produced by women in Karbala, Iraq, whose sewing skills are helping their families survive the conflict ravaging their country. As with all gifts in the Amber Chand Collection, a small Cambodian "peace bell," made from metal converted from land mines, is enclosed.

"When I came across this bell, I said to myself that this bell represents everything that I am committed to," Chand said.

The most popular item in the collection is the Jerusalem candle of hope, of which Chand has sold 6,000 since the 2004 holiday season. The candles have provided income for roughly 40 women artisans, evenly split on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide. The Palestinian women embroider the small bags in which the candles are wrapped. The Israeli women make the candles. Before she launched the project, Chand made sure that both groups of women were willing to work with each other. Both responded affirmatively because it was in their economic interest to do so, Chand said.

"Therein lies the secret. When people are partners in trade and commerce, they are not going to be seeking conflict with each other," she said.

Chand said that she measures the success of her business according to three criteria: financial results, social impact and promotion of happiness. She explained that everyone involved in the venture must make a profit and the business must improve the community where it exists.

The Amber Chand Collection is in its early stages of development. The Macy's department store chain markets the Rwandan "basket of peace," but Chand finds most of her customers through her personal e-mail broadcasts, speeches she gives and home parties. Requests from galleries and fair trade retail stores are increasing, she said, and most of her customers are educated, globally conscious, well-traveled women with healthy incomes. "These are people who buy because of the message," she said.

More information about the Amber Chand Collection can be found at the company Web site.

ENDS

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