Nadera, like so many of our artists, was not only poor, she lived in a treacherous, dangerous part of the world. Along with her two sons, Nadera lived in Kabul, Afghanistan. Kabul is still a hostile area full of famine and hardship. Safety in Kabul is limited. In 2007, as Nadera walked to the market, she was taken from us… killed by a bomb placed in a vegetable cart by a suicide bomber.

Nadera was of one of our artists, and it is with a sad heart that Rising International announces her death.

Shunned by her husband for association with a sister who had spoken of divorce, and in dire need of money to raise her boys, Nadera found hope in making dolls to sell. She was inspired by a teacher in Kabul named Jamila Hashimi. Nadera was one of thirty-five women with whom Jamila works with, teaching literacy and sewing skills. This quiet group of widows and women abandoned by their husbands gathering in Kabul would otherwise be forgotten in this harsh and adverse environment. In a small room, with one sewing machine to share among 35, Nadera could make a living for herself and her boys.

Nadera was one of the poorest people in the world, and consequently her death could have gone unnoticed, like the thousands of other women in her same situation. But we can change this.