This project is important and unusual because it provides an opportunity for American handcrafters and craft lovers to have personal contact with practitioners of traditional Central Asian art forms while also giving a group rarely seen on other exchanges with this part of the world, namely young rural Muslim women, an opportunity to expand their horizons and their ability to provide for their families.
By the end of the program, the number of people affected by it will go far beyond the actual participants to include all of the members of the Khiva and Karakalpakstan workshops, the members of American fiber craft guilds around the country who will have an opportunity to learn new skills from participants in this program, and the buyers and craft lovers from around the country who attend The Paradise City Arts Festival in October 2006, one of the country's major craft venues.
ITD is located in Amherst, Massachusetts. ITD programs and services have been funded by the US Department of State (and formerly USIA), USAID, the World Bank, UNDP, FAO, UNICEF, the Peace Corps, foreign governments, and private individuals and business.
The Institute for Training and Development
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