Afghan polio survivor's sock factory provides hope by employing disabled workers

HERAT, Afghanistan — In a tiny room in the center of Herat, Afghanistan's westernmost city, Shahabuddin uses his hands to propel himself along the floor to a freshly-made pile of socks waiting to be sorted and packaged.

A double amputee since a roadside bomb took both his legs a decade ago, when Afghanistan was mired in conflict between U.S.-led forces and Taliban insurgents, the 36-year-old father of four had struggled to find work. Unemployed for the last decade, he had been forced to rely on relatives for his family's survival.

But a new sock production workshop in Herat employing only disabled workers has given him new hope.

''I became disabled due to the explosion. Both my legs were amputated,'' Shahabuddin, who like many Afghans goes by only one name, said during a brief pause in his work in early December. ''Now I work here in a sock factory, and I am very happy that I have been given a job here.''

The workshop is the brainchild of Mohammad Amiri, 35, a former grocery shop worker who started the business about a month ago. Amiri, himself disabled by childhood polio, wanted to create jobs and help provide income for other people with disabilities, particularly as many of them were injured during the conflict and have no other means of income.

He teamed up with another polio survivor to start the sock factory with a workforce of men disabled either through traumatic injuries or because of congenital issues or other reasons. They make four types of socks: long and short, for winter and summer.

''The factory, which is funded and supported by people with disabilities, began operations last month and currently employs around 50 people with disabilities,'' Amiri said. ''They are busy in the production, packaging and sale of socks in the city.''

''These figures compel us to act with greater urgency and commitment,'' the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a statement released on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Dec. 3, quoting the same figures. ''Persons with disabilities must not be treated as an afterthought; they must be fully integrated into every stage of planning, decision-making, and service delivery.''

Meanwhile, Afghanistan is one of only two countries — along with neighboring Pakistan — where wild poliovirus remains endemic. The infectious disease can cause flu-like symptoms, but can also cause severe reactions, including paralysis, disability and death.

The Afghan Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled Affairs says 189,635 disabled people across the country are registered and receiving financial support from the government.

Amiri said his business faces serious competition from cheap imports of textiles, and expressed the hope that the government would stop imports from abroad. He has hopes of getting a contract to provide the Afghan security forces with socks, and wants to expand his workforce to 2,000 people.

His current employees include former refugees who have recently returned to Afghanistan after spending years abroad.