Safi is the Arabic word for "light." Since its founding fourteen years ago, Safi Apparel Corporation has lit an oasis of progress in Afghanistan. 

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Safi was one of the founding business of NATO’s “Afghan First Initiative,” which sought to create local supply chains that could support the vast needs of Afghan security forces. Developing skills and create economic opportunities for Afghan women was one of the program's primary objectives.

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As fate would have it, a group of Americans with decades of textile experience and long ties to Afghanistan believed that, despite the country’s history of conflict, Afghanistan could develop a successful textile industry. With a mix of private investment and seed funding from the U.S. government’s Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the group formed Safi Apparel Corporation. 

 

Safi won a trial contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), a major supporter of the Afghan First Program, to produce uniforms for the fledgeling Afghan military. DoD and NATO officials were amazed by the quality of Safi's work, and its ability to meet deadlines. So they gave Safi bigger orders. 

 

Safi went on to employ some 1,400 Afghans with production capacity of 70,000 uniforms per month. Seventy percent of the workforce were women, mostly war widows, who were banned from working under Taliban rule.

 

The Safi staff took immense pride in their work. They made the very uniforms Afghan soldiers would wear while defending Afghanistan, while their salaries could support families that were struggling to survive. Safi clients know they're getting the same price, quality and service available anywhere  -- but they also take pride knowing how others have profited when their orders say "Made in Afghanistan." 

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