Women's crafts stolen along with van

Afghan women's crafts, possessions stolen along with rented van.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- A delegation of 10 Afghan women who are visiting Ohio to make business contacts lost crafts they brought with them and personal items when their van was stolen.
The Great Lakes Consortium for Training and Development, based in Toledo, used a U.S. State Department grant to bring the group to Ohio for four weeks, said Elizabeth Balint, the consortium's project manager. The women are representing 2,000 craftswomen who make purses, shawls, jewelry and other wares. Members of the group said they never were robbed in their homeland.
"They lost all their hope," Balint said.
With two guides from Ohio, the women arrived in Cleveland on Monday in a leased white 1999 Dodge van. They checked into the Radisson Hotel downtown. Their bags were heavy with crafts.
"We arrived to find a market for these products," Parwana Wafa said. "Instead of help, we lost everything."
While they checked out of the hotel Tuesday, a valet left the van running. Their driver packed some of the luggage, left the idling van and returned to the hotel lobby. When he came back the van was gone.
The delegation filed a police report. Among the items missing: $10,000 worth of wares, one passport and three airline tickets to Afghanistan.