Members of the U.S. military who have served in places like Iraq and Afghanistan bring back deep experiences — many of which are traumatic.

But Joseph Stenger, who is a fighter pilot currently stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, returned home with the desire to provide increased economic opportunities for Afghan widows. He and three co-founders developed Flying Scarfs as a form of microeconomic development. The scarves are handmade in Afghanistan and sold all over the world through the organization.

We spoke with Stenger about the group’s goals.