President's Letter

Dear Friends of Rubia,

The past six months have been especially rewarding for me in my role as your President. Our achievement of non-profit status just one year ago, has offered exciting new opportunities that promise both to broaden our engagement globally and to deepen our involvement with Afghan women and their communities. As the tool kit of the embroiderers we support continues to expand beyond skills for generating income to include health, literacy, and civics, Rubia’s organizational tool kit has expanded to include cybertools:  a grant from Google for on-line advertising, participation in the World Pulse Blog for women’s empowerment, and Internet orders through our new social mission-driven partner, SERRV.  Partnerships with networks of committed women, from our African refugee sisters testing curricula for women with minimal literacy in the “Sewing Confidence” project in Manchester, to “Dining for Women” circles of caring and compassionate supporters in Santa Cruz, California enrich Rubia’s capacity. As we enter the second half of 2010, we are poised for these initiatives to flower and our organization to grow more robust.

I am thrilled to announce that we plan to open our new Women’s Center by the end of 2010 in Jalalabad, with dreamfly as our partner. We feel lucky to have the opportunity to work with such an outstanding organization led by Umaimah Mendhro and Mona Akmal.  They have impressed our Board with their success in fulfilling their dream to open an innovative school in Pakistan; their flexible thinking; and their business and financial savvy – a skill set we need as we plan Rubia’s strategic and financial future.  Not only will they bring their fundraising skills to the partnership, but they offer the windfall advantage of their employer’s generosity:  Microsoft will match every dollar that is contributed to the Afghanistan project. But what ultimately convinced our Board to  “take the plunge” into the partnership with dreamfly was their shared commitment to  innovative, holistic education; women’s empowerment through income generation, health, and education; and the value of art, both as a means of preserving Afghan tradition and a mechanism for children’s creative expression.

We are lucky to have on the ground assistance of our long-term mentor in Afghanistan, WADAN, an Afghan NGO that works to fight drug addiction, further social justice and promote civic education. WADAN’s wide and generous umbrella provides Rubia collaboration, a valuable connection with the community, a building, administrative support and friendship. 

During the last six months, we have deepened connection and sisterly bonds to another more recent partner, the “Sewing Confidence” project, and also our bonds with the courageous African women in the program.  The journeys of these women from their ethnic battleground in Burundi through multiple refugee camps in East Africa to New Hampshire may unleash stories of their own ancestry.  The pride and joy in their faces as they hold up their colorful creations is testament to the empowerment that is taking place “at home” among women in New Hampshire.

Be sure not to miss the article in this newsletter featuring the art and culture honored in our embroidery. Art transcends barriers of language, culture and religion: beauty connects people, one human being to the other. The beauty and authenticity of Rubia’s preservation of Afghanistan’s centuries old needlework tradition makes it unique. I would like to thank our tireless Executive Director Rachel Lehr, Jeanne Freeze, Molly Crowley and especially Beth Gottschling for and sharing the rare knowledge of Afghan heritage craft with us, as well as their talent as artists in their own right.

I look forward to the next six months with high expectations as we undertake the implementation of Whole Cloth, Dining for Women and our Women’s and Children’s Education project in Jalalabad. Let us relish the hard work and intense collaboration among old and new partners as we stretch Rubia’s vision across New Hampshire, the United States and Afghanistan.

With warmest regards,

Catherine A. Rielly

Rubia has been selected as the featured November program of Dining for Women – a collective giving program of educational dinner circles conducted on a national scale which benefit a different grantee organization each month. Dining for Women works to maintain the intimacy of small groups while focusing on education and engaged giving.

Rubia completed Dining for Women’s grant application hoping to receive support funding for a new program called ‘Threads of Change’ and was recently notified of its selection as a grant recipient to be highlighted in the dinner circles taking place in November throughout the United States.

The money raised through the Dining for Women circles during that month will fund development of a curriculum as the foundation for ‘Threads of Change’ in Afghanistan. Some of the concepts in the planned curriculum will incorporate Rubia’s experience gained in the Sewing Confidence program for immigrant women currently underway in Manchester, New Hampshire.  In addition to the sewing and literacy components of that program, Threads of Change will also include civics and health education modules covering basic child care, nutrition and health care practices such as hand-washing. Like the Manchester program, Threads of Change will center on teaching women to use their embroidery skills for economic development. Earning income remains a powerful hook – and motivation – for attracting participants to educational programs.  By compounding earning power with essential knowledge and educational we will provide women with multiple tools for their own empowerment. Dining for Women circles will underwrite what will be a very challenging integrated curriculum to create.  

The mission of Dining for Women as described on its website is to ‘empower women living in extreme poverty by funding programs fostering good health, education, and economic self-sufficiency and cultivate educational dinner circles inspiring individuals to make a difference through the power of collective giving.’ Read more about this inspiring and engaging organization and learn how you can participate at www.diningforwomen.org.

Rubia’s non-profit status has opened a new and exciting technology door. Earlier this year, Rubia was awarded a Google Grant which will soon help promote the Rubia website via advertising on Google.

More than four-thousand non-profit organizations have received Google Grants --the centerpiece of which is in-kind online advertising account. The advertising can be used in a variety of ways, including general outreach, fundraising activities, and recruitment of volunteers. According to Google Grants, their participants have found much success with the program. One organization experienced a 43 percent increase in sales over the previous year on its e-commerce site, and another non-profit reported a 60 to 70 percent increase in volunteers.

In addition to the in-kind advertising which has a potential value of up to $10,000 worth of free advertising per month, the grant provides access to local technology advisors whereby easing the technology burden on Rubia’s staff and volunteers. The grant also facilitates e-commerce with free payment through Google processing. The Google Grants program has no set end date and no requirement to reapply.

In other technology developments, Rubia is now participating in the World Pulse Blog. www.worldpulse.com/user/3011 World Pulse is a global interactive media website looking at issues through the eyes of women, connecting people and organizations sharing an interest in similar issues. In addition to the blog, the website is also a source of news and information in all areas related to women’s empowerment. By using all of these rapidly growing global technology tools, Rubia is increasing its visibility, creating stronger connections and networks whereby helping promote its mission to a wider audience.

Margarita, Margaret, Mary and Benefice, Bahati, Leocardie, Sylvia and Jenerose proudly display their reversible tote bags. The tote bags were sold at Real Green Goods in Concord and the Toadstool Bookstore in Peterborough. Courtesy of Laura Randall Cooper.

“When you teach us, you carry us in a bag…. from one place to another.” Burundian Proverb

Thanks to grants from Bridgebuilders Foundation and the Women’s Fund of New Hampshire, Sewing Confidence completed a second series of classes in the fall and is now providing classes at our new location, Brookside Congregational church in Manchester, two afternoons per week. In addition, a generous donation from St Mary’s Bank enabled us to purchase nine new sewing machines and other equipment for the program.

In the fall, Rubia’s Jeanne Freeze guided Sewing Confidence students through stitching reusable gift bags, clothespin bags and reversible totes which the women sold through Real Green Goods in Concord. Proprietor, Debbie de Moulpied says, “I love everything about this program.” Debbie visited the class in November to talk about her store and the products she sells. “My customers like to know about the people who make these items. They like to feel that they are supporting something worthwhile. Your program is especially appealing because it is local.” When students received the first payment for their work, their faces glowed with satisfaction and pride.

The women in the level 3 class are now working to fulfill an order for 40 book bags placed by the Toadstool bookstore in Peterborough. Sewing instructor, Bunny Ballantine, created a pattern which includes a sturdy lining and box corners. The women were happy to be able to choose from a colorful selection of African printed cotton fabrics for the exterior of the bags. The Toadstool logo will adorn the sides and tucked inside will be a new Sewing Confidence label. Upcoming projects for this class include an order for 100 small gift bags for a wedding and some new designs for an Earth Day sale at Real Green Goods in Concord on April 17. A series of beginner classes open to all women in the refugee community will be offered in March.

While students in Sewing Confidence sew, they are also learning important lessons in enterprise development and how the economic system in the United States works. And, the women in the program have opportunities to use their English vocabulary while conversing about sewing techniques, product design and marketing. Students will be designing personalized tags which may include their photos on one side with brief biographies on the back. Our African language interpreter, Fortunee Bizimana provides not only an important linguistic, but conceptual bridge for our current Burundian students.

Sewing Confidence continues to serve as a laboratory for our work in Afghanistan. In Sewing Confidence we try out different product designs, and develop teaching strategies for working across multiple languages and with women with minimal literacy skills. Women developing their traditional crafts and skills into successful businesses face many of the same challenges. Rubia’s programs are designed with community input to insure all women’s efforts are fruitful.

The future of Sewing Confidence depends on a continuous funding stream. So far, we have been very fortunate to have received gifts, grants and space at a token fee as we strive to establish our prototype in Manchester. Possibilities for expansion may include new classes and product designs as well as new locations. Resettlement agencies in Laconia, NH and Lowell, Massachusetts have expressed interest in the program as have groups representing refugee populations.

A special thanks to new volunteer Laura Cooper for her time and effort in the fall class.

Development of new wholesale channels for Rubia products has created exciting opportunities for professional growth of Rubia’s staff in Kabul.In 2009, SERRV, the fair trade nonprofit organization which sells the crafts and foods of low-income artisans around the world, chose Rubia as their first Afghanistan partner. Rubia in Afghanistan, also known as RODA, has since shipped its first order of embroidered bags directly to SERRV and a second order of 500 additional bags is in the production process. Under this partnership, RODA sells products directly to SERRV at wholesale prices. Large wholesale orders such as these provide impetus for standardization of quality in the products, requires that deadlines be met thus helping establish international business standards, and also provides new teaching and design opportunities.

With Rubia staff in the US supporting the project through mentoring and communications assistance, large international sales orders like the ones from SERRV have opened a door to focus on professional development of the Rubia staff in Afghanistan. In order to successfully meet the increased demand, Rubia master embroiderer, Bibi Jahan, is now managing the embroidery production. Jahan was recently named production director and is responsible for overseeing the distribution, collection and quality of women working at home. Jahan supervises the representatives for the women’s sewing circles, instructing the women in color, pattern, design, and quality. She also distributes payment to the women when their work is submitted. Jahan, whose name means ‘world’ has been practicing her craft for over thirty years; she first learned to embroider from her own mother in pre-conflict Afghanistan. Jahan has been part of the Rubia team since 2000 when she too was a refugee with her family in Lahore, Pakistan. Her beautiful signature has been seen on the back of many Rubia embroideries for years. Jahan, in fine Afghan tradition, has passed on her skills to her own daughters who also are some of Rubia’s finest artisans. Jahan’s work is often centralized in Kabul, but she continually coordinates production with women working from their homes in the villages. Delivery of those products in a timely fashion and on deadline to fill the SERRV order is one of the major challenges she faces, not to mention insuring that quality supplies and design transfers get into the hands of the embroiderers themselves so the production process will remain on track.

Eventually, Rubia in Afghanistan will locate the core of its production management at the Women’s Education Center, planned to open in 2010 as part of the dreamfly education project. The women’s center will house not only programs for teaching and mentoring in craftwork and business skills, but also for programs in literacy, economic and civic development and health education. Through education in design, financial management, inventory and standards control, women trained at the center will develop their own thriving, locally-run community business. Please visit HERE to learn more about SERRV and to purchase a Kabul bag directly. Remember also to visit Rubia’s own on-line store to see additional products for sale. To learn more about the dreamfly school project go to www.thedreamfly.org/DreamflyAfghanistan.html.

Rubia is working to expand its visibility in the marketplace. During the recent holiday sales season, Rubia products were available in several New England locations including the annual alternative gift fairs at Wesley United Methodist Church in Concord, NH and at the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. Not only do these sales bring in much needed revenue, but perhaps more importantly, increase Rubia’s visibility among more and more people, providing an opportunity to educate shoppers about the women of Afghanistan.

Sales of the annual Rubia calendar, this year with a focus on children and education, were quite successful. Each year the calendar serves as a daily reminder of the mission to support education and to promote health and well being for Afghan women and their families.

In addition to the seasonal sales, Rubia products are always available on-line through the Rubia website, and additionally through SERRV. As more women are trained through the Rubia programs in Afghanistan, and as more products become consistently available, Rubia can expand the number of products offered as well as the venues where they are presented.

The next time you have the opportunity to closely examine a Rubia embroidery, notice the texture and quality of the dense fill stitching in such designs as the Fish, Peacock or Swirling Sun. Don’t take for granted that this is common embroidery work. In fact, Rubia’s customers will find that these stitches, known in Afghanistanas ‘pukhta duzi’, on an embroidered pillow or bag look quited different from amore common chain stitch often found ontextile handcrafts typically available from this part of the world. In bringing Afghan women’s products to international markets, the key to realizing economic success is insuring that the quality of these products is differentiated from other so-called handmade decorative textiles in the global marketplace. This means offering products incorporating an art form unique to Afghanistan which would be nearly impossible to find elsewhere.

Rubia’s mission is ‘to develop economic opportunities through craft heritage, to support education and to promote health and well being for Afghan women and their families.’ Hence Rubia’s motto: Mending Afghanistan Stitch By Stitch. By helping local village women revive and utilize their centuries-old artistic needlework traditions and reproduce them in original form, Rubia is supporting them in creating new futures for themselves, their families, their villages, and ultimately, their country.

Fulfilling Rubia’s commitment to heritage craft preservation requires a focus on women working in their homes to build on the traditions already familiar to them. When embroidery expertise is passed down from mother to daughter, this art form fills the employment gap for many rural women and brings hope of a better future for new generations. Embroidery production is an ideal transitional economic opportunity because these projects also offer occasions for training in basic literacy. For women with no prior schooling, taking instruction and following directions is a new skill to acquire.

Typically, Afghan embroiderers work on producing regionally traditional patterns and motifs, which are then traded and sold by their male relatives in local bazaars. While some of this work is exemplary, the underlying production materials, for example the slippery acetate fabric backing on a decorative pillow and the cheap synthetic yarns readily available in the Afghan marketplace, are usually not worthy of the ornate, decorative handwork adorning the fabric. Through Rubia’s efforts in preserving the heritage crafts, Afghan women participating in Rubia’s programs learn and understand the added value of creating a product true to its most original form by using locally sourced natural fabrics, traditional patterns and stitches, and natural dyed yarns.

Stitch therapy at the Sanga Amaj Women’s Drug Treatment Center in Kabul, one of Rubia’s programs which help support comprehensive treatment toward recovery from drug addiction, has taken some new forms. Women at the center, having completed their first community tapestry under the guidance of master embroiderer Hafiza Malikbaba, are now working on three more story quilts delicately embroidered with images, messages and text promoting healthy living. On a recent trip to Afghanistan, Rubia’s Executive Director, Rachel Lehr, visited the women at the clinic and arranged for the quilts to be brought back and displayed in the United States.

The Sanga Amaj Center is the only women’s residential treatment center for substance abuse in Afghanistan. It was established in Kabul in 2007 and has treated more than 400 women as residents and continues to follow a majority of them as outpatients. Creation of the quilts represents an expansion of the education and skills training of the women residents and provides an opportunity for further development of Rubia’s Afghan staff.