Learning Tour

  • Church and Wedding in Lahore

    ByBunyaad

    Saeed Park, Lahore, PakistanOn Sunday morning we walked across the street to attend church at St. John’s Baptist Church. Chaman Masih, the founder of Bunyaad, is the founding and lead pastor. We met the associate Pastor, George Gil, as well. During the service Doug Horst and I (Doug Dirks) were introduced as guests from the USA and asked to say a few words. After church we got together with a few people at the Chaman home to visit. We ended talking about our religious origins and beliefs – interesting stuff.

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    Visiting Rug-knotting Artisans in Chistian

    ByBunyaad

    Chistian in Pakistan

    On Saturday, November 14, we took a 6 hour drive south down to Chistian, a community that Bunyaad has been working in for 6 years. The Chistian area has a long history of Persian rug making. Bunyaad needed more rug making capacity and learned that talented rug makers in Chistian often did not have enough work and were sometimes exploited by unscrupulous rug buyers. Mr. Shah was recruited to be the local Bunyaad Rug Supervisor and today families operating 75 looms are supplying top quality Persian rugs to Bunyaad.

  • The Dougs are off to the Bunyaad office

    ByBunyaad

    After enjoying a delicious breakfast of fried eggs, paratha and tea at the Chaman home we drove to the Bunyaad office and warehouse on Nicholson Road to meet the staff and learn more about rug making.

    Bunyaad office staff

    A royal reception was waiting for us when we entered the front door. We had greetings all around with the more than 20 staff people on hand. Doug Horst and I (Doug Dirks) were presented with a basket of gifts that included new Bunyaad mugs and new Bunyaad business cards for both of us.

  • The Dougs Arrive in Lahore, Pakistan

    ByBunyaad

    Doug Horst and Yousaf Chaman

    We (Doug Horst & Doug Dirks) left Lancaster, PA at 4 pm on November 10 and drove to JFK airport in New York with Marion Schrock serving as our airport driver. We checked into our Emirates flight at 9:30 pm and were in the air by 11 pm.

    After 11 hours in the air we landed in Dubai to change flights and take off again for Lahore, Pakistan. Our flights were smooth and uneventful and we easily cleared customs and picked up our bags in Lahore. We were very happy to see the smiling faces of Yousaf and Ehsan as we exited the airport baggage area. It was 3 am on Thursday, November 12, by the time we reached the Chaman family home in Saeed Park.

    We enjoyed a breakfast of fried eggs,
    coffee, saag and chicken.

    By 4 am we gladly fell into bed after more than 24 hours of total travel time. Doug and Doug work up late, just in time to have “breakfast” at 2 in the afternoon. After enjoying a breakfast of fried eggs, coffee, saag (spinach) and chicken we (Yousaf, Doug and Doug) drove to the Bunyaad/JAKCISS office and warehouse to pick up Ehsan.

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    Bunyaad Learning Trip – Before Departure

    ByBunyaad

    Female Bunyaad Rug Knotter

    On November 10, Doug Horst and I (Doug Dirks), from the Bunyaad office at Ten Thousand Villages in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, will fly to Pakistan to visit rug makers and learn about rug making. We will join Yousaf Chaman who traveled to Pakistan a week earlier.

    We are very much looking forward to this two week trip because we will meet rug makers and their families in their homes, right where Bunyaad rugs are created. This will help us to better understand how rugs are made, who makes them and under what circumstances they are made. We’ll get to visit and stay in rug making villages so we can soak up local culture and enjoy wonderful village hospitality. The food will be delicious and the conversations will be delightful.