Pakistan

  • 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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    Hot Steaming Water Buffalo Milk served by Fauzia

    ByBunyaad

    Fauzia steams milkWhen you come to any of our rug rooms and during all of our rug events across the US and Canada you get a glimpse into the world of rug making and see the artisans at work in the video “Introduction to Oriental Rugs” that is shown throughout the day. As staff I have watched this video hundreds of times. My work in the Bunyaad office also involves working with lots and lots of artisan photos. So when visiting Pakistan this year it felt almost surreal meeting these same artisans for the first time and yet feeling like I have known them for a long time.

    It is with great pleasure that I get to introduce two of these young women to you who have both been rug knotters with Bunyaad for the past eight years. Fauzia and Sofia live with their parents in the small village of Halwan about two hours north of Lahore. After finishing their schooling, they both started knotting rugs as this allowed them a good income and the ability to stay home with their parents.

  • Fair Trade Rugs: Creating a More Just World

    ByBunyaad

    Artisan Rafia with daughter at loom

    I sit beside Rafia Nasir on the loom where she works on a 6×9 Persian rug with her two sisters.

    Rafia is a new mom, just like I am. She holds her nearly 8 month old little girl, letting her grab at the taut warp threads as she takes a break from her work. Rafia chuckles as I have to run and change my son’s diaper, tossing him down on her charpai, a rope bed, in the middle of her home and asking if she minds if I change him there. It’s my son’s first trip to the villages of Pakistan and at age 2, he’s taking it all in, including the chicken running into the house from the outside courtyard.