DHAHRAN, 13 August 2004 — In recent years there has been more awareness in the Kingdom that the government on its own cannot satisfy all the requirements of Saudi society. Even with this realization, volunteering as a concept has still achieved only limited success in Saudi Arabia. This is despite the fact that Islam has a long tradition of volunteerism. There are great blessings to be gained for Muslims who give of their time and talents to enrich the lives of those in need.
While almost any Saudi would agree that the concept of volunteerism is an important one, many comment that they really have no idea how they personally can be of assistance.
“Women say to me all the time that they don’t have skills and they don’t know how to do anything that would be of help to a charity organization,” remarked Salma Shakir, a mother, potter and weaver who lives in Dhahran. “I tell them to come and watch the activities of any charity or social organization for a while. If they are there, in no time at all they will see what needs to be done and soon they’ll just naturally be participating.”
Shakir, a long time resident of the Kingdom, has been an active volunteer in Saudi Arabia both through groups and sometimes even on her own. She recalled her experience at the local orphanage teaching girls how to crochet.
“At most institutions the basics are provided, but enriching experiences are always in short supply,” she noted. “I took crochet hooks and yarn and went to the orphanage in Dammam to teach the girls there something that would be amusing to do in their spare time. In the end, out of 19 girls just one became really skilled enough to crochet different items on her own, but that was all right with me. One is better than none and the others at least had the experience and tried something new. They also saw that someone in the community cared about them and we had plenty of laughs while we were tangled up in the yarn!”
According to Shakir, a big part of the reason for the lack of volunteers at local charities is that the Saudi media isn’t very good at pointing out the efforts of those individuals who do donate their time. She added that none of these volunteers is looking for attention, but highlighting the positive contributions of some, encourages others to step forward and join the effort.
Shakir has always found ways to help others no matter where she might be living. At one point in her life she was giving her time to four different volunteer organizations as well as raising a family. Her friends told her that if she had so much energy she should get a job. Shakir was flabbergasted by their response — after all, in her mind she already was doing something better than a job and felt very fulfilled to see the difference she was making directly in so many lives.
Shakir is no longer alone in advocating volunteerism. She has always pushed her three daughters to do their part to improve society within the boundaries of Islam. And these days her entire extended family is working for the public good. Shakir’s brother, Javed Sultan, the owner of an architectural and construction firm based in Boston, USA, has started the South Asia Regional Institute for Development (sarid.net). SARID is a registered non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian tax-exempt corporation in the US. The organization is working to grow local know-how in South Asia. They are focused on skill transfer and improving social welfare through regional cooperation.
“SARID is working at the grassroots level to bring about change for good. This organization believes that the experiences of all the South Asian countries should be considered when trying to solve social problems,” Shakir said.
“If there is a successful social welfare program in India, why not transplant it to Pakistan? After all, in many ways the needs and environment of the impoverished in all South Asian countries are very much alike.”
Through SARID, Shakir is personally involved in the Piecemakers. In January 2003, the Piecemakers was launched in Karachi as a vocational training/quilting project. Through the project impoverished women are encouraged to learn needlework skills as a dependable way to earn income and become self-reliant.
“The objective through this two-year project is to train the women in the art of American quilting, keeping their requirements and resources in mind while building on their knowledge of indigenous appliqué practices (ralli),” Shakir said. “The students at the Shah Vocational Center are part of the SARID School Program’s Vocational Training/Adult Literacy component. Although the focus is on women and specifically on quilting, the students also learn embroidery and dress making — all disciplines requiring accurate measurement, focus and time management.”
The Piecemakers held their first quilting exhibition and sale in July at Park Towers, Karachi, Pakistan. After covering all their costs, each of the needy women involved walked away with at least 2,000 rupees apiece.
“These were women who last year didn’t know anything about sewing and had no idea how to run a business. A year later they have managed to create beautiful home accessories and learned how to earn money instead of begging for it,” Shakir explained. “Our current goal is to get a cooperative quilting organization established so that by next year these women are successful and independent and we can move on to help others in need.”
Shakir pointed out that the Piecemakers have benefited from the contributions of a dedicated group of volunteers. In Saudi Arabia, Al-Zamil Stores has donated a large amount of fabric for the quilts.
The Dhahran Oasis Quilters collected hundreds of quilting magazines that often provide the patterns or at least the inspiration for the individual quilts. Layne Rahber, with the Oasis Quilters, helped Shakir create a video that demonstrates the basics of quilting. Jasmin Mehovic from Bosnia created the website to publicize SARID’s activities. In Karachi, Atiya Suhail came forward to teach the quilting techniques and Tahira Ahmed manages all the material supply and promotes the Piecemakers’ products.
“The Piecemakers are working toward success due to the dedication of many kind, generous people,” Shakir said. “Karachi is 67 percent ‘katchi abadi’ or makeshift settlements. These slums have no sanitation or services and the government doesn’t have the resources to fulfill the needs. So it is up to individuals to step forward and do what they can to make life better for the impoverished.”
“Nowadays charity has become almost a dirty word,” Shakir continued.
“This is painful for those of us trying to make life better for the poor. Let me emphasize that poor people have not disappeared. The needs of the underprivileged have not lessened. In fact their misery is greater than ever. So I say to everyone reading this article, ‘Don’t give charity. Give of yourself.’ No amount of effort for good is too small.”
