By Janelle Lampp

Economic development programs, whether supported by government agencies or private corporations and organizations have been in existence throughout history.   The rug industry is no exception and has long participated, sometimes leading the way, in efforts to help families in rug weaving countries around the world.

The Oriental Rug Importers Association, (ORIA), has long been committed to assisting a variety of economic and social development programs abroad."We applaud all organizations' efforts to assist and make a positive effort in economic development,"?Ñ noted  Lucille Lauffer, executive director of ORIA.

The ORIA Charitable Fund has been incorporated as a non-profit organization which allows it to solicit funds and channel them to various humanitarian projects.

Through the Charitable Fund, the ORIA and its members have been financially committed to improving the lives of children in rug weaving counties for over a decade.

ORIA has been successful in soliciting donations from its members for several specific relief efforts in recent years,the organization has recognized the need we for a more unified approach for helping rug weaving areas on an on-going basis.

The ORIA Charitable Fund helps support various humanitarian projects, including schools and clinics in India, Pakistan and Nepal. The Fund's tax-exempt status provides additional incentives for retailers and wholesalers to support those efforts.

Most recently, the organization's focus has been on on-going non-governmental programs aimed at improving the health, welfare and economic status of needy children and their families in major carpet weaving districts around the world.

Care & Fair and The Nepal Cleft and Burn Center are two programs that receive assistance through the ORIA Charitable Fund.

Care & Fair

Care & Fair is a 10 year-old German organization with over 450 contributing members. Headquartered in Germany, it operates in India, Pakistan and Nepal. In the rural areas of India's carpet belt, Care & Fair has 16 schools, seven healthcare centers and a hospital for families of local rug weavers.

The objectives are to create better living conditions, to offer training, education and health care to rug weavers and their children and to establish communication, co-operation and partnership with manufacturers.

Care & Fair receives funding from rug importers worldwide. The organization collects 1% of the value of carpets imported from India, Nepal and Pakistan. Roughly 85% of the proceeds flow as development aid into the countries of origin.

These funds are used for school and training projects as well as for measures of basic medical care in the rural knotting regions often neglected by local governments. To date, over 450 member companies worldwide have committed themselves to these goals. The Oriental Rug Importers Association and the ORIA Charitable Fund are members oft he worldwide Care & Fair organization.

Nepal Cleft & Burn Center

Another ORIA approved organization is the Nepal Cleft and Burn Center, a non- profit which was originally organized by a group of US- based Tibetan Rug importers. The center is part of a community health services complex that focuses on reproductive health, dental services and health education. Among the center's services are reconstructive surgery for cleft lip/palate and surgical procedures for burns and birth defects. The center receives contributions from, among others, the North American Tibetan Rug Manufacturers Association.

Due to genetic predisposition and other factors, Nepal has a high incidence of cleft lip and palate. In addition, third world countries like Nepal have an unusually high incidence of burns. In the past, humanitarian organizations have sent temporary surgical teams into Nepal to perform corrective procedures. In order to address these needs in a more permanent way, the Nepal Cleft and Burn Center is building a  new medical facility. It will provide medical services, train Nepali physicians and health care workers, and serve as a center to introduce future medical technology and treatment by utilizing  local community resources.

 Private Business Efforts Support Rug Weavers

In addition to aid provided by large multi-national organizations, several companies in the private sector have also taken  an activist role  to help  weavers.

SilkRoute International, a retail and wholesale establishment located in San Leandro, CA is owned by the husband and wife team of Abdul and Ferozan Ibrahimi. Their goal is  to raise the standard of living,  educate the children and help develop the infrastructure of the people of Afghanistan.

The Ibrahimis contract with independent weavers to produce rugs that are sold by SilkRoute at wholesale and retail. "Today we have 450 families under contract,"?Ñ reported Ferozan Ibrahimi."It is important that the women are able to work at home and to raise their children at the same time"?Ñ she added.

In an effort to employ even more weavers, the Ibrahimis have created a new program called"One Rug At A Time."?Ñ It is a self-financing program in which custom orders are taken for one rug at a time, submitted to the weavers and delivered to a specific customer when finished"We wanted to provide more aid to the people and to employ more weavers, and needed more volume to be able to afford that"?Ñ said Ferozan Ibrahimi.

The Ibrahimis' efforts continue to support the Afghani weavers even when the weavers moved back to Afghanistan from Pakistan two years ago. 

AMS Imports  has been a major supporter of  Aid to Artisans for the past 10 years. ATA, headquartered in West Hartford, CT,  is an international non-profit organization dedicated to creating economic development for craft industries around the world. By linking artisans to new markets and buyers to indigenous products, ATA provides economic opportunities while preserving global handmade crafts.

 Most recently, AMS has worked with Aid to Artisans in Colombia through the introduction of rugs produced from cana fleche, a natural fiber found only in Colombia.

 AMS has further expanded its humanitarian efforts into Peru by working with local artists such as Maximo Laura, who in turn feeds, houses and employs other local families. A weaving center has been built in the mountains and when money was needed to purchase a truck, AMS and Save the Children were able to help raise funds through the sale of the products they produced.

AMS also continues to assist the Bani Hamida Women's Weaving Project  of Jordan, which involves Bedouin women who weave tent fabric which is made into rugs. As Part of the Jordan River Foundation, the Women's Weaving Project has revived weaving, helped build a center for children and to feed clothe and educate them, according to Anne Schewe, president of AMS.

The US Government is active in supporting the Afghan rug weaving industry. For a report on the Department of Commerce program in Afghanistan, click here.

11.30.08