Trials and Tribulations of a New Coop Building

This past Saturday we had our first coop meeting in our new building. In the past, the women purchased their own wool, weaved their own carpets and then 10% of the sale went back into the coop account. Now that the ladies have a communal workplace and looms, they decided to buy a collective supply of wool using the coop's money. It was decided that they will each put an equal amount of time into making carpets from the communal wool purchase and that once sold, a third of the money will go back into the coop account, a third into the purchase of new wool and a third to the ladies who worked on the carpet/product.

One (such as myself) would assume that seeing as they have a new building and work is progressing, that the women of the coop would be happy and pleased. One would be wrong to assume.

I was informed at the meeting that now that there is a building, three of the twelve women have decided to leave the coop. Why? Because, it is simply too much work to go back and forth to the coop each day! When I suggested that they continue to work out of their home on their individual carpets, but not take any revenues from communal products, I was told this wouldn't work as then every woman would want to work out of their home and no one would come to the coop. Tell me again, why I went to Midelt countless times in the dead of winter to get them this building, which they asked for?

???

Rabha then went on to let me know that she 'ur eejbee l'hal' (she doesn't like the situation). When I told her not to worry, that there are plenty of other women in Tounfite, who would love to join the coop now that there is an actual workplace, she corrected me and explained that she knows that, but what she doesn't like is the building. When I asked why she doesn't like it, she told me because the Governor has only agreed to pay for it for one year and so now the coop has a 'mushkil taxatar' (huge problem). I told her that worrying about a year from now, won't help anything and that if the coop works hard for the next year, then it will be able to pay its own rent in the future. She didn't like that, shook her head and told me I need to find them money to buy horizontal looms, she seems to think if they have horizontal looms, then the building problem of the future will be solved. Logicnotsomuch.

You should know, that I recently wrote a grant for two spinning wheels for the coop. Upon hearing that spinning wheels exist, Rabha insisted that the coop must have them. The grant was fully funded and Rabha has ordered two spinning wheels for the coop. When I went to the new building, which Rabha made the final decision on and moved into without my help, I realized that there is next to no space for two spinning wheels. When I asked her where she planned to put the spinning wheels, she pointed to the narrow walk way in the middle of the room. I then went on to ask where more looms would go, she told me that if I found them money for a bigger building it wouldn't be a problem. Ha.

It should also be known that when looking for a building for the coop, there was a small (but larger than what we have now) house, which was even less money than what our budget allowed for. The house would have provided a display room for finished products, a room double the size of the building we have now for looms and other equipment, along with a small kitchen and bathroom. Rabha (without asking for any of the women's input) vetoed the house, because it didn't have enough windows. She even told me that if we moved into it, we would spend all our money on lightbulbs because there isn't enough natural light. I laughed at her when she came out with that.

The building we have now is located on the main road through town and next to a stream of mechanic garages. Which means men. So, although the main door to the building is glass and allows for natural light, the steel door remains half closed, so that the men can't see what they are doing...there is also no toilet, no running water and no kitchen. Okay, enough ranting.

While three of the women have chosen to break ties with the coop, the other nine (eight weavers as Rabha doesn't actually weave) remain dedicated to their work. The purpose of our first meeting was to divide the new communal wool purchase evenly among the women. Using the scale which the King gave us, the wool was weighed into eight even piles. The women then gathered their pile, slung it on their backs and set off home, to card, wash and spin the wool. Once they finish those processes, they will return to the coop to begin weaving their first communal products.

In the meantime, I am trying to keep my cool and not get too frustrated by all of Rabha's unrealisitc expectations for me during my last four months here.

Weighing the wool 

Dividing the wool into eight piles

Making sure the piles are even

Setting up the new looms

Taking the wool home to card, wash and spin

Bslama "Bye"