Weaving 2
Weaving 2
WEAVING:
From E1
While in Meru, Lilly wit-
nessed the transformation of
a group of people who at first
As soon as about eight peo-
ple arrived, George began. As
the day progressed, the group
riving early, but also staying
into the evening hours.
That first afternoon,
While we walked, children
and adults pointed at us and
spoke loudly in Swahili. Our
from AIDS. They have no in-
come, except for occasional
casual work in the fields,
came late to the training ses- grew to 15 students. Speaking George built three wall looms guide interpreted. “Why are which pays roughly $2.50 per
Kiwanis and Rotary clubs. sions. As the days passed, in English, which was trans- (for making rugs). Through- you with those white people?” day. Mostly, they live off what
From February through they increasingly came early, lated into the local Meru lan- out the five days, he gave lec- they asked. Kids ran after us they have — a few free-range
June, Lilly raised roughly stayed late and sang with guage by members of Inter- tures on various topics: This and were delighted by the chickens, a cow or goat, a few
$2,500 — enough to buy a spin- hope. national Peace Initiatives, he is how you warp the wall candies in my pockets. Wom- fruit trees with papayas —
ning wheel and loom at whole- “I was glad I could make discussed the loom we loom. This is how you wash en and men shook our hands. and they get help with school
sale prices, to ship them, and the people smile,” Lilly said. brought and described how to and dye wool. This is how you “I feel like an object,” Lilly fees from the organization In-
to bring two Kenyan weavers warp (string) it. weave a rug, and this is how said. ternational Peace Initiatives.
and one Kenyan spinner from On ‘Kenyan time’ It was complicated. The you weave a scarf. In between The women were delighted Before we left, my daughter
Nairobi to Meru (four hours Although it was my daugh- women complained. Why he would offer words of en- we had walked so far to their told the people she had helped
away by car) to train 15 im- ter’s project, our family should we learn this? How couragement. homes. They wanted to show that when she started, she
poverished men and women quickly assumed roles. I be- will it help us? Between lessons, everyone us how they lived. didn’t know what to expect
for five days. came the organizer, arrang- stayed busy at the three sta- Cardboard and fading news- from the project. But it made
At first, it seemed impossi- ing Lilly’s fundraising talks A new energy tions, with George and his two papers were tacked to walls to her feel great to see that it
ble to find a Kenyan weaver to and working with everyone in- Some of the women had helpers — Danson Kariro, the block the winds from blowing had worked, she said.
train the people, even for good volved in the project, from the walked two hours because weaver, and Benter Awino, through cracks. In one home, “At the beginning, it was
pay. Karambu approached loom-maker to Karambu; my they couldn’t afford the the spinning instructor — a thick line of ants ran just my project,” Lilly said.
three groups of Kenyan husband, Paul, the engineer, roughly 50 cents for public guiding the way. through the front room, enter- “It was just an idea. I didn’t
weavers, but they declined, spent hours at Schacht Spin- transportation. No one complained any- ing through a huge crack in even think it would get close
saying they didn’t want com- dle in Boulder learning how to When George told them he more. Everyone kept working. the concrete floor. No one had
to what it is.”
petition. assemble the equipment and was once poor, they started What we had imagined in electricity. The villagers
After we returned home, I
Then one day while driving how to use the loom. Our son, listening. And when he told our heads had happened. fetched their water from a
realized that one year earlier,
through Nairobi, about four Eliot, 16, became the Web site them he bought a three- nearby stream.
Seeing their lives we had placed a small piece
hours away from Meru, I spot- designer. month-old car with profits I wondered about the bro-
We had walked two hours to of art depicting a weaver on
ted a tiny sign that said On the day I thought about from weaving, they believed ken furniture and untidy beds
two of the women’s homes the wall that faced our bed. I
“weaver.” It was George Nya- chickens, the people of Meru him. He told them that if they — some without mattresses —
and another hour to the third and wondered how they could had never thought about it be-
jowi, the managing director were late. During their last learned to weave, they would fore.
of Interweave Crafts. weekly meeting at Karambu’s be able to buy food, pay school woman’s home one day dur- sleep. There was no place in
ing the previous week. Al- their homes to go for comfort Maybe we were meant to be
George wanted to share. He home, they were told the first fees and pay for public trans-
though it was winter in when they didn’t feel well. weavers after all.
had grown up poor and some- weaving class started at 8:30 port. He told them to work
one had taught him how to a.m. At noon, no one was hard and not to wait for more Kenya, we sweated in the All three women are HIV- Susan Glairon can be reached at 303-684-
weave so he could support there. funds to come from America. heat. positive. Their husbands died 5224 or sglairon@comcast.net.
himself. He was doing well in Although I knew about George sells his weavings to
his business and wanted to “Kenyan time” (everyone in hotels in Mombasa and Ugan-
give back to others less fortu- Kenya is always late), even da. Often he has more work
nate. George was restless. I kept than he and his weavers can
Though I felt lucky to see thinking how difficult it was handle. He told the men and Entire Stock of Entire Stock of “Spare Parts” All Scrapbook
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