WOMEN'S MOVEMENT IN QASSIM STRENGTHENED BY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 RIYADH 000139

SIPDIS

NEA/ARP, S/GWI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/24/2020
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SA SOCI KMPI KWMN
SUBJECT: WOMEN'S MOVEMENT IN QASSIM STRENGTHENED BY
PRINCESS NOURA

REF: A. 09 RIYADH 899

B. 09 RIYADH 875

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Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) Although often considered the heart of the
conservative Nejd region, the province of Qassim is home to a
cohesive, locally-driven women's movement focused on
pragmatic steps to improve the status and daily life of women
in Qassim. Under the patronage and guidance of Princess
Noura bint Mohammed, various civil societies run by the women
of Qassim have continued to increase their outreach,
training, and funding, while concurrently strengthening their
institutional capacity and their impact. At the invitation
of Princess Noura, Dr. Janet-Breslin Smith and Emboffs met
with her and other leaders of various women's civil societies
in Qassim in order to identify possible areas in which Post
can increase cooperation. These include establishing an
American Corner in Qassim; providing workshops on youth
leadership development and how to recruit, empower, and lead
volunteers; and assisting in the preservation of traditional
arts and handicrafts. End Summary.


ONAIZA: BORROWING FROM THE WOMEN IN BURAYDAH
-------------- --------------


2. (SBU) Under the patronage and guidance of Princess Noura
bint Mohammed, wife of the Governor of Qassim and
grand-daughter of King Abdulaziz, the King Abdulaziz
Philanthropic Association (KAPA) for Women in Buraydah has
been transformed from a weak, directionless, state-organized
civil society, into a dynamic, broad-based women's
organization that successfully provides social and economic
support, as well as business opportunities, to the women of
Qassim. (NOTE: Post has been discreetly cooperating with
Princess Noura for over 4 years, and previously visited
Qassim in March 2008 and June 2009. We reported in-depth on
the KAPA and the Qassim Ladies' Committee in ref A. END
NOTE.) Inspired by KAPA's success, and eager for more local
support, the women of Onaiza -- again, under the leadership
and guidance of Princess Noura -- established their own local
women's branch approximately two and a half years ago, at the
Princess Noura Social Center. (NOTE: The two largest cities
in Qassim are Buraydah and Onaiza; Buraydah is the larger of
the two. END NOTE.)


3. (SBU) Onaiza's Princess Noura Social Center is still in
its infancy, but its leaders are borrowing best practices
from both KAPA and the Qassim Ladies' Committee in order to
create a co-ed organization that provides comprehensive
social and economic support, focused in large part on women
coping with poverty, isolation, and social restrictions. The
women's branch is focused on strengthening the technological,
language, and management skills of the women of Qassim
through training and development programs. A successful
Heritage Revival section, which trained 120 women in 2009, is
being improved and expanded in order to offer increased
economic opportunities to Onaiza women. In addition to these
offerings, the Center houses the only library for women in
Qassim, and there are plans for its expansion. Although the
Center is currently housed in a small, dilapidated building,
an enormous new state-of-the-art building, equipped with the
latest technology and rivaling KAPA's new training center, is
currently under construction and is expected to be completed
in 2010/11.


BUT RUFFLED FEATHERS EXIST...
--------------


4. (C) Another organization, the Onaiza Women's Charity
(OWC),was also established about two and a half years ago as
a spin-off of the Qassim Ladies' Committee. However, unlike
the Princess Noura Social Center, which has worked closely
with KAPA, the Qassim Ladies' Committee and Princess Noura,
the OWC has largely charted its own course. Once active with
the Ladies' Committee, OWC founder Dr. Fatima al-Turki felt
the need to establish her own charity organization in Onaiza.
(COMMENT: We have been told by other activists that Dr.
Fatima has difficulty taking direction from Princess Noura or
working with other female activists in Qassim, and therefore
women in Onaiza prefer to work with the Princess Noura
Center. END COMMENT.) While OWC has similar goals to KAPA

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and other organizations in the region, it has failed to
attract a large number of supporters and funding and, in
Post's view, has failed to achieve the same level of impact.
(COMMENT: Although there are many strong and motivated women
working to improve the lives of women in Qassim, the direct
support of Princess Noura -- and the funding that comes with
it -- is critical to the growth and success of any women's
civil society in the Qassim area. END COMMENT.)


HERFAH: A SUCCESS STORY
--------------


5. (SBU) A visit to Herfah, the first production-based
women's cooperative in Saudi Arabia, further highlighted the
recent advancements the women of Qassim have made.
Originally a sub-committee of the Qassim Ladies' Committee
(ref A) focused on supporting the production of traditional
Qassim handicrafts through training and marketing, Herfah was
registered as a cooperative in late 2009. It now provides
sustainable, regular, and sufficient income for its members
-- Qassim women from low-income families. Housed in a
beautiful, new building, Herfah has 160 members including 20
employees and 100 women who work on traditional handicrafts.


6. (SBU) While the focus of the cooperative is traditional
handicrafts, Herfah has already started to expand into the
production of traditional foods and a hospitality/catering
service. Princess Noura's personal assistant of 11 years
began training Saudi women in hospitality because she saw an
under-utilized economic opportunity for Saudi women to work
the frequent all-female gatherings, often with food being the
central source of entertainment. Her informal training
program was so popular and successful that it was recently
brought under Herfah's umbrella, with Saudi women now
responsible for managing the program and conducting all
training.


7. (SBU) Herfah is also looking to the future to ensure its
long-term viability. Due to the societal restrictions placed
on Saudi women, most of the cooperative members currently
work out of their homes. Herfah is looking to change this by
offering comprehensive services to its women which will
include a kindergarten and nursery school inside the
cooperative, a training center, and transportation to and
from the cooperative. In order to remain competitive and
ensure a stable income, Herfah is in the process of
developing a new website and is actively seeking new markets
for its products.


A TIGHT NETWORK OF LEADERS
--------------


8. (SBU) Princess Noura has continued her efforts, detailed
in ref A, to identify key community leaders and managers for
her various programs. She has patiently nurtured their
leadership and management skills, while motivating Qassim
women of all socio-economic backgrounds to actively
participate in and benefit from the blossoming women's
movement. The Qassim provincial elite continue to form the
Princess's volunteer base, but women of lower economic and
social standing in the region are slowly emerging as
"leaders" as well -- a sign that the Qassim women's movement
is not just for the Qassim elite.


A WOMAN OF THE PEOPLE
--------------


9. (SBU) Princess Noura is passionate about her work. On
more than one occasion, Emboffs witnessed Princess Noura
shedding tears, such as when she heard the personal stories
of women whose lives had been changed by KAPA's micro-loan
program, or when the high school daughter of Nawal Ajaji, the
Secretary General of the Qassim Ladies' Committee, talked
passionately about her optimism for the women of Saudi Arabia
and how she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her own
mother. Princess Noura stressed multiple times that she is
only one part of the Qassim women's movement -- that KAPA,
the Ladies' Committee, and the other civil societies and
programs would not be a success if it was not for the
collective efforts of all the Qassim women and their
willingness to challenge the legal, social, economic and
political barriers that prevent them from fully participating
as equal members of Saudi society.



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SEEKING SAUDI FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
--------------


10. (SBU) The women of Qassim recognize the need for
additional support and funding. As such, they are currently
drafting proposals for large Saudi companies to co-sponsor
various programs and projects. The proposals are well laid
out and include cost-sharing measures and expected
deliverables. (COMMENT: The timing of this could not be
better as many large Saudi companies are currently looking
for opportunities to invest in local programs and
organizations. Because the women of Qassim are so well
organized, Saudi companies have enthusiastically embraced
these new partnership opportunities. END COMMENT.)


PLENTIFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR FURTHER COOPERATION
-------------- --


11. (C) Post has discreetly worked with KAPA and the Qassim
Ladies' Committee for over four years, overseeing a large
MEPI-funded Breast Cancer Awareness project, managing a local
MEPI grant aimed at keeping young women in school,
identifying and sending four KAPA activists on regional IVs,
and sponsoring various workshops with professionals,
including English language specialists (ref A). During the
3-day visit to Qassim, Post identified a number of
opportunities to strengthen existing cooperation as well as
areas where new joint programs may be possible. Post will
meet with representatives from Qassim in the coming weeks to
prioritize future programs before drafting proposals. Some
areas and opportunities we identified for new or increased
cooperation are:

- Establishing an American Corner in Qassim
- Providing workshops on youth leadership development and how
to recruit, empower and lead volunteers
- Assisting in preservation of traditional arts and
handicrafts


COMMENT
--------------


12. (C) Princess Noura, through her hard work, ability to
identify and motivate key leaders in the community, and
generous financial support remains the glue that holds the
Qassim women's movement together. However, with the sound
leadership of the various women's civil societies firmly in
place, a growing number of women from various socio-economic
backgrounds becoming more and more active in the civil
societies, and new sources of financial support being
identified, the future success of the women's movement in
Qassim no longer appears to be solely dependent on Princess
Noura.


13. (C) Although hesitant to be seen in the spotlight,
Princess Noura agreed that other Saudi women might benefit
from a visit to Qassim in order to see a successful
grassroots women's movement in action. In a country where
activists tend to work alone or on a single issue, forging a
larger, national movement is unheard of (ref B). Princess
Noura's willingness to allow other Saudi women inside the
dynamic, grassroots Qassim women's movement may be the first
step in linking various activists and women's movements
together, in order to form a more cohesive and pragmatic
"Saudi women's movement" with many more faces. However, Post
will continue to tread carefully and cooperate discreetly,
respecting the "local" character of Qassim's women's
movement. Too much publicity may negatively impact the
Qassim women's movement, especially the women in key
leadership positions at the various civil societies.


SMITH