Azerbaijani Communities Host National War College Delegation
In April 2007, Zardabi communities in Guba district, northern Azerbaijan hosted a delegation from the National War College, a prestigious leadership training program for American military and civilian leaders.
Humay Mammadova, Entrepreneur of the Gadim Guba Carpet Factory in Zardabi briefed delegates on their activities and arranged a short tour to the factory. She told her guests that she had been working with woven rugs for years, but her appreciation of their long history and her desire to preserve Azeri rug-making traditions only developed when she took over a carpet-making company called Gadim Guba in 2000.
Mammadova underscored the value of a successful collaboration with a USAID-funded program, implemented by IRC, which works to promote entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan. The program hired a local expert in natural dyes who has 15 years of experience in transforming local plants and insects into dyes. He agreed, for the first time, to share his trade secrets and explain exactly how to create natural dyes. He spent five weeks teaching Mammadova and her daughter the techniques for mass production of dyes and began identifying local sources for quality wool from the Gazakh region.
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| Entrepreneur Humay Mammadova wants to help Azerbaijan preserve its cultural and heritage while creating economic opportunities |
At the end of the tour, Mammadova spoke of her next goal—to revive the workshop with new looms and by training more than 20 new weaving specialists. By making rugs with traditional Azeri methods of dying and weaving, she hopes to help preserve Azeri culture while also creating economic opportunities for her community. Mammadova is confident the investment will pay off as the demand for high-quality, natural, and traditionally made rugs is strong. The head of the US delegation presented a commemorative coin to Mammadova as a token of the Americans’ appreciation for sharing her inspiring story.
From the carpet factory, the delegation traveled to a visit with USAID’s Community Development Activity project, implemented by CHF International. The guests were heartily welcomed by the Zardabi Community Development Council (CDC) and community members. CDC representatives talked about the community’s hard work over the past six months to mobilize community members, obtain community and government contributions, and implement projects.
Scott Taylor, USAID Country Coordinator for Azerbaijan, accompanied the delegation and offered congratulations to the Zardabi community for their achievements. Towards the end of the meeting, a representative of the delegation addressed the CDC saying “Your successful work impressed us very much. We can feel the pride you have for your community.” A coin was also given to the Zardabi CDC as a token of the Americans’ gratitude.
After the CDC meeting, the guests were invited to play volleyball with Zardabi’s young athletes in the local sports hall and auxiliary rooms, recently renovated with community, CDA and government funds. With dozens of spectators and CDC members looking on, the teams enjoyed a good volleyball match—the local youth were victorious—before the visitors had to get on the road to continue their study tour of Azerbaijan.
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