WHAT'S TO DO? Some have asked just what kind of things are yet to get done before the little store can be opened in the women's association building. Here's what I've been trying to get done for months and am going to kick in my old pushy personality to actually have it happen in the next two weeks. Inshallah, of course.

• Get new door handles/locks on the exterior inside doors installed. There are two set of doors...iron decorative ones and regular wooden ones. Since I know a welder, we were successful in getting new iron door handles/locks. I guess I will need to make the acquaintance of a carpenter who will come and take care of it.
• Have the carpenter assemble the large storage cupboard and TV cart that I bought in Marrakech. It's like Home Depot kind of furniture that you assemble yourself, but not many guys here have tools and/or skills and the pieces are too heavy for me to handle. The government furnished the neddy with a TV and DVD player in order for the members to be able to watch education things, but they are kept in the office and have to be carted out by hand (the few times so far when they have had viewings), so used some project money for a cart with wheels.
• Get the panels of material for the backside of the partitions sewn together and hemmed.
• Get the one shelf that doesn't work right replaced, and the four additional ones (already paid for) on the premises from the guy in Kech for made the partitions.
• Get light covers replaced in the office and the Western toilet cleaned for public use.
• Get the signs made (welder makes, another paints and puts on the lettering)
• Clean the entire building
• Inventory all items by creating spreadsheets for every artisan. Price all product.
• GET PRODUCT! This is a difficult thing. For many reasons, we do not have a lot of product to put on the shelves. I think that once the boutique is open and word gets out that women are not only having their things sold, but are actually getting money for them, that we will be swamped with merchandise. Likely, much of it will be quickly/poorly made, but we can deal with that. I just need to be okay with the fact that we could be open and have very little to sell for awhile.

This is all so new to many girls and women of the area. They come to the neddy and learn to embroider and knit and crochet etc. but just so they can make pretty things for their houses or gifts. I've been trying to have them learn/understand they can use some of those same skill sets to make things that tourists will like and buy, and then they will have more money in which to buy things to improve their lives.

One neat thing happened about a month ago when I was gone. A couple of doctors came from another town and did breast exams on perhaps 60 women. They were able to drape the purchased material over the extra (non shelved) partitions in order to create a private space for the exams. So already the "classroom" idea I had for the extra partitions has been put to use. That made me feel good.

Of course right now,it is VERY hot, and August is also a big wedding month, which means lots of family/travel/parties, etc. Patience, Patience!!! I keep telling myself.