VZCZCXRO2458
PP RUEHDH
DE RUEHRH #0139/01 0311219
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 311219Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2410
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHDH/AMCONSUL DHAHRAN PRIORITY 0463
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH PRIORITY 0573

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 
 
RIYADH 00000139  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
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 
 
RIYADH 00000139  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
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. 
 
 
 
RIYADH 00000139  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
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