(MENAFN- Arab Times) 
Current AWL President Pamela Khraibut takes a keen interest in the history of the League and plans to build on its legacy.
Established nearly sixty years
ago, the American Women's League of Kuwait is the oldest expat women's group in
Kuwait. When current AWL President Pamela Khraibut began doing research in
order to compile a list of past board members, she discovered the League has a
fascinating history that reflects the social development of Kuwait.'Following
the trail of the board members is becoming an interesting journey that reveals
how AWL became what it is today,' Pamela remarks.
Pamela called on the Arab Times
and asked to have access to the archives in order to help her track AWL's past.
Arab Times also caught up with some longstanding AWL members and former members
to shed more light on the group's origins and wide-ranging activities. AWL's
longest serving member, Maxine Al Rifai, spoke of the early days of the group,
when the ladies used to meet in private homes. 'I came to Kuwait in 1956 and as
I remember, it was a few years later that we began getting together,' she
recalls. 'Initially there were just a few of us but the numbers soon grew.
Years later, when we had more members, the meetings were held in hotel
restaurants or meeting rooms.'
Then as now, AWL's purpose is for
members to meet in fellowship, share ideas and interests, participate in social
and cultural activities, and learn about local customs and culture. In 2016,
AWL became an official American non-profit 5013C organisation with permission
to operate in Kuwait. Membership was originally open only to Americans and
wives of Americans residing in Kuwait but rules were later amended to allow a
certain quota of non-Americans to join as associate members.
Many long-time American residents
of Kuwait who are married to Kuwaitis describe the organisation as being a
lifeline during their early years of residence in the country and an important
part of their lives for many years later. 'We needed a link to home and that's
what AWL gave us,' said Jerry Ismaiel, who came to Kuwait in 1972 and joined
AWL soon after.
Debbie Bourahmah, another
American who has lived in Kuwait for decades, was a member of the Mothers of
Young Children group and fondly recalls the informal gatherings with other
American moms and their offspring at playgrounds in local gardens or at the
beach. 'It was usually a potluck affair and something we really looked forward
to, especially since in those days there were no cafes or public places where
you could sit and chat. Many of us who were married to Kuwaitis and had young
children lived in small apartments or with our in-laws, so entertaining at home
was difficult.'
In days gone by, American women
whose American husbands brought them to Kuwait on overseas contracts also
valued all that AWL had to offer.As former Kuwait resident Patricia Wyss
explained, 'In December 1982 I had never heard of Kuwait. Yet six months later,
after the company my husband worked for was purchased by Kuwait Petroleum and
he was asked to go to Kuwait, I was calling Kuwait home. Newly arrived in
Kuwait I viewed AWL as a social outlet. At AWL I met women from throughout the
United States that had shared the same cultural experiences, regardless of
which state we came from. AWL meant friendship.'
For longtime American expatriates
like Patricia and her family, AWL provided the opportunity for them to embrace
their American culture while living overseas. 'Photographs of my daughter at
AWL Christmas and Halloween parties, Easter egg hunts, and with US military
being hosted at Thanksgiving are all testimonials of how integral AWL events
were in helping me, my husband, and my daughter to practice our American
traditions.'
The strong bonds of fellowship
that American women had formed through AWL also helped carry them through times
of crisis. After Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 the Iraqis began rounding up
foreigners to be used as human shields at Iraqi installations. Americans were
forced to live in hiding and the penalty imposed by the Iraqis on anyone
harboring a foreigner was death by hanging. The shared danger during these dark
days made friendships deeper.Many AWL members served as wardens for the US
embassy and helped get important information out to fellow Americans by
telephone. Making these calls was not without peril as local telephone lines
were tapped by Iraqi forces.
The warden system was eventually
used to inform Americans about evacuation flights. AWL members travelled
together on Iraqi Airways jets when they and their children flew from
Iraqi-occupied Kuwait to the United States via Baghdad. Husbands, however, were
forced to remain behind as Saddam Hussein had only given permission for women
and children to leave.
Once safely in America, groups of
AWL members found each other in states all across the country. Now sharing
another common bond as refuges, the women offered each other much-needed
support. Many joined the information campaign for a free Kuwait, publishing
newsletters, attending demonstrations, and engaging in public speaking. The
women also tried to help each other attain some semblance of normalcy for their
children by getting together for play sessions and birthday parties.When one
group of mostly blonde AWL members, all married to Kuwaitis, held a birthday
party for their dark-haired youngsters in a southern California public park, a
Latino man approached them and asked with genuine curiosity, 'Hey ladies, how
come all your kids look like Mexicans?' Since all the women had husbands inside
Kuwait and had no idea whether they were safe or had possibly been tortured,
killed, or captured by the Iraqis, this provided some comic relief for the
occasion. One of these women later learned her husband, who was in the Kuwaiti
military, was a POW. Fortunately, after the liberation he was released and
returned safely to Kuwait.
Once the Gulf War was over and
the American women and their children returned to Kuwait, the children's
parties and get-togethers resumed, but so did occasions of a more serious
nature. AWL invited explosive ordnance disposal experts to several meetings in
order to teach members, guests, and their children about the huge numbers of mines,
bombs, and other active explosive devices planted in Kuwait by the Iraqis. 'If
I didn't drop it I won't pick it up' was the slogan taught to children as they
learned never to approach these potentially-lethal items.
Through the Adult Activities
Committee, AWL members were provided with the opportunity to become better
acquainted with the local community. During the years following the Iraqi
occupation there were some particularly interesting field trips, including a
tour of Bayan Palace in 1993. The palace had been looted, vandalised, and
burned by Iraqi forces. A Kuwaiti guide took the ladies inside the ravaged
conference building, which had been used as a command post and torture center.
The guide informed the visitors that after liberation, dead bodies of Kuwaitis
had been found there along with blood on the floor and walls and many
instruments of torture. Other tours to local places of interest included the
Tareq Rajab Museum, the gold souk, the Arab Organisations Headquarters
Building, and the camel races.
After the Gulf War, AWL members were often
surprised at the extent of the warmth and respect shown to them by members of
the local community. Sheikha Latifa Fahad Al Sabah, wife of then Crown Prince
and Prime Minister Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Salim Al Sabah (later the Amir
Father of Kuwait) expressed these sentiments at an AWL meeting in 1995.
'I would like at the outset to
convey the deep appreciation of Kuwaiti women to the American people, who not
only stood by us firmly and strongly against the treacherous Iraqi invasion and
occupation of our country…but also sent American young men and women to fight
with us against the forces of evil aggression until Kuwait was liberated. In
this connection I would like to pay tribute to the active participation by
American women in the battle for Kuwait. Such participation will always be
remembered with esteem by all of us in Kuwait.'
On behalf of the Kuwaiti Union
for Women's Societies, Sheikha Latifa confirmed that Kuwaiti women were keen to
establish close cooperation with American women in Kuwait, and through them,
with women's societies in the United States. 'We wish to see further exchanges
of visits between Kuwaiti and American women. We will continue to work for a
closer friendship, wider cooperation and an ever growing relationship over the
years,' she said.
One of the highlights of the AWL
calendar had long been the pre-Christmas Annual Charity Bazaar. First held as a
small event in the early 1970s, it quickly grew in size and popularity until it
was referred to as 'the shopping opportunity of the year and the social event
of the season.' In present day Kuwait with more modern shopping malls and
Western franchise stores than any reasonable person has time to visit, it may
be hard to imagine the importance of a holiday bazaar. However, back in the day
it provided a rare opportunity for Westerners to shop for much-coveted seasonal
items, like Christmas decorations painstakingly made by hand by AWL members,
home-made holiday treats, and old favorites like Christmas stockings and candy
canes which some AWL members carefully carried back to Kuwait from visits to
the States. With the vendors' booths and the hall all beautifully-decorated,
Christmas music playing in the background, and the hustle and bustle of friendly
shoppers, the event truly put people into the festive spirit and was enjoyed by
Kuwaitis just as much as expatriates.
The AWL bazaar was held every
year up until 2006, except for the year of the Iraqi occupation, and 1998, when
a crisis with Iraq resulted in many Westerners leaving the country on voluntary
evacuations. The bazaar raised money for local, American, and international
charities.
At the first AWL meeting of the
season in October 2003, Kellie Hills, AWL President at the time, observed, 'The
lifestyle in Kuwait has changed so drastically since the league began so many
years ago. Therefore, as a league, we too must change. What do we hope to
achieve? With the help of a wonderful board and the cooperation of our valued
members, we are focusing our attention on finding a happy medium between our
social gatherings and contributions to the community through organised
charitable functions. Each general meeting will not only include a wonderful
social event, lively entertainment, and delicious cuisine, but will also
identify an area of need in the community and host an activity to support it.'
The lifestyle in Kuwait had
indeed changed dramatically over the years. Long gone were the days when there
were no suitable places for ladies to gather; when AWL members had to make
their own holiday decorations, special seasonal foods, and children's costumes;
when they exchanged recipes for unattainable American food items like pumpkin
pie or pancake syrup; or when their children had little exposure to American
holiday events or popular American culture. The women themselves had also
changed; with burgeoning employment and commercial opportunities, many American
women had embarked on successful careers or started their own businesses.As a
former AWL member remarked in 2006, 'Nowadays there is just too much to do in
Kuwait and not enough time to do it in.' As a result of these changes, AWL
suffered declining membership for several years. Finally, at a general meeting
in 2011, with less than twenty members present, a call for volunteers went out.
'Is there anyone who wants AWL to continue and who will take charge?' Longtime
member Deborah Al Qanai raised her hand and became President, while Patricia Al
Enezi took up the office of Vice President and was also responsible for Adult
Activities.Other hard-working ladies were found to fill the remaining vacant
positions on the board, including Deborah's daughters Hannan and Mona. Maxine
Al Refai, the longest serving AWL member, became Honorary Board Member. DeNeece
Tueller, wife of the American Ambassador and AWL Honorary President, also
contributed to AWL's revival with her staunch commitment and enthusiasm.
According to Deborah and the
board members, it took a lot of hard work to rebuild the membership but they
succeeded by offering new activities, allowing students to earn community
service hours by volunteering, increasing the quota of non-American associate
members, and keeping in touch with members and contacting potential members
through a variety of mediums.AWL President for 2019/2020 Pamela Khraibut looked
through the many Arab Times articles documenting AWL's activities and remarked
that over the years the League had built up a truly rich and vibrant legacy.
'What really strikes me is that all this was accomplished by volunteers,' she
said. 'When you think of all the time spent and the hard work involved it
speaks volumes about the ladies in our League. But that's what AWL has always
been about: people volunteering and supporting each other.'
Pamela also noted that despite
shifting demographics, the deep bonds of friendship and camaraderie fostered by
AWL over the years still endure. She told her own story of when she came to
Kuwait nearly seven years ago with her Kuwaiti husband and three young
children. Soon after their arrival, her mother-in-law was diagnosed with a
serious illness and Pamela's husband had to accompany her abroad for several
months of treatment.The sudden departure of her husband left Pamela very lonely
in her new home. 'When I discovered AWL it was a blessing,' she recalls.
'Deborah Al Qanai reached out to me and offered valuable support, and the
meetings and events took place in such a welcoming atmosphere, it was
wonderful.'
The new President, an IT consultant, native of New York, and mother of four, had served on the board as AWL's Treasurer for four years. 'Now I'm looking forward to serving as President, to giving back to the League. I'll be looking at what we did in the past and reviving some of those great activities while continuing to do what has recently been successful, and expanding and developing new opportunities.'
The next AWL meeting, a membership drive, will be held on September 7, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. at the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Resort & Spa. Monthly meetings and events will be held from September through May, with some activities taking place in the morning and others in the evening, in order to accommodate those who work.
AWL President Pamela Khraibut encourages those who are not sure about joining to attend a meeting as a guest. 'If you join you don't have to come to every meeting; you can be as active or as relaxed about your membership as you like.'
For more information, see the website www.awlkuwait.org, Facebook American Women's League, Instagram @awlkuwait, or contact them by email . |
By Claudia Farkas Al Rashoud
Special to the Arab Times
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