Comments on: Traveling in Jordan: Zikra Initiative Social Enterprise Working with Women

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 16:30:59 +0000

@Rizwana: I can definitely see replicating this in rural Bangladesh. And if the right organization was involved I could see it working in certain parts of Dhaka. The founding philosophy of Zikra Initiative is that everyone has something special to share and there are so many crafts, foods and cultural traditions that could be shared in Bangladesh. It’s a great experience for everyone – the traveler and the local community. Please let us know if you succeed in finding a way to set something similar up in Bangladesh.

By: Rizwana Akhter

Rizwana Akhter — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 08:40:51 +0000

We can replicate this in the villages of Bangladesh. Our villages are treasure troves. I remembered in one of my visits to a village in Chapainawabganj, a north western district of Bangladesh with documentary film maker couple and travelers Bart Drolenga and Saskia Drolenga from Netherlands, we found women in that village embroider light quilt or kantha ( a Bengali word for quilt)with very intricate design and they looks almost like a carpet! Very neat and Beautiful! Saskia bought one in Tk. 5000 which was quite a decent price for a such intricate hand made artifact! I was very pleased that without a middleman the creator of this wonderful piece, a college going young lady got the fitting price for her labor and art!!! Beside that our women are good in Nakshi kantha, winter rice cake making which they can exchange with the rest of the world like women in Ghor Al Mazra. Our different indigenous communities also have rich culture, heritage and tradition to share! I wish I could start something like Zikra initiative here in Bangladesh too.

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:50:42 +0000

@Sutapa: Yes, the shrak is similar to rumali roti. Although I’m not sure if rumali roti is cooked on an inverted metal pan like this. The food here was delicious – so fresh, tasty and healthy.

We do hope that by sharing this story it brings more travelers to take part in this exchange and open up more opportunities for this community. It really was a great experience. We also have shared Zikra Initiative with numerous sustainable tourism organizations we’ve come across to look to this program as a model.

By: Sutapa Chattopadhyay

Sutapa Chattopadhyay — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:40:49 +0000

Beautiful essay on women of the Zikra Initiative. I enjoyed reading it. The ‘shrak’ looks like Indian rumali roti but much bigger – hence harder to make. They also roll it by hand, so it is harder to make. The food looks delicious.

Thanks for writing this article. These women need some publicity so that more tourist traffic would enrich their lives ( as well as enriching the lives of the tourists).

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 11:49:40 +0000

@Ruby: Thanks so much for your kind comment – it means a lot to me that you connected so much to these women and experience. Sharing like this is the goal of our website. We found the Zikra Initiative quite unique and really wish them success in creating more such community projects and tourism exchanges throughout Jordan (and beyond).

By: Ruby Gonzalez

Ruby Gonzalez — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 05:20:45 +0000

I have no words to describe the beautiful experience i was going thru as i was reading this publish. i closed my eyes for a few seconds and imagine myself in this place. i can literally smell the shrak thru my pc. Thanks to dedicated people like you we get to learn from people and places like Ghor al Mazra’a. i can imagine such great experience.

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:52:39 +0000

@Connie: It was a really wonderful experience – so glad you enjoyed reading about it as well.

@Kirk: I imagine it’s a similar process with enjeta, but I believe that bread is a little spongier. This is more like a thin naan. Very tasty.

@Matt: It’s exactly this that made us really appreciate the approach and work of Zikra Initiative. They are focused on finding value in the local and traditional culture to preserve it and share with others.

@Christy: While I enjoy beautiful sights and places, it’s experiences like this that help ground me and are the reason we continue traveling.

By: Christy @ Technosyncratic

Christy @ Technosyncratic — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:35:33 +0000

This is beautiful, and I’ve really enjoyed your series on the women you’ve met. Such great stories!

By: Matt | ExpertVagabond

Matt | ExpertVagabond — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 12:38:10 +0000

Seems like a great way to experience some local culture, without ruining it in the long-term.

By: Bluegreen Kirk

Bluegreen Kirk — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 09:07:49 +0000

This reminds me of my wife’s family from Ethopia make a type of bread call enjeta. Thanks for the write up sounds like you had a wonderful experience.