With the looms located inside the artisans homes, this project gives increased opportunity to women. Women can work on the looms around their other household chores, like caring for children, preparing meals and tending their home.
Bunyaad gives increased opportunity to women.
In the villages, there is very little opportunity for employment, especially for women. Work on the looms gives women year-round stable employment that they have control over. With this income, women are finding increased financial independence and can financially contribute to the success of their family. They are able to send their children to school and plan for the future. Having a wage-earning skill gives these women a sense of pride as well as an avenue to true social change for themselves and their family.
Meet Mahwish and Imtiaz
Mahwish and Imtiaz are cousins and work on the loom together in Imtiaz’s home in the village of Fateh Toor More, Pakistan. Their grandparents are all rug knotters; the craft has been in their family for generations. Now both finished with school, these young women find an even greater voice in their communities as they both earn a good wage working with Bunyaad.
Learn more at People Behind the Rugs and Supporting Schools.