Problem
Refugees often live in ‘hotspots’ where the effects of climate change and conflict coalesce. In these contexts, the impacts of a warming planet can both be the cause of displacement and make living conditions of those already displaced more difficult by exacerbating issues like water shortage and food scarcity.
Solution
With the motto “A Stitch Against Waste. A Stitch For Freedom.”, Silaiwali’s handmade doll collection addresses some of the world’s most pressing issues – waste from the textile industry and the livelihood of the displaced individuals. As a social enterprise based in New Delhi, India, Silaiwali takes production waste from the city’s garment factories as raw materials and employs Afghan refugee women to hand sew each character together with skilful needlework techniques including hand embroidery and fine finishing.
Iris Strill and Bishwadeep Moitra had worked with women refugees and rural Indian craftswomen before. They were taken aback by the amount of cotton fabrics being thrown away as waste from garment factories. The creation of Silaiwali is, therefore, to help ensure fair employment for women from different walks of life in India and find a new life for the waste materials that would otherwise be sent to landfill.