University of Richmond Student Receives Projects for Peace Grant to Support Women Artisans in Rural Pakistan

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — Minahil Mobeen, a sophomore from Lahore, Pakistan, has received a $10,000 Projects for Peace grant for her project Women Weave Change.

For Women Weave Change, Mobeen partnered with the Pakistani social development groups Democratic Commission for Human Development and Label STEP to improve the work environments of women carpet weavers in rural Pakisan.

The project, hosted in Feroze Watwan, Pakistan, provided the artisans with a centralized workspace, childcare, and new looms. They also hosted workshops focused on workers’ rights, financial literacy, and safe occupational practices.

“The Davis Projects for Peace program allows UR students to take the lead on projects that make real impacts in the world,” said Ethan Knight, associate director of the Office of Scholars and Fellowships. “Applicants and grantees gain significant experience planning and proposing large-scale projects, and students who earn the grant gain valuable experience conducting fieldwork, managing grant funds, and adapting as things on the ground change. We’re always excited to see UR students proposing creative solutions to complex, real-world problems.”

Mobeen, an economics major, notes that this project both supported the financial independence of the rural weavers and is helping to preserve a traditional Pakistani craft.

“Women Weave Change taught me that peace begins with threading together dignity, opportunity, and resources to help communities design their own lives,” said Mobeen. “As I witnessed the weavers gain confidence in their craft and financial independence, I was reminded of how small, community-driven steps can initiate long-term, sustainable development.”

Mobeen also witnessed the way these already vulnerable communities were impacted by environmental challenges such as floods and heavy rains, strengthening her dedication to economic solutions that factor in sustainability. “Beyond deprivation in resources, wealth, and knowledge, the delays due to extreme weather were disheartening, but the consistent resilience of these women inspired me to continue pursuing development projects that empower people to weave their own futures.”

Past Projects for Peace recipients at UR have completed both international and local projects, including projects that provided energy efficiency kits to marginalized communities in Virginia, supported coral reefs in Taiwan, mitigated human-wildlife conflict in Kenya, combatted youth unemployment in Nigeria, and more.

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