This research explores how traditional crafts such as embroidery can become powerful tools for climate storytelling, environmental education, and women’s empowerment in Pakistan. Pakistan is among the top five countries most affected by climate change, and rural communities—especially women—face deep vulnerabilities due to environmental disasters and limited access to education. Women artisans hold valuable craft knowledge but are rarely given platforms to share their stories or take part in climate action.
The project aims to bridge this gap by empowering rural women artisans—many of whom have experienced climate disasters—through narrative craftivism. By using embroidery and other traditional art forms, the women tell stories of climate impact and resilience. This initiative is supported by two non-profit partners: The Eisaar Trust and the Behbud Association, which provide vocational training, education, and income opportunities in traditional crafts. The women engaged in this study are active members of these communities.
Through the project, their ancestral skills, creative talents, and lived climate experiences are transformed into powerful tools of education and advocacy. The research seeks to create a model of climate education that is not imported from the West, but grounded in local traditions, values, and skills—making it culturally relevant, inclusive, and empowering.
The study uses a qualitative, creative, practice-based approach, drawing on Socially Engaged Art Practice and Positive Deviance theory. Methods include semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and collaborative embroidery workshops. These workshops will lead to the co-creation of artworks based on personal and collective climate stories. The finished pieces will be exhibited in community and digital spaces to raise awareness, spark dialogue, and inspire climate action. The artworks serve both as cultural products and as teaching tools, offering an educational and meaningful way to connect everyday rural women’s lives with the global climate crisis.