Posted by The Law School
30 August 2024A school project created by LLB student Sameera Jalan before she came to the University of Exeter, has sustainability and social justice at its core.
Whilst at school Sameera set up Pinthread, a community based project in her village in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The initial ambitions were to provide greater financial and social independence for women by providing them with increased skills enabling them to earn more.
Alongside the ambition to empower local women, this project also aimed to tackle the growing amount of fabric waste. Sameera organised a tailor to provide workshops for the women to professionalise their sewing skills so they could produce highly marketable products. By taking unwanted fabrics, which would have been destined for landfill, the sewers turned them into reusable items such as laptop bags and pencil cases.
Initially the items were bought by friends and family who thought it was a worthwhile project but by using social media the customer base grew hugely.
The sustainability of the products got us so many orders. People are moving towards more ethical brands, and products which have a lot more thought about their impact, knowing that women are getting employed. I knew that the customers not only wanted a sustainable product they also wanted to support a good cause.
Sameera
What started as a school project became a real venture both for Sameera and the women in her village. Since she set it up, all of the women involved have gone on to secure paid work above the minimum wage. And for Sameera this project has really developed her business and personal skills.
I have learnt many things, the value of kindness and empathy and being grateful, as well as many professional skills such as marketing and social media. On a very personal level, I learnt the importance of giving back to your community. And that is something I know I want to do with my career. Law gives you that chance to change. When it comes to pro bono I really want to work with the Law Clinic in terms of women, welfare and the refugee crisis. I know I want to do something which is positive.
Sameera
Now she has completed her first year at the University of Exeter, Sameera is looking forward to getting involved with two new Students’ Guild societies – Diversity in Law as the Academic Officer and the Global Visionaries Society as the Head of Outreach.